Contra Costa Ballet Centre

I have been a regular attendee of the adult beginning classes. Hiroko is an excellent and caring instructor. I always feel welcome and part of a family in her class. She gives each student individual attention and is very positive.
I find it too bad that instructors are not compensated at all or compensated less if their class size falls beyond a minimum number. That has never made a difference to Hiroko. There have been a few times when hardly anyone showed up and she taught for little or no pay. We offered to go home and cancel the class, but she wanted to teach anyway. She is a dedicated teacher and very nice person. I think that compensation plan should be revised to be fair to all instructors.

My children have been attending Contra Costa Ballet School for 5 years. The building is modern and has heating and air conditioning and Contra Costa Ballet has nice dressing rooms for the ladies and men. It is classically decorated and clean. As a mom, I appreciated the school’s professionalism in all aspects. The teachers are highly qualified and the office is staffed by skilled personnel. The schedules are kept and you always know that you have a class. There are never sudden class cancellations and no extra fees popping up.

My daughter has been dancing here for 5 years. Each year we are pleasantly surprised by her improvement taught by great teachers. She has made some life long friends and it’s a great environment. In addition, their famous performance of «the Story of the Nutcracker» is a classic and we get friends and family to go every year. It helps create a fun holiday mood and is a perfect for kids of all ages. We suggest that everyone comes to see it Thanksgiving weekend at the Dean Lesher Theater in Walnut Creek. All in all, we have had a lovely experience here and can’t wait to continue!

I started at Contra Costa Ballet in seventh grade, in level 5. I have had most of the teachers who teach here, and know many of the adult students.
Contra Costa Ballet is a school that fed and continues to feed a passion for dance that
I’ve had within me since the age of 3. I’ve been involved in their shows and now help backstage. I see the joy they give ALL. Of their students, whether they are 3, 11, or 60. Everyone enjoys taking class and working hard at something that also requires a large amount of discipline.
This school helped me achieve dreams of becoming a professional through admittance into the Royal Swedish Ballet School. I’ve loved every moment being a student, pre/​basic ballet assistant, volunteer and audience member.
I highly recommend this ballet school. With the opportunity of being on stage an performing but also creating amazing friendships, it will always be a place I call home. See you by the barre!

Great place to for adult beginners like myself: Supportive, fun nonetheless a good learning environment as you’re given corrections. Hiroko is wonderful teacher, who dances beautifully and gives one on one corrections.
I wish they had weekend beginner classes though.

Alice and Wonderland at the Lesher Center. Contra Costa Ballet and Robert Dekkers nailed it! Chesire Cat — nailed it! Mad Hatters Tea Party — nailed it! Queens Courtyard — nailed it!
Choreography, music and costumes are a wonderful blend of modern and classical dance. Incredible performance. Bravo!

This is for their 2012 performance of the *Story of the Nutcracker* at the Lesher Center.
DD was a ballet student for years, and I was for a brief time. We both took from very serious schools. I am always looking at the training the dancers have received, and their ability to perform the various moves with strength and precision. This dance school makes a top grade in my book.
This is a well crafted show for small children, with a narrator. This helps the little ones understand the rather strange story, although I do think the narration needed to extend into the war scene and subsequent dream scene.
The costumes were great, the dancers were where they needed to be… even down to the small ones. Well choreographed, good costumes, well trained dancers… it was great. Did all the principals have the *it* factor… well no, but that is small in my book.
Perfect first nutcracker for the little ones.

