Dance in California


California is rich in dance history. In classical ballet, California is home to the oldest professional ballet company in the United States. The San Francisco Ballet, founded as the San Francisco Opera Ballet in 1933, predates both American Ballet Theater and New York City ballet. Barbara Crockett founded the Sacramento Ballet in 1954 and hosted the first festival for the Pacific Western Region of Regional Dance America in 1966. In modern dance, Ruth St. Denis established her second school in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles in 1940 while Lester Horton created the Horton Dance Group in 1934, also in Los Angeles. Ann Halprin founded the San Francisco Dancers’ Workshop in 1950 and continues to live and work in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Bay Area in also home to Alonzo King's Lines Ballet and Oberlin Dance Collective.

Timeline

1910-1920

Professional Ballet Companies

San Francisco

San Francisco

Ballet/Dance Schools

Northern California

Crockett-Deane Ballet
Dance Connection Ballet Company
Juline Regional Youth Ballet
Long Beach Ballet
Maple Youth Ballet
Marin Ballet
Paso Robles Chamber Ballet
North Coast Ballet California
Sacramento Ballet Youth Ensemble
Santa Barbara Festival Ballet
Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre
South Bay Ballet
State Street Ballet Young Dancers

Degree Programs

*BFA in Choreography/Performance

Native Dancers

External Resources

http://www.dancehistoryproject.org/article/articles/chronologies/ballet-chronologies/