The Oleg Danovski National Opera and Ballet Theater (Teatrul Național de Operă și Balet Oleg Danovski) is the principal opera and ballet company in Constanța, performing in the former festivities hall of Mircea cel Bătrân National College.
The building was originally part of the college complex and was transferred to the city in 1951. After being adapted for professional performances, it became the home of the Constanța State Theater in February 1952. The drama company remained here for more than five decades before moving in 2004 to the former Fantasio Theater building on Bulevardul Ferdinand.
The opera company developed separately, beginning in 1957 as the Musical Theater of Constanța. Its first performance was Johann Strauss’s Die Fledermaus in March 1958. Over the following decades, the institution changed names several times, including Dobrogean Opera, Lyric Theater and Constanța Opera.
Constanța’s ballet tradition also developed independently. In 1978, choreographer Oleg Danovski created the Classical and Contemporary Ballet Ensemble within the Fantasio Theater, building a repertoire that included the Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Giselle and Sleeping Beauty. The company became particularly well known through international touring and gained independence in 1990 as the Oleg Danovski Classical and Contemporary Ballet Theatre.
In 2004, the opera, Oleg Danovski ballet company and the Black Sea Philharmonic were reorganized into a single national opera and ballet institution, which moved into the former State Theater building. Its repertoire today includes opera, operetta, classical and contemporary ballet, symphonic concerts and other musical performances.
