resident ballet company of Stuttgart, Ger., that emerged in the 1960s as an internationally prominent group. The modern Stuttgart Ballet evolved from the royal ballet that resided at the court of the Duke of Württemberg as early as 1609. A municipally supported company under the royal patronage from the 17th through the 19th century, it occasionally attracted such prominent European directors as Jean-Georges Noverre (1760–67). The Stuttgart Ballet of the mid-20th century was a small group of dancers with diverse national backgrounds and training that was fused by John Cranko (Cranko, John), director from 1961 until his death in 1973, into a group with an exciting and visually arresting style. The company is especially notable for the highly dramatic interpretation of such classical works as The Taming of the Shrew (1969), Eugene Onegin (1965), and Romeo and Juliet (1962). In 1976 Marcia Haydée was made director of the company.