Barbara Weisberger, who founded the Pennsylvania Ballet in Philadelphia and transformed the troupe into a nationally acclaimed company, died Dec. 23 at home in Kingston, PA. She was 94.

Originally trained in ballet in New York and Philadelphia, she never had a career as a dancer in a professional company. Instead, she became an influential ballet teacher who played an important role in the development of regional ballet in America.

Asked over the years about her lasting allegiance to Balanchine in the Pennsylvania Ballet, she would reply, “He is the best.”