The Sacramento Ballet was founded in 1954 by

Barbara Crockett Barbara may refer to: People * Barbara (given name) * Barbara (painter) (1915–2002), pseudonym of Olga Biglieri, Italian futurist painter * Barbara (singer) (1930–1997), French singer * Barbara Popović (born 2000), also known mononymously ...

and

Deane Crockett Deane may refer to: Places * Deane, Greater Manchester, an area of Bolton and a former historic parish * Deane, Hampshire, a village * Deane, Kentucky Ships * USS ''Deane'' (1778), US Navy frigate named after Silas Deane * HMS ''Deane'' (K55 ...

. During Ms. Crockett’s tenure as Company Director, The Sacramento Ballet gained national recognition as one of the finest regional ballet companies. Through community support, the formation of the Ballet Guild, and grants from the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission, California Arts Council, and the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

, the Ballet was able to grow and begin to hire a resident company of professional dancers. In 1986, having accomplished her goal of making The Sacramento Ballet a professional company, Ms. Crockett retired as the Company Director. In 1988

Ron Cunningham Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media *Big Ron (EastEnders), Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character *Ron (King of Fighters), Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the pr ...

was engaged as Artistic Director, and was joined by his wife Carinne Binda the following year. The two became Co-Artistic Directors in 1991. The Sacramento Ballet is as well known for Cunningham’s world premieres of such works as Carmina Burana,

The Rite of Spring ''The Rite of Spring''. Full name: ''The Rite of Spring: Pictures from Pagan Russia in Two Parts'' (french: Le Sacre du printemps: tableaux de la Russie païenne en deux parties) (french: Le Sacre du printemps, link=no) is a ballet and orchestral ...

and

Bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...

as it is for his classics, including ''

The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet (""; russian: балет-феерия, link=no, ), originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaiko ...

'', ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

'', and '' Cinderella''. The Ballet's audience has had the opportunity to experience a vast repertoire, including works by

Septime Webre The Washington Ballet (TWB) is an ensemble of professional ballet dancers based in Washington DC. It was founded in 1976 by Mary Day, and has been under the artistic directorship of Julie Kent since 2016. Septime Webre was artistic director for ...

, David Parsons,

Kathryn Posin Kathryn Posin (born March 23, 1943) is an American choreographer known for her musical and sculptural fusing of ballet and modern dance genres. In addition to choreographing, she has also taught technique and composition at several American unive ...

Agnes de Mille Agnes George de Mille (September 18, 1905 – October 7, 1993) was an American dancer and choreographer. Early years Agnes de Mille was born in New York City into a well-connected family of theater professionals. Her father William C. deMill ...

, Glen Tetley, Val Caniparoli,

Trey McIntyre Trey McIntyre (born November 12, 1969) is an American dancer and choreographer, who has a body of work that includes around 100 original dance pieces. He founded and acts as president of Trey McIntyre Project, a dance company that was based in B ...

and

Twyla Tharp Twyla Tharp (; born July 1, 1941) is an American dancer, choreographer, and author who lives and works in New York City. In 1966 she formed the company Twyla Tharp Dance. Her work often uses classical music, jazz, and contemporary pop music. Fr ...

. In 18 seasons, the Ballet has added 13 full-length ballets, 18 Balanchine masterworks, 36 Sacramento premieres, and 34 world premieres. The Sacramento Ballet has received annual funding from corporations, foundations and government agencies to support its operational and artistic growth, including: California Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts, Sacramento Regional Foundation, Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Council, The

James Irvine Foundation The James Irvine Foundation is a philanthropic nonprofit organization established to benefit the people of California. The foundation's grantmaking focuses on a California where all low-income workers have the power to advance economically. The fou ...

, Target Stores, Raley’s Stores and the McClatchy Company to name a few. Since 1986, the company’s operating budget has grown steadily, and audience attendance has increased from 15,000 to over 80,000 each season. The Ballet remains the only Sacramento arts organization with a resident company of artists. Former Sacramento Ballet company dancer Amy Seiwert took over the role of Artistic Director in 2018, and is committed to presenting audiences with an inspiring balance of classic repertoire and fresh new works.

