Mission

The mission of the School of American Ballet (SAB) is to train, develop, and nurture talented young dancers from diverse backgrounds for careers in classical ballet with New York City Ballet and companies around the world. Legendary choreographer George Balanchine and philanthropist Lincoln Kirstein founded the School in 1934 as the first and most essential step in their quest to create an American classical ballet company. They later established New York City Ballet, and SAB has been the company's official school ever since. The School, located at New York City's Lincoln Center, is today the premier ballet academy in the United States, training more students who go on to become professional dancers than any other school. Nearly 80 ballet companies nationally and internationally feature SAB alumni as dancers, choreographers, and artistic leaders.