One of the top international ballet companies, The National Ballet of Canada was founded in 1951 by Celia Franca. A company of 70 dancers with its own orchestra, the National Ballet has been led by Artistic Director Karen Kain, one of the greatest ballerinas of her generation, since 2005. Renowned for its diverse repertoire, the company performs traditional full-length classics, embraces contemporary work, encourages the creation of new ballets and the development of Canadian choreographers. The companyÍs repertoire includes works by Sir Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, John Cranko, Rudolf Nureyev, Glen Tetley, John Neumeier, William Forsythe, James Kudelka, Ji_Õ Kyliàn, Wayne McGregor, Alexei Ratmansky and Christopher Wheeldon. The National Ballet is committed to outreach and education for families and youth who may not otherwise have the opportunity to experience the joys of a live performance. The company has a wide range of age appropriate programmes designed to engage with schools and kids in the GTA and communities all over Ontario. YOU dance, the companyÍs highly successful programme, stands for youth, outreach and understanding dance. Designed to introduce students in grades four to six to the world of dance through FREE workshops and performances, YOU dance workshops are led by an Artist Educator and present a learning experience for both students and classroom teachers. The company employs 120 artists, dancers and musicians, as well as production and administrative staff. All of the costumes and sets are built at the National BalletÍs production centre. As a pre-eminent builder of full productions for ballet in North America, these works are rented out to ballet companies around the world.