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| Ballet Minnesota | |
|---|---|
| Name | Ballet Minnesota |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Founder | Dennis Chmelensky |
| Location | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Venue | McGuire Theatre, Hopkins Center for the Arts |
| Artistic director | RIOU |
Ballet Minnesota is a professional ballet company based in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota, with a mission to present classical and contemporary ballet and to provide training and outreach in the Upper Midwest. The company performs at venues such as the Hopkins Center for the Arts and collaborates with regional institutions to present seasonal repertory and educational programming. Ballet Minnesota's season typically includes full-length narrative ballets, mixed bills of contemporary choreography, and community-oriented productions.
Ballet Minnesota was founded in 1990 by choreographer Dennis Chmelensky in the Twin Cities area, growing from a regional studio company into a professional ensemble. Early seasons featured works that connected to regional audiences through performances at the Orpheum Theatre (Minneapolis) and the Pantages Theatre (Minneapolis), while dancers trained in schools influenced by the Vaganova method, Balanchine technique, and curricula derived from the Royal Ballet School and the School of American Ballet. Over the decades the company has presented classical titles alongside commissions by choreographers with ties to companies such as Alonzo King LINES Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and New York City Ballet. Tours have included engagements in neighboring states and appearances at arts festivals like the Minnesota Fringe Festival and events hosted by the Walker Art Center.
The company operates as a nonprofit organization incorporated in Minnesota and governed by a volunteer board drawn from local arts patrons, civic leaders, and alumni of institutions such as the University of Minnesota and Macalester College. Artistic leadership has included figures trained or affiliated with schools like the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, Miami City Ballet School, and conservatories linked to the Royal Academy of Dance. Administrative functions collaborate with offices connected to the McKnight Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and regional funders including the Minnesota State Arts Board. Guest artists and rehearsal directors have included performers who have danced with American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet, and Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo.
Repertoire spans full-length narrative ballets, mixed-repertory programs, and premiere commissions. The company has staged versions of canonical works influenced by choreographers from traditions of Marius Petipa, George Balanchine, and August Bournonville, alongside contemporary pieces by creators associated with William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, and Crystal Pite. Seasonal favorites have included productions thematically linked to titles performed by companies at venues like Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center, while premieres have referenced collaborations with composers linked to the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (now Minnesota Orchestra). The company often pairs classical pas de deux and divertissements with contemporary solos and ensemble works drawn from festivals such as the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival.
Education programs engage students from regional studios, charter schools, and conservatories including partnerships with the Perpich Center for Arts Education and community organizations such as United Way of the Twin Cities and Youth Ballet of Minnesota. Outreach initiatives include in-school residencies modeled on curricula used by the Royal Ballet School and scholarship programs comparable to fellowships supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Summer intensive programs attract trainees who have previously studied at institutions like the San Francisco Ballet School, Paris Opera Ballet School, and the Bolshoi Ballet Academy. The company conducts master classes taught by artists with histories at companies including New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and Colorado Ballet.
Ballet Minnesota maintains partnerships with performing arts organizations and cultural institutions across the region, collaborating with the Hopkins Center for the Arts, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, and visual arts partners such as the Guthrie Theater and Walker Art Center. Music collaborations have involved ensembles like the Minnesota Orchestra and chamber groups connected to the Schubert Club. Choreographic exchanges, co-productions, and touring arrangements have linked the company with companies such as Ballet West, Oregon Ballet Theater, and international presenters who participate in arts exchange programs administered by the Alliance for the Arts and consortia that include the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.
Ballet Minnesota and its artists have received regional awards and endorsements from bodies including the McKnight Foundation Artist Fellowships, grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, and recognition from statewide honors administered by the Minnesota State Arts Board. Individual dancers and choreographers associated with the company have been finalists or recipients of prizes connected to organizations such as the Princess Grace Foundation, the Helpmann Awards, and competitions modeled after the Varna International Ballet Competition and the USA International Ballet Competition.
Category:Ballet companies in the United States Category:Dance in Minnesota