Artists As of April 2010

* Ballet Mistress/Character Artist: Lynlee Towne * Character Artist: Nolan T'Sani

Artists as of October 2012

* Ballet Mistress/Character Artist: Lynlee Towne * Character Artist: Nolan T'Sani

Dancers

* Oliver-Paul Adams * Alexander Cain Biber * Lauren Breen * Stefan Calka * Ava Chatterson * Alexandra Cunningham * Roy Gan * Nicole Haskins * Chloe Horne * Rachel Speidel Little * Isha Lloyd * Kaori Higashiyama * Isha Lloyd * Katie Miller * Christopher B. Nachtrab * Amanda Peet * Richard Porter * Richard Smith * Mate Szentes * Evelyn Turner * Rex Wheeler * Lauryn Winterhalder

Apprentices

* Alysia Chang * Julia Feldman * Karina Hagemeyer * Sarah Hicks * Jackson Jirard * Mila Louise Lavoie * Jarrett Reimers * Maggie Rupp * Alex Stewart

Trainees

* Christine Nankervis

Artists as of August 2015

Dancers

* Alexander Cain Biber * Lauren Breen * Stefan Calka * Ava Chatterson * Alexandra Cunningham * Julia Feldman * Kaori Higashiyama * Iver Johnson * Dylan Keane * Larissa Kogut * Katie Miller * Christopher B. Nachtrab * Richard Porter * Karina Hagemeyer * Maggie Rupp * Richard Smith * Evelyn Turner * Rex Wheeler * John Whisler * Lauryn Winterhalder

Apprentices

* Anthony Cannarella * Colleen Kerwin * Shania Rasmussen * Isabella Velasquez * Laura Whitby

Trainees

* Brittney Almendariz * Audrey Mathias * Emily Tan * Solana Tanabe

Artists as of August 2019

Dancers

* Isaac Bates-Vinueza * Alexander Cain Biber * Bobby Briscoe * Stefan Calka * Anthony Cannarella * Frances Chae * Ava Chatterson * Alexandra Cunningham * Regina DuPont * Julia Feldman * Kaori Higashiyama * Michelle Katcher * Dylan Keane * Richard Porter * Shania Rasmussen * Richard Smith * Sally Turkel * Isabella Velasquez * Dominique Wendt * Lauryn Winterhalder * Ben Youngstone

Apprentices

* Matisse D'Aloisio * Kristoffer Reyes * Wen Na Robertson

Performances

2008-2009 (Season 54)

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatur ...

- October 23–26, 2008 *

- December 6–23, 2008 * Noches Calientes - February 12–15, 2009 *

Icons & Innovators An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...

- March 26–29, 2009 *

Beer & Ballet Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

- April–May, 2009 * Modern Masters - May 22–24, 2009

2007-2008 (Season 53)

* A Woman's Journey: The Tamsen Donner Story - October 25–28, 2007 *

- December 7–23, 2007 *

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of person ...

- February 7–10, 2008 * The Sleeping Beauty - March 20–22, 2008 *

A Celebration of Ron Cunningham's 20th Anniversary A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...

- April 25, 2008 * Modern Masters - April 26-May 4, 2008 *

- May 7–17, 2008

2006-2007 (Season 52)

Where The Wild Things Are ''Where the Wild Things Are'' is a 1963 children's picture book written and illustrated by American writer and illustrator Maurice Sendak, originally published in hardcover by Harper & Row. The book has been adapted into other media several tim ...

- October 26–29, 2006 *

The Nutty Nutcracker ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

- December 2, 2006 *

- December 8–23, 2006 *

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken ...

- February 8–11, 2007 * Nine Sinatra Songs - March 22–25, 2007 *

- February 24 - April 6, 2007 *

Tour to China Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed b ...

- May 1–13, 2007

2005-2006 (Season 51)

Dracula ''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...

- October 27–30, 2005 *

- December 10–24, 2005 * Carmina Burana - February 9–12, 2006 *

Scheherezade Scheherazade () is a major female character and the storyteller in the frame narrative of the Middle Eastern collection of tales known as the '' One Thousand and One Nights''. Name According to modern scholarship, the name ''Scheherazade'' der ...

- March 30-April 2, 2006 * Modern Masters - April 28-May 7, 2006 *

2004-2005 (Season 50)

- October 28–31, 2004 *

- December 10–24, 2004 *

- February 10–13, 2005 * The Firebird - March 24–27, 2005 * Modern Masters - May 5–8, 2005 *

References

{{authority control Ballet companies in the United States Dance in California Culture of Sacramento, California Tourist attractions in Sacramento, California 1954 establishments in California Performing groups established in 1954 Non-profit organizations based in California