Boulder Ballet is Boulder County’s major professional dance company and ballet school. Each year, Boulder Ballet reaches thousands through performances at historic Macky Auditorium on the C.U. campus, historic Boulder Theater, the Dairy Center for the Arts (where Boulder Ballet is one of three original resident organizations), and on tour.  In March of 2009, Boulder Ballet made its New York City debut at the Ballet Builders Showcase of New Choreography at the Dicapo Opera House.
The Boulder Ballet company first appeared in 1983 as the Boulder City Ballet, and in 1984 became incorporated as the Boulder Ballet Ensemble under the artistic direction of Wanda Tierney, who continued as the company’s  principal creative force through 1989. In 1990, the company’s name was changed to Boulder Ballet. Subsequent artistic directors include Milenko Banovich (formerly Zagreb Ballet), John Prinz (American Ballet Theater), and Robin Haig (Royal Ballet). Barbara Demaree, a founder of the Boulder Ballet School (formerly Ballet Arts) has staged ballets and contributed artistic guidance  from the company’s beginnings to the present day. These artists, along with many virtuoso guest artists and teachers, have all contributed to Boulder Ballet’s legacy.
Today Boulder Ballet is under the artistic direction of Ana Claire and Peter Davison, who combine decades of professional performing and teaching experience with a deep commitment to the Boulder community. The current vision for Boulder Ballet builds on the accomplishments and knowledge gained through the company’s history, and extends the possibilities of increased audiences and national attention by infusing the classical repertoire with original, theatrically driven ballets that are accessible to today’s audiences. Boulder Ballet has presented contemporary works by choreographers of local, national and international renown.
Since 1989, Boulder Ballet has enjoyed a partnership with the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra in presenting classical ballets complete with professional scenery, costumes, lighting designs, and casts of up to 100 dancers. Past full-scale productions have included Coppélia, Giselle, Carmen, Firebird, Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and the annual holiday tradition, The Nutcracker.