Berkeley City Ballet

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.

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.

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.

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!!!

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.

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

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.

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+balletThe 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.

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.

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!