The Alabama Ballet (AB), formed in 1982, is second-to-none in artistic excellence as Birmingham's second largest performing arts organization and Alabama's largest professional ballet company. The mission of AB is to change lives through dance. We promote and foster the development of classical and contemporary ballet through high quality performances, dance education and community outreach. The company is made up of 39 professional dancers from five countries. Under the artistic direction of Tracey Alvey, the AB performs five major programs during its regular season and tours throughout the state including performances in Anniston, Montgomery, Tuscaloosa and Gadsden. The Alabama Ballet Center for Dance (ABCD) is a 21,500 square-foot facility with six studios which houses the company's administrative and artistic offices, the costume shop (with more than 750 costumes) and the Alabama Ballet School of Dance (ABSD) – Alabama's only ballet school accredited by the Royal Academy of Dance offering the highest quality training from ages 3 to adult. Each year, the AB touches the lives of more than 25,000 people including 15,000 youth in Alabama through its education and outreach programs.