The mission of the San Diego Ballet is to excite, enrich, and entertain our diverse audience through an imaginative presentation of quality classical and contemporary dance.

The San Diego Ballet (SDB), a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization, was founded in 1991, in close association with Robin Sherertz-Morgan’s San Diego School of Ballet and featuring a strong contemporary repertory created by resident choreographer, Javier Velasco. 

Having both grown up in San Diego, both Morgan and Velasco wanted to create a space where local dancers could not just thrive artistically, but survive financially. They also wanted to create an organization that reflected and responded to San Diego’s unique culture and a destination point that would bring interested dancers to “America’s Finest City.”

To that end, members of the San Diego Ballet have not just come from its school, now located in Liberty Station in Point Loma, but from all over the United States, as well as Canada, England, Spain, Italy, Russia, Hungary, Japan, China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Mexico, Peru, Switzerland, Argentina, South Africa, and even as far off as Australia and New Zealand. 

Historically, SDB…

• was the first ballet company in San Diego to offer salaried positions to dancers
• was the first dance company in Southern California to be given permission to stage the works of George Balanchine and Frederick Ashton.
• was the first ballet company in Europe and the Western Hemisphere to present a complete production of Soviet Azerbaijani composer Gara Garayev’s Seven Beauties, 

Velasco’s distinct choreography redefines what most people would expect from ballet to bring inspired, provocative and thrilling performances year after year.

In addition to full length productions of The Nutcracker, Giselle, Don Juan, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Sleeping Beauty, and Romeo & Juliet, SDB has a large varied repertoire which includes many ballets set to Latin American, Jazz, and popular music scores, as well as pieces done to spoken text.

The San Diego Ballet has collaborated with the San Diego Symphony, the San Diego Museum of Art, the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego Camarada, and the San Diego Children’s Choir during their seasons as well as dance organizations such as Culture Shock and others.

At an SDB performance, such as its signature piece MAMBOMANIA, you do not simply see it, you FEEL it.