The Boulder Ballet Story
For 44 seasons, Boulder Ballet has celebrated the artistry and joy of dance. As Boulder County’s foremost professional company and ballet school, it inspires audiences, students, and communities alike to embrace creativity and humanity through movement.
Boulder Ballet’s origins trace back to the Ballet Arts Studios, founded in Denver and Boulder in the 1970s by former American Ballet Theatre dancer Larry Boyette. In 1981, Barbara Demaree and Wanda Tierney purchased the Boulder studio, and the following year they established the first performing company, Boulder City Ballet. The organization adopted its current name, Boulder Ballet, in 1995.
Over the decades, the professional company has been led by a distinguished line of former dancers, including Miljenko Banovic (Zagreb Ballet), Robin Haig (Royal Ballet), John Prinz (American Ballet Theatre), Peter Davison, Ana Claire, and Lance Hardin. Since 2022, the company has been led by Artistic Director Ben Needham-Wood, an Emmy Award–winning choreographer and filmmaker formerly with Smuin Contemporary Ballet and Louisville Ballet, whose vision continues to push artistic boundaries while deepening Boulder Ballet’s connection to its community.
Today, Boulder Ballet proudly continues to enrich the cultural landscape of Boulder and beyond.
Learn more about Boulder Ballet’s Guiding Principles and DEI Statement here.
Barbara Demaree, Co-founder
Barbara Demaree is a co-founder of the Boulder Ballet. She was born in Britain and trained at the Bush Davies Ballet School. Barbara taught, coached, directed and choreographed for the Boulder Ballet company and school until her retirement. She was the winner of the Pacesetter Award for the Arts in 1996 and has been honored by the Arts and Humanities Assembly of Boulder and the Boulder Arts Commission for her contributions to dance in Boulder. In 2014, she was selected as one of the first honorees of the Dairy Center Honors awards for her achievements in the arts.
