The resident ballet company of The National Opera of Ukraine (formerly The Kiev Ballet Theatre), was established in the 1860’s and soon developed a reputation for it’s fine ballet and opera work.

One of the highlights of The Kiev Ballet’s early career was its 1874 premiere of Tchaikovsky’s “The Oprinchnik”, attended by the author himself who praised the company for its excellence. He insisted his operas and ballets be performed in Kiev, as he regarded the Kiev Stage and those performing on it to be on par with that of its Moscow and St Petersburg counterparts.

Today there are 24 ballets in the repertory of The Kiev Ballet, which makes it one of the biggest repertories in the world.

With it’s rich classic heritage and having performed to over 40 million people worldwide during it’s history, The Kiev Ballet has dazzled audiences with their artistry and technical brilliance, and as with any ballet company the sum is only as good as it’s parts. The Kiev Ballet’s artists are and always have been among the most talented in the world.

Some of the world famous dancers that have performed with The Kiev Ballet include: Serge Lifar, Maya Pisetskaya, Nadejda Pavlova and Marina Timofeeva from the Bolshoi Theatre and Irene Kolpakova, Alla Osipenko, Vladimir Malahov and Bregvadze from the Kirov Ballet.

The parade of bright young talent who today continue to emerge from The Kiev Theatre, ensure to preserve and respect the classic heritage of such a historic and world renowned ballet troupe.