Richmond Ballet Tickets

Richmond Ballet, founded in 1957, is a ballet company that reaches more than hundred thousand people every year in communities all across Virginia and in other US cities, with a professional repertory comprising of forty-seven works, outreach and educational programs, and a school that teaches more than seven hundred students. Lea Marshall of Style Weekly has called it an exciting company, trying to take ballet into the twenty-first century while being adept at both modern movements as well as pirouettes. Given the company's ever-widening repertoire, it comes as no surprise to see why Richmond Ballet tickets are such a sought-after treat among ballet fans across the US.

Richmond Ballet was founded in 1957 by various local dance enthusiasts as an outlet for performances where students from local dance programs could practice. It existed for nearly twenty years as a rather small civic company till 1975, which is when the famous Richmond Ballet School was formed. It was this school that eventually became today's professional company from a student company all those years back.

In 1980, the company appointed Ms. Stoner Winslett as new artistic director and four years later the Ballet became the Commonwealth's first professional company and by 1990, was designated as  'State Ballet of Virginia' by Governor Wilder. By 2000, the Ballet relocated to the newly-renovated art facility on East Canal Street in downtown Richmond. As of today, the Ballet performs for about a hundred thousand people every year in communities all across Virginia and nearby with an incredible professional repertory comprising of fifty-five original works, outreach and educational programs. In addition, it runs a thriving school, which serves over six hundred students.

The mission of Richmond Ballet is primarily to uplift the human spirit for both the artists and audiences. It is devoted to the preservation, promotion and continuous evolution of the art form, according to specific institutional and aesthetic values as established by the visionary ideas of the artistic director and Board of Trustees. The Ballet strives to keep alive meaningful works of dance as well as to foster and produce new works that are true to such values. While pursuing its mission, the Ballet has become Richmond's most recognized educational and art institution that has gained national acclaim as one of the premiere dance organizations of the country. Thousands of Richmond's ballet fans are inspired and entertained every year by over fifty performances given by six main productions including the beloved holiday tradition, The Nutcracker.

This production of The Nutcracker is known to many as being among the most perfect, featuring the company's complete roster of professionals, alongside a hundred and fifty talented students and twenty-six trainees from the Richmond Ballet School. As part of the many Nutcracker festivities, the Ballet hosts Clara's Tea Party, which is a special event featuring sweets and tea.

Richmond Ballet tours throughout Virginia as well as other cities in the US, and debuted at NYC's Joyce Theater in 2005. The Ballet returned there in April 2007 when paying tribute to America's master choreographer, John Butler. By 2008, it appeared in New York for a third time in four years, to perform three of Jessica Lang's pieces for a special show celebrating her choreographic contributions at Brooklyn Center for Performing Arts. The performance repertoire of the Ballet includes pieces of long-enduring value all the way from classic ballets from the past, to prominent works of the present and newer works reflecting the many modern influences. The company employs five apprentices and nineteen full-time dancers that come from around the globe and have played their part in bringing critical acclaim to the Ballet. Dance/USA's executive director has called Richmond Ballet a jewel among the many dance companies in the US, while The Washington Post has described it to be a company that dance fans should pay attention to. During the Ballet's second engagement at the Joyce theatre in three years, The New York Times has rated it as one that is 'highly recommended'.  So make sure to book your Richmond Ballet tickets and be there for one terrific, elegant performance.