Phrenic New Ballet was formed in 2000 by Miller, Cox, and Neenan, all of them dancers and choreographers from the Pennsylvania Ballet, and Rothlein, a filmmaker. The founders were interested in combining classical training with modern sensibilities, including improvisational techniques, multi-media expression, and experimentation to create "the new face of ballet."

The company's work included collaboration with composers such as Pete Wyer and Toby Twining and choreographers such as Thaddeus Davis, and resulted in over 25 premieres. Phrenic's non-traditional outlook has led to such works as Cox's Tabula Rasa, a dance that includes a section in which Cox performs with her physically challenged sister, and a work by Miller based on Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation.

The two new companies will continue to practice the ideas set out by the founders, according to a press release.