How do I register my child?

Please contact the school registrar, Nancy Hebson. You can email her at LauridsenBalletCentre@gmail.com or phone and leave a message at 310-533-1247.

How do I know what level my child will be in?

All children ages 4-5 are in Pre-ballet. All children ages 6-7 are in Ballet One. This is because there are certain changes that occur developmentally in a young body which must be respected.

Older dancers are placed according to our curriculum. Most dancers will not be placed at the same level that they were at another school. Levels are individual to each curriculum.

Experienced dancers must call and arrange a placement class.

What rules and regulations do you have?

A list of our rules and dress code can be found here.

I have a son who would like to dance. Will he be the only boy in his class?

We have a large boys' and men’s program.

There is a boys’ class to start in. Often, boys feel comfortable starting in a class with only other boys and a male teacher. The boys develop a great camaraderie. We also have roles for them at all levels to perform in our company, Ballet California.

What can I, as a parent, do to help my child succeed in the tremendously competitive world of ballet?

If you work the system, the system works.

Every year, we have been asked by many sets of parents how to help their children achieve their dreams of becoming professional ballet dancers. Unfortunately, everyone cannot achieve this dream. There are four things that are necessary:

• Talent: In the ballet world, talent mostly means genetics, which means the body one is born with. Excellent training can change, improve and maximize some things, but body type needs to be accepted. There are many ways to have a life in dance, but that ballet contract is not always in the cards. Talent also means musicality, stage presence and a sense of artistry.
• Excellent training: There is a lot of bad ballet out there. There are schools that have showy performances with flashy costumes, but the technique just isn’t there, and the professional companies can tell the difference. If you are at Lauridsen Ballet Centre/Ballet California, you are fortunate to be at one of those extremely rare places with the track record we have. We enjoy a great reputation for clean technique and strong artistic training.
• Supportive parents: Since training occurs while the body is growing and capable of change, your kids need your support. Dancers must be in class, must be in rehearsal. They should see ballet whenever possible. They should see good and bad. They should read about dance and dancers. They should be familiar with classical music and music history. They should be well rounded, capable of critical thought and empathy. They should be team players. All dancers need to know that, like athletes everywhere, one can only dance for so long. So every dancer needs to have a “Plan B.” "What do I do when I am done dancing?" (One out of seven jobs in the Los Angeles area is in the arts. There are many related fields.) But how wonderful is it to have two complete lives and careers?
• Intense desire: If you sort of want it, it will never happen. It has to be the most important thing. You have to love to work hard, be resilient to disappointment, enjoy the training and the challenges of the physical demands of ballet. If you doubt it, you don’t really want it.

This last one is where working the system comes in. We at Lauridsen Ballet Centre and Ballet California have worked very hard to have the very best training system. One of the key components is also working in a level below your own. Another is the number of classes taken. Young children have to be especially careful not to overwork. Dancers trying to be professionals are in competition with dancers all over the world who are in training situations which have them dancing all day, every day. Our system is successfully competitive with those big famous schools, but not if the system is not followed. Three hours a day of really good training can win out over eight hours of usual training. But one class at your top level just won’t cut it. As much as we all recognize the demands of homework, which are certainly excessive, we also know that there is not a field that one can enter into without meeting the established requirements. Imagine applying to medical school and explaining why you just didn’t have time to take biology. It’s the same thing. Either you make the cut or you don’t. Nobody is saying it is easy, but it certainly is rewarding.

Over the years, we have had many dancers here who have reached the top of the field. All of them did the entire program as it was laid out. We have also had dancers who made their own decisions, trying to pick and choose. They like this teacher, but not that one. They like the advanced class, but not the easier one. They take this correction, but not that one. A few of those more talented dancers even get jobs; however, none have reached their full potential. If you take three months off, don’t expect to be promoted. If you only take the advanced class, you are not building deep strength; you risk spraining your ankle. Classes are like money in the bank: you either invest, or you don’t. So when we say work the system, we mean work it the way it is meant to be worked.

We have so many young, talented dancers. We are so looking forward to watching them grow and develop. There is not much money in what we as teachers do. The big reward for us is that last year of training, watching someone reach that end level of blossoming and growth as a finished technician and artist. We look forward to seeing you reach your full potential! Let’s work the system together: We’ll do our job, and you do yours, and let’s see how far we can go together!

Do you have modern dance?

We do teach classical modern to dancers from level five and up. All ballet companies require a certain level of modern technique these days. And dancers who want to be modern dancers start with a proficiency in ballet, and continue their modern studies at a university.

What other classes do you have?

We have conditioning for dancers. As the demands of ballet continually increase, we find that it is helpful to do outside conditioning. It also supports the dancer with a physical weakness. Dancers from level three and up have access to conditioning classes.

We also offer pointe, adult classes, pas de deux, variations, boys’, men’s, and modern classes. Our full class schedule can be found here.

What is The Ballet Alliance, and why are we part of it?

The BA is a group of regional dance companies, much like ours, who get together once a year. The dancers take classes together with famous teachers, and perform for each other. They see a myriad of ballet and modern styles, and they can compare themselves to other dancers. They also get seen by company directors (which has led to many jobs for our dancers), and they make contacts with their peers from other parts of the country. There is a large summer scholarship audition program, and a large university dance department audition. These auditions save parents thousands of dollars and students many, many school days by being able to audition for many opportunities at one time. There is an emerging choreographer concert, giving a chance to student choreographers. The students have to perform for an adjudicator, giving them valuable feedback, and giving our company and school the most prestigious of accreditations.

