About
About LAB
In 2025/2026, Los Angeles Ballet proudly celebrates its 20th Anniversary Season — two decades of artistry, innovation, and community. As we mark this milestone, we embrace what has always made Los Angeles extraordinary: the place to dream big. LAB embodies LA’s imaginative spirit — daring, unique, and forward-looking. Ballet is a transcendent art form that thrives within a broader creative network, and we believe it should be shared with, and enjoyed by, as many people as possible
Our Mission
LAB is committed to:
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Presenting bold new works and staging existing works by today’s most innovative dance-makers.
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Collaborating with diverse movement creators and artists across genres and design worlds.
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Expanding access and appreciation for ballet through wide-reaching community engagement, education, and outreach programs.
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Celebrating the individuality of our dancers and fostering a company culture that prioritizes their artistic, emotional, and physical well-being.
About the Company
For 20 years, Los Angeles Ballet has been the city’s own professional ballet company, known for staging classical, contemporary, romantic, and neoclassical works, pioneering new creations, and presenting relevant works by today’s most compelling choreographers. LAB’s original production of The Nutcracker has become a beloved holiday tradition, enchanting Los Angeles audiences as well as visitors from across the nation and the world.
Led by Artistic Director Melissa Barak and Executive Director Julia Rivera, LAB performs in theaters across Los Angeles County including Royce Hall at UCLA, The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, among others.
As part of its mission to nurture a lifelong love of ballet, LAB provides free tickets to thousands of residents in underserved communities through its arts education initiative Power of Performance (POP!). In 2012, LAB launched A Chance to Dance (ACTD), a hands-on outreach program offering free ballet and movement instruction for all ages.
Founded in 2004 by Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary, Artistic Directors Emeriti, and Julie Whittaker, Executive Director Emerita, Los Angeles Ballet continues to inspire the city it calls home — now celebrating 20 years of extraordinary dance and looking ahead to the next era.
PARTICIPATE
LAB’s Membership Circles are donor benefits designed to build a community through a shared love of ballet and to provide a deeper appreciation of the art form through unique experiences and exclusive content.
LOS ANGELES BALLET
Read the history of the Company and learn about LAB’s Leadership, Mission, and Community Outreach initiatives.
