Why should you choose Allegheny Ballet Company?
  • The only area studio to produce professional dancers who have gone on to the New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, The Chicago Ballet and many other companies

  • Internationally trained faculty gives our students the best possible training from around the world

  • Recipient of the 2008 Excellence in Small Business Award from the Blair County Chamber of Commerce

  • The Chance to Dance Scholarship Fund which offers all expenses paid training to deserving students

  • The only dance company to be a member of the Blair County Arts Foundation

  • The Resident Dance Company of the historic Mishler Theatre

  • ABC gives back to the community by collaborating with other non-profit organizations

  • A non-profit 501c(3) organization operated by a Board of Directors

  • Perform The Nutcracker annually for the past 27 years at the historic Mishler Theatre

  • All students perform in a different full length ballet every spring including Swan Lake, Cinderella & more

  • Advanced students perform annually with alumni who are current members of the New York City Ballet

  • New state of the art 9,000 square foot studio now open

History

Since 1981, the Allegheny Ballet Company has provided audiences the opportunity to experience a professional ballet in their own community.

As a community catalyst for the arts, we create a collaborating network of artists. We bring innovative and enlightening artistic performances to a broad audience through classical and original repertoire. Allegheny Ballet Company is well-known for our compelling artistry that is exciting to watch.

Students currently enrolled travel from four counties in Western Pennsylvania. Our students strive for artistic excellence and are committed to create and present exceptional artistic work. The Allegheny Ballet Company has gained the accreditation of the Pennsylvania Council On The Arts.

Operating as a non-profit, The Allegheny Ballet Company is a vehicle for bringing culture and artistic education to the community.

Allegheny Ballet Company is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization composed of highly qualified master teachers training dancers in the art of dance and translating those skills learned to the stage in a variety of performances at the historic Mishler Theatre.

With an annual season’s budget of over $195,000.00, tuition fees cover only about 1/3 of our expenses; making annual donations essential to operate.

Without sacrificing quality in performance or range of repertoire Allegheny Ballet Company is able to offer itself unencumbered by the relatively high costs and complex staging requirements of many other performing organizations through the support of grants and patrons and underwriters in the community. Tuition costs are kept as low as possible to make the program affordable to many. ABC also offers a scholarship program for those dancers and families who cannot afford the program and are out of the tuition range. Sheetz, Inc. and Steve and Nancy Sheetz were the founding supporters of that program called ‘A Chance to Dance’.

It is the belief and philosophy of the Board of Directors of Allegheny Ballet Company that the art of dance is not just for a select few. Anyone, regardless of age, background or previous experience can be inspired to respond to the force, the beauty and the excitement of ballet.

Outcomes of our program here at Allegheny Ballet Company is the many dancers who go onto professional dance careers at nationally known companies such as New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, etc. Dance has a positive effect on the academic life of a dancer. Many of ABC dancers are in accelerated or gifted programs in their school. Ballet offers structure to children with attention deficit disorders and to young people who have a variety of physical disabilities. The benefits of ballet and dance are many; influencing and changing both the mind and the body.

Dancers attending the ABC program range in ages 3-18 including a pre-professional level for the more serious- minded dancers who hope to go on to dance in a company. ABC’s total attendance ranges from 80-100+ dancers each year and all take part in a full- length ballet at our Spring Performance. Each year for the past 30 years ABC has performed the favorite ballet production of ‘The Nutcracker’. For the past 5 years ABC has brought back our alumni, currently dancing professionally at New York City Ballet, to feature in our annual September performance of ‘An Enchanted Evening’. ABC’s pre-professional dancers perform in this production as well.