I remember walking by an 11 year old student a few years back. This little girl had gone to festival with her mother on a mother-daughter vacation when she was 7 years old. They had toured the city, and watched performances along with a few classes and seminars. I overheard her say, “I remember when I went and watched that second night concert. I learned that…”, and proceeded to talk about what how she would apply what she had learned. I was impressed because even this little kid had come away with lessons learned (and thought about them for four years).

The festival is meant to be a tremendous learning experience for our dancers, and it is. But there are also seminars for parents, teachers, observers, costumers, musicians, directors, and board members.

We are part of the Ballet Alliance because everyone who goes learns and we all love it.

For more information, visit The Ballet Alliance's website.

Do you have adult classes?

Yes, we love our adults. We have classes for beginning through advanced dancers. For more information, please contact Nancy Hebson at 310.533.1247 or LauridsenBalletCentre@gmail.com.

What does your summer program look like?

Students of ballet are part of a long artistic tradition. Dancers must understand much more about their bodies, ballet history, and accompanying art forms than it is possible to learn in the short times allotted for class during the school year. For this reason, we have additional classes in the summer to:

• Enrich a dancer’s knowledge
• provide intensive training during the time of year when the student has the most time and energy, and;
• facilitate the transition between one level of ballet training and the next
• Students in the summer programs study French ballet vocabulary, kinesiology, stagecraft, music theory and history, dance history, and nutrition.

As is true of all classes in the school, a dancer must audition for placement in the summer classes. Levels are not the same in all schools.

For more information on our summer program, please click here.

Should my child be a part of The Nutcracker?

Ballet California’s Nutcracker provides an exciting opportunity for Lauridsen Ballet Centre students of all levels to perform in a professional atmosphere on stage. For many, it is an experience they will treasure for a lifetime. For others, it is so captivating that performing becomes an integral part of their childhood years. Participation requires a substantial time commitment from both parents and dancers. Being cast a part of the production provides a critical real-world environment of performing which is a key element in any dancer’s experience, knowledge and pre-professional training.

Casting is based on providing a challenge for every dancer while offering a role commensurate with a dancer’s individual skill level. Every company member is given a part; some more than one, while others also have an opportunity for an understudy position.

How do you decide which dancer get which parts?

The subject of casting comes up a few times a year, and it can be a sensitive issue. People sometimes take things personally, making themselves and everyone around them miserable. We thought we would explain how the process works.

First of all, casting a ballet or a show is a huge puzzle. A place for everyone, and every part gets filled. There are factors like who can partner whom, how the heights go together, and who can wear which costumes. Who has time to change, who looks good dancing with whom. How do the dancers' heights go together? Who has endurance on pointe for that tech week. Who is strong technically, and who is strong artistically.

Each part affects all the other parts. More often than not, we can’t make a decision we want because of how it affects everything else. Sometimes, the two parts we would like someone to have won’t work because they occur at the same time on stage. There is trying to see that everyone gets a challenge during the year, but a challenge that can be met. Sometimes a dancer will have wonderful role in one ballet, but not in the next. Sometimes we have to look ahead to future performances, trying to be as fair as possible. We also consider the growth of the dancers and of the company. Some of the most talented dancers need the most protection while they are growing or injured. There is value in earning your way up.

Of course, dancer strengths are considered — after all, there is an audience out there! And everyone wants to show off well. It is better to do something that is too easy than something that is chancy. Someone said to us a few weeks ago, “I saw the ballet on tape, and thought it would be a piece of cake. But it really kicked my ***!” All ballet is more difficult than it looks.

We really care about how people feel, but in a professional company, no one cares. If you don’t like how you are cast, learn to brush it off. Be happy for your friends. The important thing is how well you do with what you are given. It’s a tough world out there and if you are going to be emotionally prepared to be a dancer, this is just one of the things you need to learn.

We could be one of those companies who does recitals: everyone gets a solo and everyone is happy. Or one of those companies who puts little people in the middle of a grand pas. But we are Ballet California! We are proud to be part of something truly fine.

Do you have a men’s program? Do you have pas de deux?

Yes! We have a robust men’s program, starting with a boys’ class and continuing into men’s classes, conditioning, and pas de deux (partnering). Too often, companies or studios only have one or two male dancers, making a men’s class or partnering impractical. Without classes, many men will experience partnering for the first time in rehearsals for a ballet which demands it. At best, this leads to sloppy technique as people try to figure things out as they go instead of learning them properly, and at worst can lead to injuries.

Ballet California has a strong cast of boys and men, and our classes are designed to teach them the skills they need so they will never be unprepared. We also strongly believe that safety in partnering is paramount, and is the responsibility of both dancers. Pas de deux is not just a skill for men – there is a technique to it for both partners, as the name implies. Teaching a system where both partners are responsible for their shared success makes for the safest, best partnering. One of the things that stands out to professional companies is the partnering skills Ballet California dancers graduate with advanced partnering skills, which help them stand out and excel when first joining a professional company.

What about ballet and higher education?

Ballet is a great way to get a leg up for admittance or a scholarship into a university. Those programs need good dancers. Dancers can often do a double major. Or have a wonderful, fulfilling career while they are young (like any athlete), then segue into a different profession. Also, many professional dancers get a degree online while they are working.