Companies

Companies Defining the Genre

The houses whose artistic identity, training methods, and repertory have shaped what contemporary ballet looks like today — and where its next generation of choreographers keeps coming from.

AKL

Alonzo King LINES Ballet

San Francisco's abstraction of the classical line

A San Francisco company that keeps ballet's pointe work and extension while stripping away its narrative conventions entirely.

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BC

Ballet BC

The Vancouver company that reinvented itself — and shaped Crystal Pite

A regional ballet company that shed its classical repertory entirely to become an all-contemporary commissioning ensemble — and once counted Crystal Pite among its dancers.

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BX

BalletX

Philadelphia's commission-only home for new choreographic voices

A Philadelphia company built on one strict rule: every work in its repertory is a new commission, never a revival of existing choreography.

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BDC

Batsheva Dance Company

The Tel Aviv company that gave contemporary dance the Gaga language

Founded with Martha Graham's involvement, then remade by Ohad Naharin into one of the most physically distinct companies in contemporary dance.

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CCB

Complexions Contemporary Ballet

The New York company that fused ballet with hip-hop, jazz, and modern dance

Founded by two dancers out of Alvin Ailey and American Ballet Theatre, Complexions treats ballet as one ingredient among many — hip-hop, jazz, and modern dance included.

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GODC

GöteborgsOperans Danskompani

Sweden's opera-house company, built for large-scale immersive dance

Sweden's leading contemporary dance company, built inside an opera house and known for large-scale, immersive works from major international choreographers.

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NDT

Nederlands Dans Theater

The Hague company that defined a generation of contemporary ballet

Founded by dancers who broke away from the Dutch National Ballet, NDT became one of the defining engines of contemporary ballet worldwide.

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RAM

Rambert

Britain's oldest dance company — and its clearest pivot from ballet to contemporary

Britain's oldest dance company began as a classical ballet troupe and, within its own lifetime, transformed itself into one of the UK's leading contemporary dance companies.

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SB

Scottish Ballet

Scotland's national company, remade for bold contemporary theatre

Scotland's national ballet company, historically rooted in classical repertory, remade its public identity around bold, theatrical contemporary storytelling.

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SDC

Sydney Dance Company

Australia's leading contemporary dance company, built on athletic force

Australia's flagship contemporary dance company, rebuilt around Rafael Bonachela's fast, physically extreme movement style.

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