The School of American Ballet, the official training academy of the New York City Ballet, was established in 1934 by legendary choreographer George Balanchine and philanthropist Lincoln Kirstein as the first and most essential step in their quest to create an American classical ballet company.
SAB, 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. SAB's former students fill the ranks of the New York City Ballet and other leading U.S. and international ballet companies.
The School's alumni roster is a "who's who" of twentieth century American classical ballet, filled with names such as Suzanne Farrell, Arthur Mitchell, Maria Tallchief and Darci Kistler, as well as Broadway legends Chita Rivera and Hinton Battle.
