The purpose of the American Friends of the Paris Opera & Ballet is to share the many treasures of the Paris Opera directly with the American public and to foster artistic cooperation between the Opera National de Paris and the creative community in the United States. Based in New York, the organization was incorporated in 1984 in response to a request by Rudolf Nureyev, then the Director of the Paris Opera Ballet, to tour the company in the United States. Recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt foundation in 1985, the group has helped underwrite numerous U.S. tours of the Paris Opera, Paris Opera Ballet and Paris Opera Ballet School, traveling exhibitions from the Paris Opera Museum and appearances of guest artists from the Paris Opera Ballet, as well as many productions at the Paris Opera that prominently feature the participation of American artists, such as Jerome Robbins, Trisha Brown, William Christie, Peter Sellars and Robert Wilson