San Francisco Ballet is a
ballet company, founded in 1933 as the
San Francisco Opera Ballet under the leadership of ballet master
Adolph Bolm. The company is currently based in the
War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, under the direction of
Helgi Tomasson. San Francisco Ballet was the first professional ballet company in the United States. It is among the world's leading dance companies, presenting over 100 performances annually, with a
repertoire that spans both
classical and
contemporary ballet. Along with
American Ballet Theatre and the
New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet has been described as part of the "triumvirate of great classical companies defining the American style on the world stage today."