The Boston Ballet is an American professional classical ballet company based in Boston, Massachusetts. The company, founded in 1963 by E. Virginia Williams, and Sydney Leonard, was the first professional repertory ballet company in New England. It was led by Violette Verdy (1980â1984), Bruce Marks (1985â1997), and Anna-Marie Holmes (1997â2000). Mikko Nissinen was appointed artistic director in September 2001.