Dance/NYC Competitors

New York City Ballet is one of the foremost dance companies in the world, with a roster of spectacular dancers and an unparalleled repertory. The Company was founded in 1948 by George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein, and it quickly became world-renowned for its athletic and contemporary style. Jerome Robbins joined NYCB the following year and, with Balanchine, helped to build the astounding repertory and firmly establish the Company in New York.

At Jacob’s Pillow, our mission is to support dance creation, presentation, education, and preservation; and to engage and deepen public appreciation and support for dance. As a National Historic Landmark and recipient of the National Medal of Arts, we are honored to be home to America's longest-running international dance festival. Our Festival showcases over 50 national and international dance companies, offering more than 350 free and ticketed performances, talks, tours, classes, exhibits, events, and community programs. The School at Jacob’s Pillow stands as one of the most prestigious professional dance training centers in the U.S, providing invaluable professional advancement opportunities in arts administration, design, video, and production through seasonal internships. We are deeply committed to our local community, engaging with it through our growing community programs. As an active citizen and partner, the Pillow continues to make a positive impact. Our extensive Archives, accessible year-round to the public and online at danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org, are a treasure trove, chronicling more than a century of dance history through photographs, programs, books, costumes, audiotapes, and videos.

American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is recognized as one of the great dance companies in the world. Few ballet companies equal ABT for its combination of size, scope, and outreach. Recognized as a living national treasure since its founding in 1940, ABT is the only major cultural institution that annually tours the United States, performing for more than 450,000 people. Over its 83-year history, the Company has also performed in a total of 139 cities around the world. As a result of this vast domestic and international reach anchored in its American roots, in 2006, by an act of Congress, American Ballet Theatre became America's National Ballet Company.® When American Ballet Theatre was founded, the aim was to develop a repertoire of the best ballets from the past, and to encourage the creation of new works by gifted young choreographers, wherever they might be found. In January 2022, former American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer, Susan Jaffe, was appointed Artistic Director. Jaffe is committed to maintaining the Company's vast repertoire, engaging the leading choreographers of our time to create exciting new work, and bringing the art of dance theater to the great stages of the world. With a repertory of the great full-length classical ballets and contemporary one-act ballets, ABT’s performance season includes a Summer season at the Metropolitan Opera House and a Fall season at the Koch Theater in New York City. ABT also tours in the US and abroad and has a robust Education program which includes the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (JKO) School, ABT Summer Intensive programs across the US, and the ABT National Training Curriculum, a training program for dance educators.