Ballet Tucson, previously known as Ballet Arts Foundation, was established in 1986 by Mary Beth Cabana, who was previously a principal dancer with
Cleveland Ballet, Ballet Oklahoma, Arizona Dance Theatre, and San Diego Ballet. The goal of creating Ballet Tucson was to create a world-class professional ballet company as well as a ballet school that would help young dancers in Southern Arizona pursue a career in dance. In 1987, the Children's Ensemble gave a preview performance at
Centennial Hall (Tucson, Arizona) in Tucson, and received positive reviews. Additional performances that year also received positive reviews. In 1994, Ballet Tucson premiered their own full-length version of
The Nutcracker, which had five sold-out performances. In 2004, the professional ballet company debuted, and since that time has established itself as Tucson's resident professional ballet company. In 2022, Ballet Tucson began a partnership with the
Tucson Symphony Orchestra for their performances of
The Nutcracker. ==Current company==