San Francisco Ballet School

With artistic ties to an internationally acclaimed classical ballet company, San Francisco Ballet School is a distinguished training ground for over 700 young dancers each year. Under the combined leadership of Director Tamara Rojo and School Director Grace Holmes, the school has a dual mission: to nurture classical ballet students who are capable of joining the ranks of SF Ballet and other professional companies and to introduce Bay Area children to classical ballet and the joy of dance. SF Ballet School has successfully placed students in notable companies globally and currently, over 70% of SF Ballet’s Company dancers—throughout the ranks—are school alumni.

SF Ballet School is the oldest professional ballet academy in America, established in 1933.  The formidable curriculum emphasizes a strong classical technique and a flow of movement that suggests a sense of energy, freedom, and joy, reflecting the kind of dancing favored by San Francisco Ballet. It is a style that readily adapts to meet the demands of any choreographer or company, and any type of movement.

Established in 2004, the San Francisco Ballet School Trainee Program is a one- to two-year pre-professional program comprised of students chosen from the School’s advanced levels as well as from the School Year auditions. This comprehensive program provides the experience necessary to ease the transition from student to professional dancer, while offering personal attention in a close, nurturing environment.  These chosen few can expect a demanding curriculum that requires 100 percent commitment. Trainees perform from October to June throughout the San Francisco Bay Area in schools and community centers, at corporate and special events, and they are presented in dedicated full-evening performances. They understudy and dance in many SF Ballet full-length productions including Christopher Wheeldon’s Cinderella, George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Helgi Tomasson’s Romeo & Juliet; as well as works such as Alexei Ratmansky’s The Seasons and Balanchine’s Diamonds. The year culminates with the SF Ballet School Spring Festival performances in May.

Students have also gone on to dance with such companies as American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, English National Ballet, Houston Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet, Mariinsky Ballet, Miami City Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, New York City Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Philadelphia Ballet, Ballet Memphis, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and Dutch National Ballet.

Today, the school boasts an international roster of prominent faculty who provide innovative instruction and new ways of working. To complement their work, current and former SF Ballet principal dancers—as well as preeminent guest teachers—teach at the school on a regular basis. The school also offers housing at its student residence, located two blocks from the studios.

Visit SF Ballet School website

SF Ballet School students © Erik Tomasson

SF Ballet’s student showcase (c) Chris Hardy

San Francisco Ballet School Trainees © Erik Tomasson