For over 35 years, Ayako School of Ballet (ASB) has been bringing the art of Classical Ballet, Modern Dance and Jazz to local Bay Area communities. The school started in Watsonville, CA in 1976 and later relocated to the Peninsula, where it currently serves San Mateo, Belmont, and greater Peninsula families. Over the years, hundreds of families have found a place to call home at Ayako School of Ballet, and we have had the pleasure of watching young dancers grow into their potential under our roof. Each June, Ayako School of Ballet is proud to present our annual Showcase performance, which includes dance numbers from all of our classes, and gives each student the experience of stage performance. It truly is the highly anticipated event of the year at ASB, and is enjoyed by hundreds of friends and family members of our students. Ayako School of Ballet is affiliated with Peninsula Youth Ballet (PYB), a non-profit company that gives dancers from around the Bay Area an opportunity to perform in a professional setting and receive additional professional training from Ayako Takahashi. Ayako, who has been PYB’s Artistic Director since 1987, has brought this company to new heights of professionalism and beauty. Unfortunately, PYB closed in 2020. Since 2021 Ayako School of Ballet presents Nutcracker annually in December. Auditions are held each September for the upcoming season. All dancers from Beginning students and higher levels are invited to audition. Each season begins with our annual Nutcracker production, and continues through the year, ending with a spectacular production, “ASB Gala” and School Showcase, in June. We are fortunate to have an excellent staff, all of which are professionally trained dancers and many of whom danced at ASB as students. Ayako School of Ballet is a supportive, safe environment for young dancers to explore their passion.
