Dance, from ballet to burlesque, is performed at venues all over New Orleans. Lovers of classic artful adagio can take in ballet presented by the New Orleans Ballet Association, the New Orleans Ballet Theatre and Delta Festival Ballet.
The New Orleans Ballet Association has performances at the Mahalia Jackson Theater and a committed roster of tuition-free dance education for children. The New Orleans Ballet Theater, supported by the Schramel Conservatory of Dance, presents performances steeped in the contemporary traditions of George Balanchine, Maurice Bejart and Twyla Tharp. Delta Festival Ballet, Louisiana’s largest resident, professional dance company, stages an annual production of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra around the Christmas holidays.
One of the newest entries to the ballet scene is the contemporary Marigny Opera Ballet, founded in 2014 and based at the Marigny Opera House, a non-denominational, neighborhood church of the arts on St. Ferdinand Street. Smaller companies celebrating ethnic dance, tap and other movement arts also thrive in the New Orleans cultural diaspora.