Background Statement
The Ballet Arts Studio was founded in the 1970s as the Ballet Arts Studio of Boulder by Larry Boyette. In 1982 Barbara Demaree and Wanda Tierney took over the studio and started the first performing ensemble, then named Boulder City Ballet. In 1985, the name was changed to Boulder Ballet Ensemble, and in 1995 the present names Boulder Ballet and Boulder Ballet School were adopted. Our rich history includes bringing classical, contemporary, and uniquely theatrical ballet to venues that range from Estes Park to Highlands Ranch. Boulder Ballet typically performs in Chautauqua Auditorium, Macky Auditorium, Vance Brand Auditorium, the Dairy ARTS Center, the Stanley Hotel, Lakewood Cultural Center and in outdoor venues in Highlands Ranch and Boulder. Last season, we were thrilled to make our debut at the Vail Dance Festival.
Since its founding, the professional company has been influenced by several notable artists, including Milenko Banovich (Zagreb Ballet), Robin Haig (Royal Ballet), and John Prinz (American Ballet Theatre). Subsequent directors Peter Davison, Ana Claire and Lance Hardin built on this strong tradition of artistic excellence through innovation, programmatic growth, and attention to quality. The past two years have featured works by well known choreographers such as Paul Taylor, Christopher Wheeldon, Amy Hall Garner, Amy Seiwert, Gregory Dawson and Sidra Bell. In 2022 Ben Needham-Wood was named Artistic Director, ushering in a new phase of growth for the company. The 2022-23 season features works by Twyla Tharp and Caili Quan, a reimagined Nutcracker, and the spring production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. In a typical season we offer 25 performances reaching 20,000+ people in the metro-Denver region including continuing collaborations with the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra and Longmont Symphony Orchestra.
Students of the Boulder Ballet School have excelled in a number of competitions, including the world's largest, the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP), where BBS students have won first-place awards and the regional Grand Prix (single highest award), and have been invited to perform in the finals among the world's finest young dancers. Former BBS students have gone on to study and dance with eminent companies throughout the world including American Ballet Theatre, Ballet West, Ballet British Columbia, Dutch National Ballet (Amsterdam), New York City Ballet, the Royal Ballet (London), and Sacramento Ballet among others.
Boulder Ballet is a founding resident organization of the Dairy ARTS Center in central Boulder.