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About Us Mission & History
BalletX produces original choreography that expands the vocabulary of classical dance for all audiences.
Founded in 2005 by Christine Cox and Matthew Neenan, BalletX is led by Cox, whose tenure as Artistic & Executive Director has produced over 100 world premiere ballets by nearly 60 choreographers, a record “few companies can match,” according to The New York Times. Under Cox’s leadership, BalletX has been hailed as an “epicenter of creation” (Dance Magazine) and “place of choreographic innovation” (The New Yorker), putting Philadelphia on the map as an international destination for contemporary ballet.
In 2020, the company launched our online streaming platform, BalletX Beyond, featuring world premiere dance films by choreographers from around the world and celebrating our 15th anniversary season.
BalletX’s distinctive contribution to the American dance community has been recognized and supported in recent years by generous grants from the William Penn Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, Shubert Foundation, the Jerome Robbins New Essential Works (NEW) Program, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, National Endowment for the Arts, and PECO, among many others.
– BalletX is founded by Christine Cox and Matthew Neenan
– Founded the BalletX Board of Directors
– Commissioned 5 World Premieres
– 1st season as Resident Dance Company of The Wilma Theater, with support from the William Penn Foundation
– Established the BalletX company of dancers
– BalletX logo is created
– Achieved 1st sold-out performances
– Commissioned 3 World Premieres
– 1st all-female choreographers show
– Commissioned 7 World Premieres
– 1st international tours to Seoul, South Korea and Cali, Colombia
– Commissioned 6 World Premieres
– Premiered Matthew Neenan’s The Last Glass
– Commissioned 9 World Premieres
– 5th Anniversary Season
– Commissioned 5 World Premieres
– Premiered 1st full-length ballet, Matthew Neenan’s Proliferation of the Imagination, in collaboration with The Wilma Theater
– Launched annual Summer Intensive pre-professional dance training program, with support from the William Penn Foundation
– Commissioned 5 World Premieres
– Launched eXpand the eXperience, with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
– 1st tours to Vail Dance Festival and The Joyce Theater
– Premiered Nicolo Fonte’s Beautiful Decay with a multi-generational cast
– Launched The Premier Party, our annual gala
– Commissioned 7 World Premieres
– Premiered Matthew Neenan and Rosie Langabeers’s Sunset, o639 Hours
– Launched Dance eXchange, with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
– Commissioned 6 World Premieres
– Launched The X-Process, with support from Dance/USA Engaging Dance Audiences
– Commissioned 4 World Premieres
– 10th Anniversary Season
– Launched Pop Up program, with funding from William Penn Foundation
– Launched the Choreographic Fellowship, with funding from the Wyncote Foundation
– Commissioned 7 World Premieres
– 1st tour of a full-length ballet – Sunset, o639 Hours – to Vail Dance Festival, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, and The Joyce Theater
– Commissioned 6 World Premieres
– Launched Choreographic Visionaries, with funding from the Wyncote Foundation
– Commissioned 5 World Premieres
– Opened the Center for World Premiere Choreography
– Commissioned 7 World Premieres
– 1st tour to the John F. Kennedy Center, presented by Damian Woetzel
– 1st tour to Belgrade Dance Festival, Belgrade, Serbia
– Launched the Dancer Fellowship, with support from the Independence Foundation
– Premiered Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s The Little Prince
– Commissioned 8 World Premieres
– 15th Anniversary Season
– Launched BalletX Beyond, with support from the Wyncote Foundation
– Launched Choreographic Incubator
– Commissioned 15 World Premieres
– Reached 100 World Premieres
BalletX is a registered 501c3 not-for-profit corporation. The official registry and financial information for BalletX may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free within Pennsylvania 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.