As a contemporary ballet company, JSB strives to perpetually push the forefronts of dance and artistic creation. Allowing its performances, educational programs, community outreach, and organizational strengths to serve as examples of its goals and philosophy, JSB supports accessibility for all types of audiences.

The unique dance style of JSB allows it to inhabit an artistic niche in dance communities both local and worldwide. James Sewell’s choreography is primarily based in contemporary ballet; specifically, Sewell experiments with polyrhythmic movement and improvisation to create a movement quality that combines the technical demands of ballet with the abstraction of organic and improvised movements. This cohabitation of structure, in the form of choreography, and discovery, via improvisation, allows the JSB dancers to physically communicate in a beautifully dramatic kinetic language, conversing both amongst themselves and with the audiences.

Since 2011, JSB has called the Goodale Theatre in the new Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts in downtown Minneapolis its performance home. And JSB's innovative Ballet Works Project was performed in the new TEK BOX Theater beginning in 2012. Three Twin Cities performance seasons a year are dedicated to showcasing Sewell’s and other choreographers' artistic work. JSB has a rich history of collaborations with musicians, theater artists, full orchestras, and vocalists, among others.

As part of its mission to promote interaction between communities and the arts, JSB holds local performances, regional and national tours, educational workshops, and other artistic outreach programs, successfully connecting the company to over 25,000 people each year.