Ballett Zürich

What Ballett Zürich does

Ballett Zürich is the largest professional ballet company in Switzerland, comprising 36 dancers in the main company and 14 members of the Junior Ballet, for a total ensemble of 50. Founded in the 1920s as part of the Stadttheater Zürich and shaped by a succession of artistic directors (Beriozoff, Neary, Scholz, Bienert, Spoerli, Spuck), the company has been led since August 2023 by British-Swiss choreographer Cathy Marston. It is resident at Opernhaus Zürich, where it delivers a substantial portion of the opera house's seasonal program, and it supplements domestic performances with international guest appearances at festivals and partner venues worldwide.

The company presents a mixed repertoire of classical and contemporary works, commissioning pieces from leading international choreographers including Wayne McGregor, Crystal Pite, William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Hans van Manen, and Mats Ek, alongside new works by director Marston. Its core offerings include the main company performances, the Junior Ballet development program (founded 2001), the biennial 'Next Generation' emerging-choreographer series, the 'Zurich Talks Dance' engagement program, and extensive children's, youth, and school education initiatives. Recent flagship productions include 'Atonement' (2024, coproduced with Joffrey Ballet), 'Clara' (2024), 'The Butterfly Effect' (2025, with ETH Zürich climate scientists), and 'Romeo und Julia' (2026).

Commercially, Ballett Zürich operates as a publicly funded cultural institution under parent entity Opernhaus Zürich; revenue is not publicly disclosed and is derived primarily from a combination of public subsidies (Canton and City of Zürich), ticket sales through the Opernhaus box office and web shop, and ancillary income from international guest performances. Distribution is venue-bound (Opernhaus Zürich) plus global touring, with marketing executed through the Opernhaus website, social media channels, earned media, and on-site audience engagement programs. The company has no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, no proprietary software products, and no equity investors.

Name

Ballett Zürich

Legal name

Ballett Zürich

Website

https://ballett-zuerich.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ballett Zürich is Switzerland's largest professional ballet company, with 36 main company dancers and 14 Junior Ballet members, operating as the resident ballet ensemble of Opernhaus Zürich under publicly funded cultural-institution governance and presenting classical and contemporary repertoire under director Cathy Marston.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts / Ballet

NAICS

Dance Companies (711120), Dance Companies (71112), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Classical Ballet (Full-Length & Repertoire) (MPAGADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Contemporary & Modern Dance (MPAGADAB), Dance Theatre (Narrative/Experimental) (MPAGADAC), Dance Performances (THAJAFAD)

Keywords

• Professional ballet company
• Ballet performances
• Contemporary dance
• Dance education programs
• Junior ballet training

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Performance Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from ticket sales for performances at Opernhaus Zürich and international guest appearances

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ballett Zürich is a resident professional ballet company that produces and performs a seasonal program of classical and contemporary ballets at the Opernhaus Zürich, complemented by international guest appearances, co-productions with peer companies, and educational and outreach activities including a Junior Ballet training program. The company is led by Director Cathy Marston and presents works by leading international choreographers as well as new commissions such as 'Atonement', 'Clara', and 'Romeo und Julia'.

Product overview

Ballett Zürich is Switzerland's largest professional ballet company, consisting of the main company (36 dancers) and the Junior Ballett (14 members). The company presents a repertoire of classical and contemporary ballets, premiering new works by renowned choreographers including director Cathy Marston. Supporting programs include 'Zurich Talks Dance' talk series, introduction matinees, and extensive educational programs for children, youth, and schools. The Junior Ballett provides training for young dancers transitioning to professional careers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Junior Ballett: Founded in 2001, the Junior Ballett consists of 14 young dancers from around the world who train alongside Ballett Zürich members and perform in selected repertoire productions.
• Next Generation

Products and services

• Ballett Zürich Hauptcompagnie (Main Company Performances)

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• ETH ZürichminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaboration with climate scientists from ETH Zürich for the three-part evening 'The Butterfly Effect' presented in 2025, exploring connections between climate science and dance
• Joffrey BalletcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Coproduction of Cathy Marston's ballet 'Atonement' based on Ian McEwan's novel, premiered in Zürich in 2024 as a joint production with the Joffrey Ballet Chicago

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Direct peers

• Paris Opera Ballet: Resident ballet company of the Opéra national de Paris and one of the oldest and largest classical ballet companies in the world. Comparable as a flagship public-institution ballet company with classical core repertoire and contemporary programming.
• English National Ballet: Major touring British ballet company performing classical and contemporary works. Comparable in scale, repertoire range, and active engagement with choreographers from Cathy Marston's network (she has created works for the company).
• Vienna State Ballet: Resident ballet company of the Wiener Staatsoper. Directly comparable as the ballet company of a flagship European opera house, performing both classical repertoire and contemporary works with international guest performances.
• Hamburg Ballett: Major German ballet company formerly led by John Neumeier. Comparable in scale and reputation as a major German-language ballet company performing a mix of full-length narrative works and contemporary repertoire, with international guest performances.
• Royal Danish Ballet: One of the oldest ballet companies in the world, resident at the Royal Danish Theatre. Comparable as a historically distinguished European ballet company with strong classical roots and a contemporary repertoire.
• Stuttgart Ballet: Renowned German classical and contemporary ballet company. Comparable as a top-tier European ballet company with a strong classical foundation, contemporary repertoire, and international touring presence.
• Dutch National Ballet: The Netherlands' flagship ballet company, resident at the Dutch National Opera & Ballet in Amsterdam. Comparable as a large European resident ballet company with mixed classical and contemporary programming and strong international reputation.
• Royal Ballet: Major classical and contemporary ballet company resident at the Royal Opera House in London. Closely comparable in repertoire scope (classical full-lengths plus contemporary works by leading choreographers), residency model at a flagship opera house, and international touring presence.
• Bavarian State Ballet: Resident ballet company of the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich. Comparable as a major German opera-house ballet company with classical and contemporary programming and international touring.

Broad incumbents

• San Francisco Ballet: America's oldest professional ballet company. Comparable in scale and repertoire as a flagship classical/contemporary ballet company that has commissioned works from major international choreographers; Cathy Marston has choreographed for the company.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/operzuerich
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/OpernhausZuerich
• Facebookfacebook.com/opernhauszuerich
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ballett-z%C3%BCrich
• Instagraminstagram.com/operzuerich

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ballett Zürich