The Sacramento Ballet was founded in 1954 by Barbara Crockett and Deane Crockett. 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 The California Arts Council is a state agency based in Sacramento, United States. Its eight council members are appointed by the Governor and the state Legislature. The agency's mission is to advance California through arts, culture and creativit ...

, 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 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 ''Carmina Burana'' (, Latin for "Songs from Benediktbeuern" 'Buria'' in Latin is a manuscript of 254 poems and dramatic texts mostly from the 11th or 12th century, although some are from the 13th century. The pieces are mostly bawdy, irreverent ...

The Rite of Spring , image = Roerich Rite of Spring.jpg , image_size = 350px , caption = Concept design for act 1, part of Nicholas Roerich's designs for Diaghilev's 1913 production of ' , composer = Igor Stravinsky , based_on ...

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 Tchaik ...

'', ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a 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 lifetime and, along with ''Ham ...

'', and ''

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

''. 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 f ...

, 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 Glen Tetley (February 3, 1926 – January 26, 2007) was an American ballet and modern dancer as well as a choreographer who mixed ballet and modern dance to create a new way of looking at dance, and is best known for his piece ''Pierrot Lunaire ...

Val Caniparoli Val Caniparoli is an American ballet dancer and international choreographer. His work includes more than 100 productions for ballet, opera, and theater for over 50 companies, and his career as a choreographer progressed globally even as he continu ...

, Trey McIntyre 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 fo ...

, 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 - March 26–29, 2009 * Beer & Ballet - April–May, 2009 *

Modern Masters The collectible card game ''Magic: The Gathering'' has released compilation sets, reprint sets, and box sets over its history. These are distinct from core sets and expansion sets, the most heavily marketed sources of new cards. With the excepti ...

- 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 per ...

- February 7–10, 2008 * The Sleeping Beauty - March 20–22, 2008 * A Celebration of Ron Cunningham's 20th Anniversary - April 25, 2008 *

- April 26-May 4, 2008 * Beer & Ballet - May 7–17, 2008

2006-2007 (Season 52)

* Where The Wild Things Are - October 26–29, 2006 * The Nutty Nutcracker - 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 drunk ...

- February 8–11, 2007 *

Nine Sinatra Songs ''Nine Sinatra Songs'' is a ballet choreographed by Twyla Tharp to songs sung by Frank Sinatra. The ballet is danced by seven couples, portraying different stages of romantic relationships, with ballroom dancing incorporated into the choreography. ...

- March 22–25, 2007 * Beer & Ballet - February 24 - April 6, 2007 * Tour to China - 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 taki ...

- October 27–30, 2005 *

- December 10–24, 2005 *

- 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 *

- April 28-May 7, 2006 * Beer & Ballet

2004-2005 (Season 50)

- October 28–31, 2004 *

- December 10–24, 2004 *

- February 10–13, 2005 *

The Firebird ''The Firebird'' (french: L'Oiseau de feu, link=no; russian: Жар-птица, Zhar-ptitsa, link=no) is a ballet and orchestral concert work by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. It was written for the 1910 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev' ...

- March 24–27, 2005 *

- May 5–8, 2005 * Beer & Ballet

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