WHERE TO DANCE
It's so wonderful that "adult ballet" is nowadays a thing, in that more and more classes are available for amateur, late-comer dancers. But I often find it a challenge to find info on these classes and locations online: not only are dance studios often particularly terrible at updating their online information, but also levels and other customs can vary widely from studio to studio. It can be equal parts nerve-wracking and exhilarating to take classes when traveling, and I love the experience, just not the pre-dance homework of trying to find these opportunities. :) So, in case it's helpful to anyone else out there, here's a list of studios that I've ventured into in my time (with last-visited dates, in case any info becomes outdated).
[About my comments on levels below: I'm currently (as of 2017) able to hang on in a slow advanced class at my home studio, and when I travel, I usually start at whatever courses are listed as 'intermediate' and adjust from there, if I'm taking multiple classes at the same studio. My thoughts below are based against the levels at my home studio, which I actually find to have a really nice grading: Intro (total beginner) > Beginning I > Beginning II > Beginning/Intermediate > Intermediate > Intermediate/Advanced > Advanced/Pro]
United States
SF Bay Area, CA
Berkeley Ballet Theatre. (website)Alonzo King Lines. (website)
I've only ever been to Kathy Mata's classes here. The classes here are huge, and--in my opinion--a bit cliquey, but if you go during a two-hour class, you get to do the grande allegro three times through on each side, which usually makes the whole experience worth it for me. As with most classes in San Francisco, the level is very high. Mata's advanced beginning class has some beginners in it, but can feel like a high intermediate class, if you're doing everything right.
last visited: 2016
ODC. (website)
Shawl Anderson. (website)
The studios here are very small, but the plus side is that the class sizes are pretty small, too! (at least, the midday ones that I've been to) So it's almost like getting a small group private lesson.
last visited: 2017
Western Ballet. (website)
Los Angeles, CA
Westside Ballet. (website)
This is possibly the studio within LA that has the most classes in their schedule for adults, which I appreciate. There's a super early morning class on the weekends, too, which means that you can get your ballet in without cutting into your weekend plans! Yay! The classes I've tried so far don't usually do much correction or instruction. However, the pianists are pretty entertaining, and you get to hear show tunes every now and then--classic LA.
last visited: 2017
This is possibly the studio within LA that has the most classes in their schedule for adults, which I appreciate. There's a super early morning class on the weekends, too, which means that you can get your ballet in without cutting into your weekend plans! Yay! The classes I've tried so far don't usually do much correction or instruction. However, the pianists are pretty entertaining, and you get to hear show tunes every now and then--classic LA.
last visited: 2017
Align Ballet. (website)
Michael Cornell has really built an adult beginner ballet empire with Align in LA, where they focus on adults brand new to ballet, from bottom up. There's even a snazzy website, unlike most dance studios. There aren't as many upper-level classes on the schedule, so the highest level I've managed to try is what's known as "Align 4"--to me, it was on par with Beginning II or Low Intermediate at my home studio.
last visited: 2017
last visited: 2017
San Diego, CA
Del Mar Ballet. (website)
I've been to one class here when I was visiting a friend in San Diego, and the instruction was so solid (i.e., insistence that arabesque really be hips forward, leg directly back, rather than the new-fangled hip-open, leg up position common in the US) that I wished I lived closer!
last visited: 2016
last visited: 2016
Austin, TX
Ballet Austin. (website)
Surprisingly, lots of classes available in Austin! The classes tended to be small, but every day that I was there, pros would show up, even in lower level classes, and I love it when that happens--I end up learning way more by watching it done right, up close and personal. If you wait until the evening before to sign up for a class, look for linked deals on their website.
last visited: 2017
last visited: 2017
Maui, HI
Washington, D.C.
The Washington Ballet. (website)
I managed a couple classes here once while on a work trip to DC. The studios are really spacious, and levels quite advanced!
last visited: 2016
United Kingdom
Edinburgh, Scotland
Dancebase. (website)
Dancebase is this amazing place located right in the shadow of the Edinburgh Castle, where you can actually see grand views of the castle through the skylights when you're dancing (the only time I appreciate floorwork in contemporary class!). They have term-long courses during the fall and spring, and during July, hold two sessions of week-long summer courses. They also have drop-in classes that run throughout the regular terms and August. The website is rubbish for seeing the drop-in classes. For the drop-in schedule, I skip straight to their MindBody site, which can be accessed through the "Log in/Register" link at the top of the website. The "Pro" level ballet classes in the morning are what I would call "Intermediate/Advanced" in the US: the perk is that sometimes, pro dancers do take the classes alongside amateurs.
last visited: 2017
last visited: 2017
Dance for all. (website)
Dance for all feels like your small neighborhood dance studio, with small classes and a friendly crowd. The schedule online isn't often kept up to date, but in general, classes run about three days a week. Sheena Gough teaches every Tuesday, and it's a really solid, old-school class, where each leg is pretty much worked to death before you turn to the other side at the barre. Peter Twyman teaches the other days, and also does really affordable private lessons! Payments are in cash at the beginning of class, and the best way to figure out what the schedule is is to call, or just show up with fingers crossed at the times listed on the website.
last visited: 2017
Dance for all feels like your small neighborhood dance studio, with small classes and a friendly crowd. The schedule online isn't often kept up to date, but in general, classes run about three days a week. Sheena Gough teaches every Tuesday, and it's a really solid, old-school class, where each leg is pretty much worked to death before you turn to the other side at the barre. Peter Twyman teaches the other days, and also does really affordable private lessons! Payments are in cash at the beginning of class, and the best way to figure out what the schedule is is to call, or just show up with fingers crossed at the times listed on the website.
last visited: 2017
Links to other studio lists and resources
Obvz I'm not the only one who's put together a list of dance places. Here are more on the web--some current, some outdated. If you know of more--lists or studios--, please send me a tip in the comments section!https://apricot.wordpress.com/studios-for-adult-ballet/
https://adultbeginner.wordpress.com/review-all-the-classes/
http://ballerinasbynight.blogspot.co.uk/p/find-studio_1.html
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