The original Los Angeles Ballet was founded in 1974 under the direction of John Clifford, a former principal dancer with New York City Ballet. Eleven years later, in 1985, financial difficulties forced Clifford's company to close. Two decades later, in 2004, a new Los Angeles Ballet was established by Co-Artistic Directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary, and executive director Julie Whittaker. The company debuted in December 2006, with an original production of
The Nutcracker, choreographed by Christensen and Neary, featuring costumes commissioned by Christensen from the
Royal Danish Ballet and a Southern California-themed set designed by Catherine Kanner. LAB continues to host performances of
The Nutcracker annually. In 2009, LAB presented Bournonville's
La Sylphide, its first full-length classical story ballet after
The Nutcracker. At the end of nine seasons it presented 28 productions encompassing 50 works, including 15 commissioned world premieres. In addition to its repertoire of well-known classical ballets, Los Angeles Ballet has also commissioned several new works, one developed out of LAB's Choreographic Workshop, its mission to identify and nurture Southern Californian choreographic talent. In 2017, Los Angeles Ballet Orchestra, under the direction of internationally renowned conductor
Andrea Quinn debuted with
The Nutcracker at the Dolby Theatre. In 2022, Melissa Barak was appointed as the Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Ballet. 2023 marked her full inaugural season with the company. == Artistic staff ==