The Albany Berkshire Ballet was founded in 1960 by Artistic Director Madeline Cantarella Culpo as an outgrowth of her school, the Cantarella School of Dance, located in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Originally known as the Berkshire Ballet Guild and later as the Berkshire Civic Ballet, it was originally intended as a performance outlet for the school's advanced students. The aspirations and abilities of the students soon pushed the Company in a professional direction. Renamed the Berkshire Ballet in 1975, it emerged as a full-time professional Company servicing the Northeast and Canada. In 1989 the company expanded again by establishing an additional home in Albany, New York,  thus joining the growing number of professional ballet companies who seek to broaden their base of support with partnerships in other arts centers. Once again, its name changed to reflect its new status.