The Latvian National Ballet is the only professional ballet company in Latvia. Latvian ballet’s history of more than hundred years has close ties with the finest traditions of the Russian school of classical ballet. In this way, the classical Russian ballet traditions were passed down from generation to generation, and eventually gave the world such ballet stars as Mikhail Baryshnikov, Māris Liepa, and Alexandr Godunov, each of whom trained right here in Riga.

Today, the Latvian National Ballet’s repertoire is based on the “pearls” of classical ballet – like Giselle, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, La Bayadère, La Fille mal gardée. Important part of the repertoire is also the neo-classical and contemporary ballets like Dracula, Peer Gynt, Nijinski, Serenade and Carmina Burana. Choreographer Aivars Leimanis has been the Latvian National Ballet’s artistic director since 1993. He has focused his attention on both, revivals of classical ballets and collaborative projects with renowned choreographers, including Krzysztof Pastor, Marco Goecke, Edward Clug, Radu Poklitaru, Hans van Manen, Christian Spuck, and Petr Zuska.

The Latvian National Ballet has presented guest performances at the Theater du Chatelet, in Paris; Staatsoper Hannover; the Teatro La Fenice, in Venice; the Rome Opera House; Edinburgh’s Festival Theater; the Maison de la Danse, in Lyon; the Bolshoi Theater, in Moscow; China National Centre for the Performing Arts; and on many other stages all over the world.

The Latvian National Ballet consists of more than 60 dancers among them are laureates of prestigious international ballet competitions – Korea International Ballet Competition, Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition, South African International Ballet Competition, Moscow International Ballet Competition, and others.