About
Ballet Petit offers classical ballet instruction that includes participation in The Nutcracker and a Spring Concert. Dancers can also take part in a Junior Company for the most serious dancers and in Oakland Ballet Company’s Summer Dance Intensive, which is hosted by Ballet Petit in a 15,000 square foot state of the art facility. The school has a growing roster of more than 150 students of all ages and abilities and includes multiple generations of returning alumni performing together.
• Ages: 3–18 years old
Artistic Director and Founder Peggy Peabody began teaching ballet as a nursery school activity and had recently ended her studies at the San Francisco Ballet School before creating her own studio. Ballet Petit had its earliest beginnings in 1977 at the Happy Time Nursery School in Fremont and first appeared in Newark as its own entity in 1983. The younger version of the current school first performed its mini-version of The Nutcracker in 1979 with 12 young dancers, presented its 35th anniversary Nutcracker in 2013, celebrated its 40th anniversary Nutcracker in December 2018, and moved into its permanent home in February 2013. The program’s stated mission is that every child should know the wonder of dance, that children should experience the wonder of dance, that dancers do not have to be the top dancer and should just do their best, and that hard work and dedication to their craft pays off. Since 2013, Ballet Petit has hosted the Oakland Ballet Company’s Summer Dance Intensive, where dancers from all over the Bay Area and beyond study various forms of dance under the supervision of Oakland Ballet Company staff.
One Junior Company member describes Ballet Petit as an environment where everybody supports each other, with chances to help with choreography and make costumes, and says these experiences taught leadership skills not expected from a dance studio, adding that experiences at Ballet Petit are very special and not found at other places. One Ballet Petit dad says that Miss Peggy teaches discipline and dedication and makes a point of including the family in the journey, and that Ballet Petit is not only a dance school but a family of dancers and parents. One Ballet Petit mom says that as soon as she met Miss Peggy, she knew they wanted to be there, that Miss Peggy is easy to talk to and clearly cares about each dancer and family, that they immediately felt at home, that enrolling in the fall meant being swept away with Nutcracker preparations, and that she has told many people how special Ballet Petit is because it is not every day you find a place like this.
Last updated March 7, 2026.
• Ages: 3–18 years old
Artistic Director and Founder Peggy Peabody began teaching ballet as a nursery school activity and had recently ended her studies at the San Francisco Ballet School before creating her own studio. Ballet Petit had its earliest beginnings in 1977 at the Happy Time Nursery School in Fremont and first appeared in Newark as its own entity in 1983. The younger version of the current school first performed its mini-version of The Nutcracker in 1979 with 12 young dancers, presented its 35th anniversary Nutcracker in 2013, celebrated its 40th anniversary Nutcracker in December 2018, and moved into its permanent home in February 2013. The program’s stated mission is that every child should know the wonder of dance, that children should experience the wonder of dance, that dancers do not have to be the top dancer and should just do their best, and that hard work and dedication to their craft pays off. Since 2013, Ballet Petit has hosted the Oakland Ballet Company’s Summer Dance Intensive, where dancers from all over the Bay Area and beyond study various forms of dance under the supervision of Oakland Ballet Company staff.
One Junior Company member describes Ballet Petit as an environment where everybody supports each other, with chances to help with choreography and make costumes, and says these experiences taught leadership skills not expected from a dance studio, adding that experiences at Ballet Petit are very special and not found at other places. One Ballet Petit dad says that Miss Peggy teaches discipline and dedication and makes a point of including the family in the journey, and that Ballet Petit is not only a dance school but a family of dancers and parents. One Ballet Petit mom says that as soon as she met Miss Peggy, she knew they wanted to be there, that Miss Peggy is easy to talk to and clearly cares about each dancer and family, that they immediately felt at home, that enrolling in the fall meant being swept away with Nutcracker preparations, and that she has told many people how special Ballet Petit is because it is not every day you find a place like this.
Last updated March 7, 2026.
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