My daughters have been taking classes at Contra Costa Ballet since pre-​ballet. My oldest is now in level 6. They adore taking ballet at CCB and can’t wait to go to class. I am thrilled they are getting exercise, learning an amazing skill, and doing something they love. There are so many benefits I cannot possibly list them all here.
When looking into ballet schools, I compared all the schools in the east bay. I was looking for a real ballet school not a commercial school with competitions and inappropriate costumes. Those schools usually teach other types of dance as well and offer low quality classes in ballet.
I found Contra Costa Ballet to be one of the precious few schools which offer professional level training programs. Some of the Hallmarks I was looking for in a ballet school are:
* Proper placement and focus on correct fundamentals
* Emphasis on correct execution of steps, with focus on clean lines,
strength and stability
* Technical proficiency of a majority of students in the school, not just a select few.
* Students’ low occurrence of injury
* Success of graduating students in the professional arena or university
High level instruction is a priority to me and CCB provides quality professional teachers with impressive resumes. CCB students show technical proficiency as well as artistic ability.
The students are always well behaved and professional. They are kind and very passionate about ballet.
When observing classes and attending performances it is obvious none of the other schools dancers or instructors compare to CCB. Contra Costa Ballet sets a standard that I have yet to see matched in the East Bay.
My daughters have had some amazing teachers so far, my daughter was lucky to have Zola Dishong teach her in level 4. Robert Dekkers teaches an advanced adult class on Saturdays that is always packed, as well as Charles Anderson. Emily Borthwick is so knowledgable and kind, she explains the steps and how to execute them with a passion that comes through in her teaching. Shannon Bresnahan is an exciting new addition to the teaching staff, the students absolutely adore her. I have yet to see another school with as qualified teachers whom have been trained internationally. Check our their resumes on the CCB website. To learn more, ask their administrator at the front desk, she is so sweet and helpful, she makes all the dancers feel at home.
We feel lucky to have such a professional yet friendly ballet school.

Contra Costa Ballet School is a gift to the community! This school has a class for everyone at every level, from beginning/​advanced children & youth, to beginning/​continuing adults and professionals! My personal experience with ballet class came far beyond my youth. Despite my lack of confidence, coordination, knowledge or experience, I was made to feel welcome at the very first class and was assured that it was not too late to learn classical ballet at my age. It was immediately obvious that the Directors, Richard Cammack and Zola Dishong, took personal interest in the development and progress of each and every student in class. Fast forward twenty years… to the children lovingly trained by these dedicated professionals, and it is no surprise that a countless number of their students have gone on to achieve their dreams of having professional careers with top dance companies all over the country. And yet… Mr. Cammack and Ms. Dishong, along with their impressive professional staff, continue to devote their expertise and desire for each individual they teach to succeed to whatever level that student wishes to achieve. It is a pleasure to look forward to their yearly production of the «Nutcracker» at the Lesher Center and their spring performance which, this year, will be the premier of «Alice in Wonderland», coming the first week in May. This is a special rendition by Robert Dekkers, who is a perfect example of the top-​quality professionals on the staff at the Contra Costa Ballet School. It doesn’t get any better! This school, these instructors, all the adult students who prefer to take ballet class here after so many years, have added unexpected joy, continued good health, and on-​going physical challenges to my life… something I could never have imagined when I took my very first ballet class. There is something new to learn at each class, so I plan to keep showing up… no matter how many birthdays fly by!

I was a student at the Contra Costa Ballet Centre for 8 years while growing up. It is a small studio just outside of downtown Walnut Creek next to the post office. All the instructors are very professional and are dedicated to improving the technique of their students. Through my years there, I felt that the atmosphere was very encouraging, with just the right amount of competition built in within each class to encourage each of us to improve and work harder.
If you are looking for a great place to begin classical ballet training for your child, this is it. There are experienced instuctors who are not only good dancers but good teachers, and many opportunities for your child to gain stage experience.
I would suggest checking out their annual performance of the Nutcracker if interested in the school. It’s an awesome production, and a great representation of their dancers across all levels.

Although I danced with Contra Costa Ballet School more than twenty years ago, CCBS has more than thrived under the twenty year tutelage of owner/​directors Zola Dishong and Richard Cammack.
Classes are well taught and well attended due to the professionalism of the Centre’s wonderful staff.
Dance training starts at pre-​school level all the way to level 8 — professional training. Some performances, including their lovely Nutcracker Story, can be caught at the Regional Center for the Arts. The Dishong/​Cammack team are true visionaries when it comes to the little studio that could.