The performance warranted a new venue and Piedmont High's new auditorium was filled to capacity for the BCB NUTCRACKER last night. Dance students of all ages showed their passion and talent. The costumes were original and brilliant! Staging and decor took a back stage so the dancers could shine! Bravos were heard throughout the full on, 2hr event! So happy MY GRANDDAUGHTER , also a STUDENT DANCER, shared the evening with us. read more

We love BCB! The teachers are uniformly wonderful and encouraging. Classes are generally pretty small and intimate, which allows each dancer to receive a lot of warm, constructive criticism. In addition the staff have been very patient with my daughter as she's been struggling with some anxiety and has needed extra support. Their production of the Nutcracker each year is a real pleasure to watch; teachers, staff, and students consistently produce a beautiful show despite the small size of the school. read more

My daughter started at BCB in 2021 and joined the pre-ballet program. She had taken ballet elsewhere pre-pandemic, and we were a little nervous at first because she seemed not super interested in the class, as it was a lot of younger kids, and she felt it was "too easy" for her. However, when she moved into the pre-professional program, she was loads happier. We've loved each of the teachers she has worked with so far. The class sizes are small, and the kids get the individual attention they need. The teachers are kind and seem to truly love nurturing young ballet students. The two performances (nutcracker and spring recital) are lovely, and really show the skills they've been working on. My daughter looks forward to her classes each week, and genuinely enjoys what she's learning. She's developed really nice friendships with her classmates as well, which is great. The only thing that concerns me a little is the fact that the studio has moved away from stage performances, and all performances take place in the small studio theater. I do think it is important that young people have the opportunity to perform on an actual stage with set pieces and such, in front of an audience beyond their families. I am hoping this aspect will return to the program once things stabilize (we are still in post-pandemic mode in a lot of ways!) and there's funding to support this again. That being said, the performances that happen at the studio are quite beautiful in their simplicity, and the dancers are obviously proud of their work, and enjoy their time on stage. read more

Ah, looks like the postcard for the Nutcracker just came out. Elizabeth put a member of the staff on the cover. God forbid she actually put a picture of a real BCB student. (Last year it was a picture of a dancer that didn't even attend BCB) ttps://berkeleycityballet.org/about/faculty/katrine-dailey read more

Berkeley City Ballet - Typical, a non BCB student on the cover of the postcard - Performing Arts Near Me - Berkeley, California

Love this place!!! I was a dancer in my day in grade school and picked back up in college. I know how good teachers work and these folks are freaking awesome. No you can't be a nosey Mom and sit in class but why would you want to, you're embarrassing your kids stop...just stop. I love that I can drop my little one off and go run and take my son to piano or whatever, then run to Berkeley Bowl and not worry as long as I'm back in time. They aren't babysitters either. The other plus is they have a store...yay! Now I don't have to spend 49 bucks on shoes and tights I can spend 20 with them and it's all going to sweet teachers that I love so much. We have been here for 3 years now and I plan to stay as long as possible. I may join a dance class ....ha who am I fooling my time is over. I would break my entire back trying so let's not get crazy. My little one is learning so much and they are so patient with my little princess. I would recommend this studio to anyone interested in ballet for their kid and ok leaving them there with the class, not lingering around in the lobby and making folks uncomfortable. The only drawback is when I have meet the director she does not seem to remember us at all and we have been there for 3 years. When I have had to communicate via email she is rather short and in person she seems unauthentic. I would not base a formal opinion of her from 3 interactions since Ms. Yasmin and other teachers are so warm and friendly . They alone make this such a great experience but be warned. If they were not there and we had to deal with Elizabeth I would run out of there screaming. I have spoken with other parents of color who have taken there kids out because of her. Since we don't really see her that often it's not a huge deal. read more

We celebrated my daughter's 6 th bday @ BCB, the girls had a fabulous time. As a mom that has given many parties, I highly recommend it! The mini performance was the highlight and the cutest thing!!! Thanks again BCB!!! read more

Berkeley City Ballet - Performing Arts Near Me - Berkeley, California

As a former dancer and physical therapist I highly recommend Berkeley City Ballet as an excellent school for young dancers & aspiring professionals. My 16 y.o. daughter has studied at BCB since she was 7. She has performed in BCB's professional level Nutcracker each year, advancing from "Ginger Snap" to the "Snow Queen" dancing the pas de deux with a professional partner. The director & staff at BCB take great care to progress each student only when they are physically ready and strong enough to be safe and successful. This is especially important in deciding when to go on pointe or when to advance the dancer to the next level. Berkeley City Ballet's rigorous, artistic & conscientious training has prepared my daughter to successfully attend the summer programs with the Boston Ballet and LInes Ballet. For high school, she is an advanced dancer at San Francisco School of the Arts (SOTA). I feel very lucky to have such an outstanding ballet school right here in Berkeley. With this strong foundation I feel my daughter can safely go as far as she chooses in the field of dance. read more

