For over thirty years, the New Bedford Youth Ballet has been bringing the art of ballet to the community.

The New Bedford Youth Ballet is composed of intermediate and advanced level dance students ages 11 to 18 years from different dance schools in the South Coast area. Every September, open auditions for the Youth Ballet are held at New Bedford Ballet. The dancers selected for the company take ballet classes three to four times per week and often spend one or two days each week rehearsing.

The New Bedford Youth Ballet brings the art of ballet to the community through performances of A New England Nutcracker and a short program performed in the schools every Spring. Preschoolers, elementary school students and families, as well as community groups such as the Kennedy-Donavan Center, the Schwartz Center for Children, PACE Headstart, and the Council on Aging are exposed to the art of ballet through the New Bedford Youth Ballet program.