South Carolina Ballet (Columbia City Ballet)

Columbia City Ballet is now South Carolina Ballet! Our mission is to bring new levels of excellence to ballet both on and off the stage. We will accomplish this through processes that are inclusive in scope, educational, and creative. Through this mission, we will significantly advance ballet as an art form and enrich the cultural life of our community while providing artistic excellence, exhilarating performances, innovative choreography, and superb educational programs.

Founded in 1961 as Columbia City Ballet, South Carolina Ballet is celebrating 66 years of innovative, critically acclaimed dance performance and educational outreach across the Midlands and beyond. As South Carolina's largest performing arts organization, SCB enriches the lives and the economy of our community. More than 60,000 people attend our world-class performances each year, resulting in a $2.3 million economic impact. We are more committed than ever to our Educational Outreach Program, enriching the lives of more than 15,000 children annually.

Testimonials

South Carolina Ballet (Columbia City Ballet) has received national attention and awards for its creative commitment to and vision for its Educational Outreach & Engagement Series. Abandoning the industry standard of simply offering students the scheduled dress rehearsals, South Carolina Ballet's Artistic Director, William Starrett began developing curriculum-driven educational performances. These performances align with the South Carolina Department of Education standards for arts education. Selecting stories and topics that address today's concerns and developmental needs, we work closely with our educational partners to present relative and relatable programming.