Ronn Guidi founded Oakland Ballet Company on the same principles that inspired the legendary dance troupe of Ballets Russes. Formed in Paris in the early 20th century under impresario Sergei Diaghilev, the Ballets Russes went on to redefine the art of ballet.

Oakland Ballet gained international recognition with its historic reconstruction of Ballets Russes works from the Diaghilev era. Most notable are the first restagings in the United States of ballets by Bronislava Nijinska.

As part of the company’s dedication to preserving modern masterpieces, Oakland Ballet also turned its attention to reviving iconic works by renowned choreographers such as Kurt Jooss, Michel Fokine, Charles Weidman, and Antony Tudor. In addition, OBC has been a champion of American masterpieces, presenting Eugene Loring’s Billy the Kid, Ruthanna Boris’s Cakewalk, and Agnes de Mille’s Fall River Legend. The company continues this tradition today by commissioning local choreographers Val Caniparoli, Carlos Carvajal, Sonya Delwaide, Margaret Jenkins, Alonzo King, Michael Lowe, Robert Moses, and Amy Seiwert