Ballet Hartford, a leading ballet company located in the heart of Connecticut, pursues excellence in ballet by presenting performances that are rooted in Truth, infused with Beauty, and propelled by the common Good.

In 2016, the company was established as Vivid Ballet in Hartford, CT. After just two seasons, it rebranded as Ballet Hartford, doubled its roster of dancers, and received national and international acclaim.

Today, with professional dancers from across the United States, Ballet Hartford produces programs that uphold tradition and celebrate innovation. The company’s vast repertoire is filled with technically and artistically diverse choreographic works, and it honors the unique role that Hartford played in the history of ballet in America.

Ballet Hartford is accompanied by its affiliate school, the School of Ballet Hartford, and together, we strive for excellence with joy in all of our performances and offerings to the public.

Did you know…

In 1933, thanks to the support of arts philanthropist Lincoln Kirstein and Arthur Everett “Chick” Austin Jr., director of Hartford’s Wadsworth Atheneum, choreographer George Balanchine immigrated to the United States and first came to Hartford to pursue his artistic vision. Though his stay was brief, the museum’s support was pivotal in providing George Balanchine with opportunity. He later went on to found the School of American Ballet and New York City Ballet, creating over 400 works that are regularly performed around the world today.

Ballet Hartford, under the direction of former New York City Ballet Soloist Claire Kretzschmar, seeks to grow the seed of American ballet that Balanchine originally planted in the heart of Connecticut.