SAN francisco ballet, long recognized for pushing boundaries in dance, has a history of making history. Founded in 1933, we staged the first full-length american productions of copplia (1938) and SWAN LAKE (1940) and in 1944, we launched an annual holiday tradition when we produced the first full-length production of nutcracker in the us. SAN francisco ballet is america's oldest professional ballet company and one of the three largest ballet companies in the united states. The mission of the ballet is to share the JOY of dance with its community and around the globe and to provide the highest caliber of dance training in its school. LED by artistic director and principal choreographer, tamara ROJO, SF ballet is accompanied by its own orchestra and operates one of the country's most prestigious schools of ballet. Today we build on our heritage of commissioning groundbreaking dance from today's TOP choreographers, by uncovering new choreographic talent, and by staging modern classics and the works that make up the canon of classic ballet. Our approach defines ballet in the 21st century and it makes SAN francisco ballet the essential place to see the most adventurous dance in america. Guided in its early years by american dance pioneers the brothers LEW, willam, and harold christensen, SAN francisco ballet historically presents around 100 performances annually, both locally and internationally.