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Birmingham Royal Ballet is one of the three major ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside The Royal Ballet and the English National Ballet.
Founded in 1947 as the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet, the company was established under the direction of John Field, and was formed to continue ballet performances at Sadler's Wells Theatre, after its predecessor moved to become the resident ballet company at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London. The company was later granted a Royal Charter, becoming the Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet and following relocation to Birmingham in 1990, the name was changed to Birmingham Royal Ballet, with the company becoming the resident ballet company at the Birmingham Hippodrome theatre.
It is now independent of the Royal Ballet in London, although it retains strong links with the company and the Royal Ballet School. As a resident company, Birmingham Royal Ballet has extensive custom-built facilities, including a suite of dance studios, the Jerwood Centre for the Prevention and Treatment of Dance Injuries and a studio theatre known as the Patrick Centre. In 2002, the need for Birmingham Royal Ballet to have its own school led to a new association with Elmhurst School for Dance, which is now its official ballet school.
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