Fabulous adult beginning ballet program. The teachers are excellent, providing rigorous instruction with a warm, joyful vibe. Fellow dancers have an inclusive, supportive community. Highly recommend everyone join the fun! read more

I've been taking adult ballet classes here for about a year now - would highly recommend for any adults looking to start their ballet journey! The atmosphere is supportive and welcoming - very friendly to complete beginners - and Denise are Joral are excellent instructors. As someone who didn't have any previous ballet training, the adult Introduction to Ballet series was great for building foundations, and the Beginning Ballet series is great for advancing those foundational skills. Repeating each series a few times has helped me to retain and apply what I've learned. read more

I'm simply amazed watching the Oakland Ballet School students perform! Their recent Hansel and Gretel Spring Recital performance was outstanding! I look forward to watching their Nutcrackers performances in December! I have to remind myself that these dancers are just students! read more

This is a school that provides true classic ballet training. The mid-year and Christmas performances are professional quality.

My daughter has been taking classes at Oakland Ballet school for over a year. The program is high quality and she has improved quite a bit as a dancer and performer. The instructors are professional dancers and balance high expectations with encouragement. Through the program she is learning responsibility, dedication and focus. And, she especially enjoys the opportunity to participate in two high caliber performances a year. read more

This place is absolutely wonderful. I was simply astonished to find so many negative reviews on yelp. Most of the previous reviews date several years back when Ron ran the studio.OBS is now run under Denise and Joral Schmalle, who are both professionally trained. They are doing a fantastic job. Denise is the main instructor at OBS and she is simply amazing.Words cannot explain how amazing of a teacher Denise is. You can truly tell that she is passionate about what she does and that's one of the most important components of being a great teacher and dancer. In addition to being very passionate, she is also very encouraging and friendly. I decided to start classes here as a way of improving my technique in other forms of dance last spring and have learned so much since then. The welcoming environment of the instructors and students here is what keeps me coming back since I cannot dance at OBS year round. Not only am I improving my skill and technique, I'm also enjoying every minute of it. Overall, OBS is a wonderful place to learn and will not disappoint. I would definitely recommend OBS to anyone who wishes to learn or improve on ballet. With the welcoming environment and wonderful teachers, what's not to love? They currently offer classes to the youth and adults. For more information, make sure to visit their website at www.oaklandballetschool.com read more

Oakland Ballet School - Performing Arts Near Me - Oakland, California

A very good school, demanding but balanced. Third year and my daughter has taken to it. It fulfills her desire to learn to become a ballerina and is still fun and social. Denise and Joral are excellent teachers and role models as artists and people. The performances, 2 each year, are very well done and show the students genuine skills. High standards in a balanced atmosphere. read more

Ronn was my most favorite person in the world when I was a kid. Before class he'd be in the corner reading to us. He was such a great story teller that all the little children would cram next to each other to get a good seat. During warm-up he'd throw out math problems and count to ten in different languages. Throughout class he'd call us "love". After class he would shower us with stickers and candies. While turns across the floor were always my weakness...and I'd take extremely long bathroom breaks to avoid them...and the dressing room seemed always dark and creepy...and I dreaded being gingersnap in the Nutcracker every year...ballet was super important and set the stage for my dance "career". To say the least, Ronn and Oakland Ballet Academy had a huge profound impact on my life. His love and passion for life...his look that meant business...his patience and kindness. Now I use "love" as a term of endearment towards my friends and shower my students with stickers at the end of class. I think that his spirit and soul still lives in Oakland Ballet and would recommend everyone to experience it. read more

I've taken class here only once and that's enough for me. What is really lacking here is the discipline that usually comes along with ballet. I know this adult ballet but the class started an hour late! I'll admit when class finally started it was fun to dance, but the teacher gave no corrections or feedback. Maybe some people have unlimited time and just want a place to dance? Personally I like a class that starts on time and includes feedback from the instructor so I can better my technique. read more

I began dancing when I was the tender age of 4. My mom marched me over to the Ballet Academy where I observed dancers a-leaping and bending every which way. I started classes immediately. Over the course of my 10-year dance career (I stopped after high school began), I learned many things from Ronn. Those who attended classes regularly built a tight-knit community, and everyone knew everyone's first names. Most of the parents of the dancers were on the volunteer committee, who helped at performances, etc. My favorite part of the Oakland Ballet Company was the opportunity to perform in Paramount's annual The Nutcracker. I was a wee little gingersnap scrambling about on stage, and also a toy soldier as well. It was nothing short but exhilarating, to be that young and perform for thousands of people. Ronn is also one of the most kind-hearted, generous people I have ever met. He really cares about his dancers and forms strong relationships with the dancers and their parents. My ballet friends and I were extremely saddened to hear of his retirement, but congratulations to Ronn! I don't understand why previous reviewers complained so fervently after attending one class. I attended classes since I was four until I was fourteen years of age, and I never enjoyed anything more. If you want to attend a ballet academy with stern faced, listless instructors who don't make an effort to get to know you and your family, go for it; but Oakland Ballet Academy extended beyond that. read more

