When John Cranko came to Stuttgart in 1961, he brought the Ballet Company of the State Theatre Stuttgart, today’s Stuttgart Ballet, to world fame within a short period of time. Cranko's idea to establish a ballet school in Stuttgart where talented young dancers would be trained in close contact with the Ballet Company became reality ten years after the founding of the Stuttgart Ballet.

 

The John Cranko Schule, named after its founder in 1974, was officially opened on 1st December 1971 establishing a comprehensive education in classical dance from basic training to a professional degree. In 1973, it was given the status of a State Ballet Academy and officially offered a complete ballet education in classical dance recognized with a state diploma. Under the direction of Anne Woolliams the school advanced to one of the most internationally recognized addresses for talented young dancers. Since 1999 the John Cranko School, affiliated to the Stuttgart Ballet, has been under the direction of Tadeusz Matacz and is one of the most renowned ballet schools in the world.

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"John Cranko had a genius for ballet. He created a new world in dance. His work as an artist will be remembered because he initiated a new and spectacular approach to ballet."
- Clive Barnes, The New York Times