It seems like eternity since Grace Doty left BCB more than five or six years ago. She was a great force and a great teacher at BCB, and the school has continued to offer great instruction since her departure. To say that there hasn't been any kink in the transition would be a lie as her departure was sudden and catastrophic at the time, but the Artistic Director Elizabeth Godfrey has managed to keep the school in tact and has kept it moving forward. My daughter has been with BCB since she was six, and now she's a senior at BHS. She has been accepted into one of the very few college-level classical ballet programs in the country. While giving all the support needed to fulfill her dreams to become a professional ballet dancer, Elizabeth is also there to remind my daughter about the realities of professional dancers: short, hard, and poor. As a parent, I really appreciated this. The Nutcracker is BCB's main event of the year, and students look forward to performing in it every year. While the students strive to give their best in the performance, there is no "me first" competitiveness. The director emphasizes team work and cooperation, which is critical to any performance. BCB also emphasizes self-sufficiency, discipline, and responsibility. From an early on, the kids are taught to do their own hair into a bun, put on their own stage make-up, and sew elastic and ribbons onto their shoes. I witnessed a parent sewing ribbons and elastic on pointe shoes at one of the college auditions, and it reminded me that I don't even know how to do that after all these years! read more

Update: My daughter is still in attendance at 14 years. Her passion is strong and so is she. Berkeley City Ballet continues to help me raise my child to be confident and exceptional. read more

Berkeley City Ballet is now offering adult classes with an amazing teacher, the ex-SFB dancer Raymond Tilton. Mr. Tilton is passionate about teaching. He is very caring, and extremely patient with his students. . But the best thing about him is his absolute happiness to be there in that classroom with us. His passion and love of teaching and happiness is contagious. After a long day of work, I am looking forward to his hard working, but immensely fun class. Mr Tilton is an amazing jumper, so allegros are really fun. But, he is also capable of giving beautiful adagio choreography that moves me each time. His center is fun and well thought of. He is leaning towards not strictly creating the choreography before hand, but instead, being in the moment and coming up with what the class needs and what at that he wants to emphasize teaching and most of all, what he is having fun with. This makes the center so much fun. Yay Mr. Tilton!! He explains how things connect and gives the proper exercises to make his point. He does give individual corrections and is not short of praise and feedback when we do well. He has no favorites which is an amazing thing these days, but he is equally attentive to all of us. His enthusiasm and love of teaching is obvious. I love his spirit, his well thought explanations about how things connect. This appeals to my intellectual side. His barre has changed since the first class. It is now becoming more deliberate and slower but really warming us up for the center later on. There are pros in his class, but his barre challenges and satisfies all of us. He has been through many injuries and this has taught him to think differently about how to connect to his body. Thus he is able to relate to us this knowledge. I appreciate Berkeley City Ballet giving us this opportunity to learn from Mr.Tilton. I love his classes. I do realize that his classes are going to grow because he is so charming and a wonderfully giving teacher. So I will miss these days. But thank you City Ballet for giving us Raymond Tilton. read more

My 5 year old just finished a 1 week ballet camp at the BCB, and I can't rave enough about how nice the whole experience was for me and for my daughter. She loved the dancing, the atmosphere was relaxed and sweet, and the final recital was the cutest thing I've ever seen. They did nice crafts, and she even came home with photographs and a ballet slipper. Totally awesome all around. read more

Brace yourself, this is going to be a long review. TL;DR: highly recommend BCB. As a former athlete with no exposure to the dance world, I was very skeptical of the ballet world for my young daughter. What we have encountered at BCB has allayed any fears or concerns of the stereotypes that one might associate with dance. The teachers take great care to set a disciplined yet caring tone in the classroom and for performances. The program is rigorous but the children are confident in their abilities from practicing their routines and receiving precise direct instruction. The teachers spend time building rapport with the children by a process of honoring each other at the end of class time. As for the quality of the classical ballet taught, I invite you to watch a video or two of the school on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=berkeley+city+ballet The level of professionalism is unlike anything I have ever seen in any children's program, and I have five children. I would never have thought it is possible to achieve the standards you can clearly see in the annual Nutcracker performance, for example. Additionally, BCB recently started a program seeking to recruit and train boys, as I am guessing it is easier to enroll girls. Let me tell you something, there is a boy at BCB, who danced most of the main male roles in the Nutcracker this year, and he is amazing. Truly. This year we have seen performances by The Oakland Ballet and Joffrey Ballet, and this boy will no doubt in my mind go on to dance professionally. His dancing is absolutely breathtaking. I believe this is attributable to a natural talent and obviously hard work, but also the high caliber training and being pushed to reach his full potential. It was a joy to see him and the older dancers, many of whom go on to enroll in Summer Intensive Programs at the Nation's most prestigious ballet companies, by the way, see: https://berkeleycityballet.org/ scroll to the bottom of the page), performing at such a high level this past December. The Spring performances are also a treat, as they showcase not only ballet, but also the jazz & contemporary training that the older students engage in. Teachers are receptive to communication, and you get the sense that they truly care about your child as a person and as a dancer. In sum, and I apologize if this has been a bit rambly, Berkeley City Ballet is a nurturing environment for boys and girls looking to learn classical ballet. read more

