Carolina Ballet in the Triangle region was not only needed but desired as well. Robert Weiss, former principal dancer with New York City Ballet and past artistic director of Pennsylvania Ballet, was selected in April 1997 as the founding artistic director of the new professional company, known as Carolina Ballet, Inc. Dancers of the Carolina Ballet, as of April 2016: Carolina Ballet Carolina Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1997 which performs primarily in Raleigh, North Carolina and throughout the state. It has toured to New York City, Hungary and China. Robert Weiss, the artistic director, danced for George Balanchine for
Ballet Hispanico Ramirez founded Ballet Hispánico in 1970. Ms. Ramirez, daughter of a Mexican bullfighter and grand-niece of a Puerto Rican educator, enjoyed a long professional dance career before establishing the organization. Its New York City headquarters include six dance studios. In August 2009, Ballet Hispánico welcomed Eduardo Vilaro as its Artistic Director. A former member of the Ballet Hispánico Company, Vilaro founded and led Chicago’s Luna Negra Dance Theater for ten years. Ramirez' vision for the Ballet Hispánico Company gave contemporary Hispanic culture its place in American dance, much as Alvin Ailey did for the Black community. During her 39 years