The ballet troupe of State Opera Ruse was founded in 1949, with its first production, Joseph Bayer’s *The Doll Fairy*, presented in March 1952. The company performs both classical and contemporary works. Its repertoire includes classical ballets such as *Giselle*, *Don Quixote*, *The Nutcracker*, *Sleeping Beauty*, and *Swan Lake*, alongside contemporary pieces including *Carmina Burana*, *The Goat’s Horn*, *Carmen*, *Calliope*, and *Fire*. In 1985, the company premiered *The Rehearsal. Variations on a well-known theme*, described as the first rock ballet in Bulgaria, choreographed by Hungarian choreographer Antal Fodor.
The company is currently directed by prima ballerina Vesela Vassileva, with Natalia Osipova serving as choreographer and Mariana Zaharieva as balletmaster. The troupe includes dancers from Bulgaria and internationally, with principal dancers Masaki Takada and Stanislava Karadjova-Pencheva among its members. The company performs regularly in Bulgaria and has toured internationally to countries including Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Dubai, Spain, France, Lithuania, and Latvia. The ballet troupe is based in Ruse, Bulgaria.
