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The Washington Ballet

The Washington Ballet is a group that has been around for 75 years. It arose from the popularity of The Washington School of Ballet, which was created and led for many years by the famed ballet pioneer Mary Day.

The Day had one clear goal when she started the School in 1944 and the Company in 1976: to make a great place for teaching, creating, and enlightening people through dance.

About The Washington Ballet

Artistic Director Julie Kent's long-term goal was to make the Company a world-class ballet company in the nation's capital. She planned to do this by increasing the size of the Company and adding more dances to its repertoire.

She added important works by choreographers like George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Frederick Ashton, Justin Peck, Antony Tudor, and Alexei Ratmansky to the repertoire.

She also welcomed the work of new choreographers like Gemma Bond, Clifton Brown, and Ethan Stiefel. Her commitment to the growth of dancers and the art form showed how she presented beloved classic ballets from the 19th century and landmark works from the 20th century.

Since Washington didn't have a ballet company for many years, talented graduates of the school would leave to join professional companies.

So, in 1976, at the urging of several parents, Day started the professional Washington Ballet. The ballet received funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Choo-San Goh, who worked with the Washington Ballet from its start in 1948 until he died in 1987 and was its first resident choreographer, helped this move toward less traditional works.

Transitions

After Goh died in 1986, the ballet had a few different choreographers and artistic partners. However, as Sarah Kaufman of the Washington Post wrote, the ballet couldn't keep up the artistic momentum Goh had started.

Day announced his search for an artistic director in 1997. To take over for Day beginning in the fall of 1999, the board of directors tapped Septime Webre, formerly of New Brunswick, New Jersey's American Repertory Ballet.

Webre joined the Washington Ballet with clear plans to raise the Company's profile in Washington, D.C., while keeping its classical style. But Webre's main goal was to involve people in the work of the Company.

Diverse choreographers have been a vital part of the TWB's artistic decisions to support and showcase choreographers who bring new ideas to the classical ballet repertoire and show iconic classical choreographers and works.