California Ballet Company

The California Ballet Company began in 1968 and has been a place for performers and audiences to celebrate dance ever since. Performances include classics and original works. The company's Education and Outreach program reaches out to tens of thousands of students and educators each year, bringing dance into the public school system and community groups. The Kids in Step program offers in-school assemblies that allow students to see ballet performances right in their schools auditorium. Step out to the Ballet is a field trip program that brings California school children to the theatre to experience a professional ballet performance. This is one of the largest professionally trained dance schools in the west and performers and choreographers that work with the company have experience in some of the most prominent dance companies in the world. The school runs a successful pre-professional and apprentice ballet program that offers students an opportunity to experience training in technique and style that will prepare them for a professional dance career. In addition to ballet, the dance school offers instruction in jazz, tap, body mechanics, Spanish dance, mime, make-up, and a variety of theatre-related workshops. Students practice and perform at the Main Center in Kearny Mesa, exposing them to the lifestyle and work ethic of the company's professional performers. There are also branches the school in Pacific Beach, La Mesa, and El Cajon.