I thoroughly enjoyed taking with Denise for the adult beginning/intermediate class. The studio is warm and you can feel the character of the space. Denise is absolutely lovely and so kind ! I regularly take at Berkeley Ballet Theater (IMO a high- caliber studio whereby few studios compare) and yet felt entirely at home at OBS. Denise is encouraging and gives excellent corrections. I struggle with turning and she was able to immediately help me correct the one ingredient I kept missing - spotting. I look forward to taking OBS adult again to supplement my regular class schedule and plan to bring friends on my next visit. :) If you are local in the area don't hesitate to check out Oakland Ballet School adult classes! read more

Been thinking about taking classes here again. The instruction was fine, the only thing is they didn't do dance cards, but had to bill monthly. As an adult student taking ballet for enrichment, that didn't work for me. Also, parking was tough. To be fair, the school seems to be geared more towards younger students who want to feed into Oakland Ballet Company or a lifetime of dance. (Totally understandable.) My friend whose daughter took classes here said she really enjoyed them. I haven't been in a few years so would have to check back and see if they've structured payment differently, etc. read more

I had high hopes for this class after reading Ronn's biography, but my hopes were totally shattered after one class. The Saturday morning adult class that was supposed to start at 10:45 didn't begin until well after 11. Then, Ronn started to tell his whole life story while everyone was just sitting on the floor getting cold. To me, one anecdote here and there is nice and even insightful, but this guy just went on and on. The worse of it was that he wasn't describing technique, or something that I can apply, but it was more like he was reminiscing about the good ol' days, and name dropping about so-and-so, chuckling to himself about how nice their dancing was. He told us all these nonsequitors, one after another, like how his real name is Paul, but he didn't like it so he had people call him Ronn, and how he first performed at the SF Oprah House when he was 12. Little kids (ages 4 or 5) who weren't part of the class were running back and forth across the dance floor asking him for treats and candy. Technique-wise, he barely demonstrated the sets to us before starting us off on each set. He just marked the movements, and started the music. Good thing I took ballet when I was a kid, but this is supposed to be a beginners class. He hardly ever moved beyond a step of the CD player. He didn't come around to make any corrections to form. Toward the end, we were doing jetes in the center. He stopped us after one set, and talked and talked and talked, and chuckled and chuckled and talked. I was beginning to wonder whether this man had lost his marbles. By then, it was past 1:00pm, and this class was supposed to end at 12:00pm. This class could have ended more on time if only Ronn didn't love the sound of his own voice so much. I wondered to myself whether they sold Ballet workout DVDs, because doing that would have probably been more effective and productive than wasting my time at that class. Of all the ballet class I had ever attended in my life, this has got to be the worse session ever. Maybe he had an off day? Maybe the glory days of Oakland Ballet Academy are long over? I can hardly believe that the class turned out that badly given Ronn's history and reputation. Or maybe he doesn't really care about adult students because we will never be shaped into dancing stars. There were definitely a lot of students there, both adults, teenagers, and kids, and in the one following. What keeps them there, I don't know. I definitely won't be going back. read more

I'm a former ABT ballet soloist (retired) that was looking for an adult class to take just for the exercise. This school and Denise's classes are just right. For those that can tell the difference, they have a sprung Marly floor which is ideal for jumping and produces less wear and tear on the dancer. They use nice classical ballet CD's and Denise is very musical, also ideal for the dancer. From the class that precedes ours, I can see Denise is also excellent for children, who must especially enjoy it when they get to be in the Oakland ballet's Nutcracker. read more

Oakland Ballet School is now run by Denise and Joral Schmall, and they are doing a wonderful job. Denise teaches both of my grandkids; today, there was a Spring performance and all the students performed. Her style is to teach them carefully, not to get them beyond what they can do correctly, and to teach them the correct way and precise way to do things. And, at the same time, she teaches them to love dance and she is warm and encouraging with all of them. So, today's performance was amazing. All of the students, from the youngest to the oldest, did a beautiful job and I almost couldn't believe what good dancers some of the students are. Beautiful arms; beautiful posture, lovely graceful moves. If you want your kids and/or grandkids to have a really solid classical ballet training, this is the place I would recommend. read more

Very good dance teacher!! The prices are very affordable and you can buy the uniform there to save time. My daughter started the pre ballet class this fall term it was only $295 until December which is a real good price. I'm not good with names sorry j can't remember the teacher name but she is great all the staff is great!!! Just love them my daughter will stay at this studio from now on! read more

many of the reviews here were written under the old management of ron guidi. he has since retired and the school has been taken over by a young couple, the schmalles, both professional dancers and excellent teachers. the classes are thorough and well-run, diverse and fun. some classes can be crowded and start late (hence the star off) but i think that is an indication of the growing popularity of the school. if you were put off by the old regime i urge you to take another look, well worth it. read more

I really wanted to like this studio because it's close to my house but sadly I did not like it at all. I called about the Adult Beginning Ballet class on Friday night and told the woman I spoke with that I'm a total beginner and asked whether this class would work for me. She indicated it would be fine and the instructor would adapt the class to work. Unfortunately that was not the case during the actual class. It was much more advanced than a beginners work and even included someone en pointe. In addition, the class started 30 mins late! I even confirmed the time with the woman on the phone beforehand. read more

sooooo. i took a lovely class from Ronn Guidi here, who is such a great person.there is a wide range of ages here(i think 7-about 60) and everyone gets along. the ballet instruction is great. this is a VERY warm place where ppl greet you at the door. so i rate 4. read more