Lauridsen Ballet Centre

"I am a current dancer there and they teach you everything. They’ve done many performances and it’s fun. You can make friends, learn ballet terminology, and go on pointe when ready. I love doing ballet there and the teachers make it strict but fun at the same time. When your ready you move up levels. But to move levels you have to do camp. Camp is in the summer and at the end of camp they will make the decision of if your ready to success to the next level. Overall, Lauridsen Ballet Centre is the place to go for ballet"

"Reposting my review cuz it got deleted which is insanely unprofessional. This ballet studio needs to be accommodating to trans people. They did not let me switch to the male uniform when i came out as a trans man. One of the worst days for me because i really enjoyed ballet and this studio. I hope no trans kids get their hearts broken here in the future"

"This Beautiful dance studio was very nice to visit. It's spacious airy and clean. On those day it was teeming with young dancers having class. There is plenty of changing room space and a beautiful piano in each studio."

"Great place for anyone to enhance the quality of their lives with ballet, Definitely recommended,"

"SBB is perhaps Southern California's leading pre-professional ballet company. Headed by the inimitable Diane Lauridsen, the SBB and its corresponding school -- the Lauridsen Ballet Centre -- have launched hundreds of dancers into professional careers with leading ballet companies. SBB alumni include American Ballet Theatre's principal dancer Misty Copeland, Boston Ballet's principal dancer Ashley Ellis, and the Joffrey's Yumi Kanazawa. My daughters have been dancing with Lauridsen/ SBB for five years. We "lucked out" by choosing to dance at Lauridsen. When we selected it, we did not know about its fabulous reputation; I just liked some of its features: ***Ballet only; no tap. ***Adult-operated; no kids in charge. ***Live piano accompanist; no boom boxes. ***Strict rules about attire and hair. ***Availability of a "summer intensive" program (i.e., ballet camp). ***No recitals at Lauridsen. All classes are all about learning ballet. Aside from Lauridsen classes, SBB has three major performances per year. ***No junk food allowed at the studio. ***Students learn a bit of French, along with proper ballet terminology. ***Separate classes for boys. (There are lots of boys taking ballet! Fascinating!) After we'd been at Lauridsen for about a year, I heard one mother telling this amazing story: "So, I took my daughter to New York City. We saw a performance by the New York City Ballet. After the performance, we met with some of the dancers. We explained that we live in Southern California and asked about the best places to study ballet in our area. Without hesitation, they said to go to Lauridsen. Isn't that wonderful?" Diane is assisted by the beloved "Miss Nancy" Hebson (who, at this very moment, is wearing a Jack-o-lantern headpiece while teaching a Ballet 1 class) and Elijah Pressman. The teaching staff focuses on health first. They won't allow young dancers to do certain moves until their bodies are sufficiently developed. Other interesting bits of information: ***If you don't warm up with your class, then you don't go onstage. ***SBB parents must work a certain number of volunteer hours. Consequently, parents develop a bit of expertise in various aspects of ballet production."