My daughter attended the summer dance camp this year for the second year in a row. It was wonderful. She thoroughly enjoyed it and they do lovely projects with the children. In particular, the end of week performance is a delight. read more

I am very concerned with the way this ballet school is run. I have been told by my daughter, (no longer a student), that water bottles are not permitted in the classroom because it makes the room look "too cluttered." Many of the best teachers come and go for no apparent reason. The director has no people skills and doesn't listen to the concerns of the students. The students are not allowed to attend dance summer programs elsewhere until they are in their junior or senior year. All of this is holding the students back from expanding their training and growing as a dancer. It is hard to grow when your teachers keep changing throughout the year. Something is fishy. My guess is the director doesn't know how to communicate with the the other teachers and students in the school. There are plenty of other dance schools in the area to choose from. I highly recommend looking into Shawl Anderson, Dance on Center, Berkeley Ballet Theater and Berkeley Playhouse Theater. read more

I am writing as a parent and an ex-ballet dancer to tell you about how terrific Berkeley City Ballet is and how much this company means to my daughter and our family. I was one of the original dancers in BCB when is was formed more than 30 years ago and I danced in the first productions of their Nutcracker. When my 7 year-old daughter expressed interest in ballet, I took her there to take class. What immediately impressed me was the way Elizabeth Godfrey, the Artistic Director, both supported the kids but also let them know she had high expectations for them. I felt this was still a serious and healthy place for a child to develop the technique that could either lead to a professional career or a strong foundation in dance. Now at 13 years old, my daughter has fallen in love with BCB and ballet. She is rehearsing now to perform in her 6th Nutcracker this December and is as committed as ever. She had the opportunity to perform as Clara a few years ago and the role transformed her. Not only did I see technical improvement, but emotional growth as well. And, this is true of all the girls who have the opportunity to perform each year in the Nutcracker. This is a unique opportunity to perform side by side with professionals in a high quality production. The sets and costumes are lovely and the dancers are well rehearsed. Dancing in a ballet of this caliber is life changing for all these young girls and teenagers. And much of this is due to the personal attention that Ms. Godfrey gives to their dancing and all the production details. After seeing the San Francisco Ballet Nutcracker this year, I can actually say that BCB"s Act I was as good if not better. What is particularly impressive about BCB is how the value of teamwork is instilled in these dancers. Ballet is a highly individualistic and competitive art form and yet productions are not successful unless the company members work together. The corps de ballet must look like one body, moving together, for the right effect. My daughter's fast costume change from Act 1 to Act 2 will only work if an experienced girl helps her get from one dress into another. Older girls are encouraged to help younger girls--allowing the group to reach its maximum potential. For us, Berkeley City Ballet is now a family affair: my husband also performs each year in the Nutcracker as a party guest. I have been lured in and will also perform this year as Clara's mom. It is lovely that this company that played such an important role in my childhood is now so central in my family life. BCB also offers classes for dancers who just want to do it recreationally. Watch any of the big dance shows--"So You Think You Can Dance" or "Dancing With the Stars" and the Judges are always saying that ballet training is at the foundation of any good technique. American culture is not always attentive to what it takes to support and nurture the arts. Companies like BCB keeps training these young dancers and produces high quality productions like the Nutcracker. But, unlike a large ballet school like San Francisco Ballet, this company accomplishes its goals in a much more supportive and healthy environment. Despite the hard work, the girls really enjoy their time there. BCB is an asset not only to the girls and families that participate in their program, but to the entire community. read more

I liked their classes as our teacher made ballet fun.

