Louisville Ballet makes moving art that respects tradition, encourages innovation, and fosters life-long learning. We inspire connection, conversation and a profound sense of community, by striving for bold collaborations, by nurturing the next generation of artists, by celebrating diversity, and by creating access for all.
Louisville Ballet, led by Chief Executive Officer Leslie Smart and Artistic Director Mikelle Bruzina, is an evolved but accessible ballet company committed to boldly and beautifully communicating artistic stories both classic and new. We exist to move, to evoke emotion, to provoke thought, and to challenge perceptions. We are artists, athletes, activists, inventors, and inspirers. Louisville Ballet has been one of the nation’s leading regional ballet companies since 1952. As the Official State Ballet of Kentucky, Louisville Ballet has worked with some of ballet’s brightest lights including Mikhail Baryshnikov, Twyla Tharp, and Wendy Whelan, performed for tens of thousands of people and reached over 20,000 school children throughout the commonwealth with educational programs annually.
When you give to Louisville Ballet, you’ll help us make a visible and tangible impact on communities statewide, partnering with internationally known choreographers, and programming ambitious works that establish us as a world-class jewel in Louisville’s crown.
Photo by Kateryna Sellers
LEVEL 10 | Claire Churchill, Adrah Cook, Hope Farrar, Elizabeth Hines, Shayda Honda, Chloe Puffer, Paige Riffer, Mackenzie Wandel
LEVEL 9 | Emmaline Fontanilla, Joe Henn, Danika McNees, Andrey Obolonchik, Ava Ownby, Ezra Paisley, Sameer Rhodes, Natalie Schreiner, Marissa Soluri, Ida Soranno, Gaven Stevens
LEVEL 8 | Sarah Hutchison, Gwyneth Holliday, Ava Dhira Metzger, Guinevere Nelson, Kirsten Smerud, Abigail Wyrrick
LEVEL 7 | Athena King, Makenna Lalonde
Louisville Ballet Studio Company is a tuition-free program designed to provide professional-caliber training in technique and artistry in preparation for a professional career in classical ballet and versatility in various derivative styles. Our goal is to further an aspiring dancer’s education and aid in the aspirations of gaining professional employment by providing the opportunity to experience work in a fully professional company environment.
The Studio Company is a four-year program, forming Levels 7, 8, 9 and 10 – a post-secondary extension of the Pre-Professional Program at The Louisville Ballet School. These emerging artists are truly the bridge between the School and Company.
To be considered for the Louisville Ballet Studio Company, a dancer should attend a company audition.
For more information about the Studio Company, or for performance bookings, please contact [email protected]
Dancer auditions are now closed for the 2025-2026 Season. Please check back in spring 2026 for 2026-2027 audition information.
Thank you for your interest in being part of Louisville Ballet. We are a talented team of professionals committed to making. moving. art. in our community and beyond.
We are currently taking applications for the position of Artistic Director.
Operating with an annual budget of over $5.5 million, the Louisville Ballet includes 24 professional dancers, a distinguished four-year, tuition-free professional training program, and a robust school serving more than 900 students, including a pre-professional training program.
Full description is here. Please email Leslie Smart at [email protected] with your resume.
Click here for information on volunteering.
PRESIDENTK. Shaver |
VICE PRESIDENTPamela Thompson |
TREASURERJames E. Haynes** |
SECRETARYMatthew E. Hamel |
||||
BOARD MEMBERS |
|||||||
|
Erica Bachelor Lisa Biddle-Puffer Kim Boland, MD Tanya Bowman Mikelle Bruzina* Lindy Casebier* Carolle Jones Clay Toni Clem Janet M. DenUyl
* Ex Officio ** Former President
|
Lee Dorsey Sherry M. Feldpausch Mayor Craig Greenberg* Johanna G. Howard Emma C. Hutchens Alan Kamei Karen Koshewa* Roy Mattingly, Jr.
|
Allison O’Grady Steve Poe Sharon Potter Shahara Ross* Ellen Hirsch Shapira Anton Skobelev Leslie Smart* John A. Stough, Jr.
|
William Strench Kenji Tashiro Carl Thomas James R. Voyles Donald G. Wenzel Jr. Michelle Black White Donald Whitfield Buck Wiseman
|
||||
state advisory council – congressional district representation
HONORARY BOARD MEMBERS |
|||||||
|
Lee Purcell Best Shirley Dumesnil Peggy Fowler Alexandra Gerassimides, MD |
Paula Grisanti Marlene Grissom Susan Grubbs Beth Klein |
Nancy Martin The late Phil Payne D. Patton Pelfrey Barbara Sexton Smith |
K. Shaver Larry J. Steinberg Margy Thomas
|
||||
Louisville Ballet currently has a large inventory of full-scale story ballets and contemporary one-of-a-kind pieces available for rent. Available rentals range from complete productions to dramatic drops, costumes or simple scenic elements. Please contact Kathleen Kronauer at [email protected] or 502.583.3150 x 230 for more information.
