National Ballet of China National Ballet of China The National Ballet of China (NBC), known in China as the Central Ballet Troupe was founded on 31 December 1959. It is the mainland Chinese national ballet troupe. The ballet company works from the Tianqiao Theater, this was specifically built for NBC in 1959, and it was renovated in 2001. This theater is one of a handful of such theaters in China that specialize in ballet and opera performances. In 1954, the first ballet school in China, Beijing Dance School, was established, and in the following years ballets such as "Swan Lake" and "Romeo and Juliet"
Ballet company unlike ballerinas female character dancers do not dance en pointe. The largest ballet company in the world is the Bolshoi Ballet of Moscow, which employs over 240 dancers, as of 2010. The largest companies in Western Europe and North America employ around one hundred. Many companies have a music director, generally a conductor by profession, though this is often a part-time position. The music director has a lower status in ballet than he has in opera, where he is the head of the company. Freelance conductors are hired to conduct specific productions as and when required. Large companies have their