My teenage daughter has been dancing at BCB since she was 5. She spent a couple of years in the pre-ballet Saturday classes and is now in the pre-professional program, where studies 5 days/week plus performance rehearsals. She absolutely loves BCB - the teachers, the learning environment, and her fellow students. I love how the dance/ballet training has helped her become a confident, disciplined, focused, and physically fit young woman. I'm no dance expert, but as far as I can tell the teachers set high expectations for the students and support them with the strong fundamentals of classical and modern dance. It's a rigorous training program but w/o being cut throat, mean or ultra competitive. You also don't have to have the PERFECT ballet body-type to study at the school. This is plus for a student who wants to learn the best of classical ballet technique and then eventually transition to modern/contemporary dance. In this regard, BCB has recently added a modern component to their pre-professional program, which my daughter enjoys immensely. BCB also puts on a really lovely Nutcracker, using both students and a few professional dancers. I recommend the school highly. read more

My daughter has been with the school for many years. She has learned excellent technique in a supportive but disciplined environment. The beginning classes emphasized fun and free form dancing. They motivated and prepared her for her current formal training. The smaller class size ensures individual attention. Any child, whether seeking a creative outlet or professional training would benefit from BCB. I am a former professional ballet dancer and my daughter was accepted into the San Francisco Ballet as an upper level student. She remains at BCB to continue her professional training until she is ready to solely focus on ballet. The advanced BCB classes require commitment but allow a child to be a child. Last year close to half of the most experienced students were accepted into prestigious summer programs. The school is the best combination of professionalism and community I have found read more

Our 10 year old daughter has been attending Berkeley City Ballet for the last few years, and she loves it. She has really bloomed, as far as her self-confidence and poise is concerned. The teachers, and the director, Elizabeth Godfrey, are highly qualitied and inspirational. They can be strict, yet they are very understanding and nurturing with the kids. The highlight of the year is the Nutcracker, which is a very polished and impressive production. Our daughter's work on this production -- in being part of a team and accomplishing something wonderful and magical -- has been enriching to our lives as well. I highly recommend this company. read more

About six months ago, I began searching for a pre-professional ballet intensive summer program for my daughter. We live in Kansas, but travel out to the Bay Area every summer. I researched several dance and ballet companies online and emailed for additional information. When I contacted the Berkeley City Ballet, I was put in contact with the artistic director who quickly answered my questions, guided my daughter through the video audition process, and did a wonderful job keeping in contact with me regarding placement. Having danced for nearly five years in Kansas, this was my daughter's first ballet intensive and she was nervous. Her fears were forgotten the moment she stepped foot into the studio at BCB on the first day. The instructors are as creative and passionate as they are compassionate and committed to the students. They were exceptionally gifted and professional and placed my daughter in classes and at skill levels that fit her needs. She was welcomed into the program immediately. As a parent, I want to say that this has been one of the best investments I've ever made into my daughter's life. To say she learned so much is an understatement. In one month's time, the wonderful instructors at BCB were able to build on her confidence, develop her artistic ability, and push her to levels she did not think possible. I remember seeing my daughter dance at the end of the summer performance and the awe I felt. Always a strong dancer before, I realized that in four weeks, she had transformed and was well on her way to becoming the kind of dancer she's always dreamed of being. She's not the same dancer she was a month ago and she has BCB to thank for taking her desire and efforts and showing her all that she could accomplish with a little hard work, dedication, and love for the art of dance. Thank you, BCB. Looks like we'll be seeing you next summer. To anyone else looking for an excellent ballet program with phenomenal instructors, contact the artistic director at BCB. I promise, you won't regret it! read more

Berkeley City Ballet used to offer world-class professional ballet training and put on excellent performances using mostly their own students. My daughter, who is now a professional dancer, still encounters people who compliment her dancing and remark on Grace Doty's reputation for turning out unusually graceful dancers, with better use of the upper body and head than some much more famous schools. However, now the level of teaching there is so low that they have to hire mediocre "professionals" to fill the roles in Nutcracker, even after "dumbing down" all the choreography. They used to place one or two students a year in professional ballet companies, an amazing number for such a small school and such a competitive field, but in the last 7 years, they haven't trained one that was able to dance well enough to get in to a company. This is an ok place if your little girl wants to play ballerina (though the artistic director can be really bitchy to both kids and parents), but if you have a child whose passion is to dance professionally, don't waste your money or their time on Berkeley City Ballet. Or any of the other options in Berkeley/Oakland. Go over to San Francisco--SF Ballet if your child has the right body type and won't be devastated is s/he's kicked out a couple years down the road; if your child doesn't have a perfect ballet body try The Academy of Ballet. Or try The Ballet Studio, which still doesn't have enough studentsl in the more advanced levels and doesn't have much in the way of performing opportunities. You could also try Contra Costa Ballet in Walnut Creek. Or Marin Ballet, which is the closest thing we've found to the "old" Berkeley City Ballet---it has excellent training, generally a nice friendly feeling, well-trained and nurturing teachers, and wonderful performing opportunities. Their physical setting, purpose-built for a ballet school, is also wonderful and spacious, with an in-school theater, a ballet library/video study room, multiple studios, nice dressing rooms, a garden, and pleasant parent waiting area. read more