The Royal Ballet of Flanders (Ballet van Vlaanderen) is Belgium's premier ballet company, founded in Antwerp in 1969 by Jeanne Brabants as the first professional ballet company in Flanders. Over more than five decades, it has evolved from a classical ensemble into one of Europe's most artistically adventurous dance companies, renowned for its willingness to challenge and reinvent its own identity.
Significant chapters in the company's history include the long directorship of Robert Denvers (1987–2005), which built a strong classical repertoire, and the tenure of Kathryn Bennetts (2005–2012), who raised the company's international profile and won the Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance in 2009.
Since 2015, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui — the Antwerp-born, internationally celebrated choreographer — has led the company as Artistic Director, positioning it at the cutting edge of contemporary ballet. Under his leadership, the Royal Ballet of Flanders has embraced interdisciplinary collaborations, cross-cultural storytelling, and a hybrid movement language that draws on both classical technique and global dance traditions. The company performs at the Opera Antwerp and Opera Ghent, touring regularly to major festivals and venues worldwide.