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American Ballet Theatre is one of the world's great dance companies. Few ballet companies equal it in size, scope or ambition. ABT performs two regular seasons in New York City: in the fall of 2009 at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall and in the spring at the Metropolitan Opera House. Founded in 1939, the company tours the United States annually performing for more than 600,000 audience members. The company has also made more than 15 international tours to some 42 nations. Since its inception the company has striven to develop a repertory of the best ballets from the past and to encourage the creation of new works by gifted young choreographers.

From 1940 to 1980, under the joint direction of Lucia Chase and Oliver Smith, the company created what many critics consider a large and diverse repertory consisting of all the great full-length ballets of the 19th century, such as Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and Giselle; the finest works from the 20th century—Apollo, Les Sylphides, Jardin aux Lilas, Rodeo and others; and acclaimed contemporary masterpieces such as Airs, Push Comes to Shove and Duets. In acquiring such an extraordinary repertoire, ABT has commissioned works by great choreographic masters of the 20th century, including George Balanchine, Antony Tudor, Jerome Robbins, Agnes de Mille and Twyla Tharp, among others.

From 1980 to 1990 ABT was under the artistic direction of Mikhail Baryshnikov. Since 1992, former ABT principal dancer Kevin McKenzie has led the company. In keeping with the company's long-standing commitment to bringing the finest in dance to the widest international audiences, the company has enjoyed recent successes with engagements in Tokyo, London, Paris, Madrid, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Palermo, Italy and in Athens and Thessaloniki, Greece. In 2000 the company made its first visit to China, appearing in both Shanghai and Hong Kong. During this tour it also appeared in Taipei and Singapore for the first time.

ABT's commitment to teaching and presenting classical ballet is embodied in its respected Studio Company and Summer Intensive programs for training talented dancers. Other programs such as Make A Ballet, ABTkids and Pre-Performance Workshops encourage young people to learn the technique of ballet.

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