Ballet companies in the United States: Analysis of partnerships, 1995--2000

The hypothesis of this thesis is that there is a growing interest among ballet companies in the United States to engage in artistic partnership agreements. There are many issues that have arisen when these partnerships take place, and these will be analyzed, along with a brief historical background for the participating companies. The following partnerships will be analyzed: Houston Ballet and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre for Ben Stevenson's Dracula, premiering in 1997; American Repertory Theatre, Atlanta Ballet, Dayton Ballet, and Kansas City Ballet (at that time The State Ballet of Missouri) for a joint commission by choreographer Lila York to create Gloria in 1998. This thesis found that partnerships are a way for companies to commission new works from major choreographers or create more elaborate ballets for a lesser cost, and this is important for creative vitality and survival in the ballet world.