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The New England Ballet Company had Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch on hand at the opening of its new home Sunday afternoon at 130 Elm St.
"It took a long time to get here, but we are very happy to be here," said Marion Clare, the ballet company president, at the ribbon-cutting ceremonies.
The ballet company has considered Bridgeport a home for many years because it has performed at the Klein Memorial Auditorium and the Bijou Theatre, said Kenneth Hopkins, founder and executive director.
'It's where we perform, it's where our theaters are," he said.
Alex Trevino, the company's artistic director, agreed with Hopkins that it's a natural fit for them to be in Bridgeport.
"A lot has happened in this area and it is very exciting," Trevino said. "There is redevelopment going on in the area and we want to be part of that. And we want to be part of helping to bring people downtown and to help create an arts scene, create culture here."
Both men said that moving full time to Bridgeport, the state's largest city, will increase the profile of The New England Ballet Company, a nonprofit group, and should attract more interest from potential dancers.
The ballet also has a site in Orange that it has used for 25 years and will continue to use, Trevino said.
Former dancers with the company include Brooke Lyons, who currently stars as Peach Landis in the sitcom "2 Broke Girls" on CBS.
A master class was offered by Katherine Healy, a former principal ballerina who In 1982 played a young ballet dancer with terminal leukemia in the movie "Six Weeks" that starred Mary Tyler Moore and Dudley Moore.
The company has about 35 dancers beginning at the age of 12 to adults. Several of its dancers have also gone on to professional careers.
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