About
Ballet Petit offers classical ballet instruction and performances that include a mini-version of The Nutcracker, a full production of The Nutcracker, and an annual Spring Concert. The program also includes a Junior Company for the most serious dancers and hosts the Oakland Ballet Company’s Summer Dance Intensive, where dancers study various forms of dance with Oakland Ballet Company staff.
• Ages: 3–18 years old
Ballet Petit began in 1977 at the Happy Time Nursery School in Fremont and became its own entity in Newark in 1983. The younger version of the school first performed its mini-version of The Nutcracker in 1979 with 12 young dancers. Ballet Petit’s 35th anniversary Nutcracker was in 2013 and featured nearly 300 dancers in over 450 costumes, and the school celebrated its 40th anniversary Nutcracker in December 2018. Ballet Petit moved into its permanent home in 2013 and now has a roster of more than 150 students of all ages and abilities and a 15,000 square foot state of the art facility.
Artistic Director and Founder Peggy Peabody began teaching ballet as a nursery school activity after recently ending her studies at the San Francisco Ballet School. The program’s mission statement is that every child should know the wonder of dance.
One Junior Company member described Ballet Petit as “an environment where everybody supports each other” and shared that helping with choreography and costumes taught leadership skills. One parent said, “Ballet Petit is amazing. Miss Peggy not only teaches our kids discipline and dedication, but also makes a point of including the family in the journey. Ballet Petit is not only dance school, it's a family of dancers and parents.” Another parent said that after meeting Miss Peggy, “we immediately felt at home” and described being “swept away with Nutcracker preparations.”
Last updated June 6, 2026.
• Ages: 3–18 years old
Ballet Petit began in 1977 at the Happy Time Nursery School in Fremont and became its own entity in Newark in 1983. The younger version of the school first performed its mini-version of The Nutcracker in 1979 with 12 young dancers. Ballet Petit’s 35th anniversary Nutcracker was in 2013 and featured nearly 300 dancers in over 450 costumes, and the school celebrated its 40th anniversary Nutcracker in December 2018. Ballet Petit moved into its permanent home in 2013 and now has a roster of more than 150 students of all ages and abilities and a 15,000 square foot state of the art facility.
Artistic Director and Founder Peggy Peabody began teaching ballet as a nursery school activity after recently ending her studies at the San Francisco Ballet School. The program’s mission statement is that every child should know the wonder of dance.
One Junior Company member described Ballet Petit as “an environment where everybody supports each other” and shared that helping with choreography and costumes taught leadership skills. One parent said, “Ballet Petit is amazing. Miss Peggy not only teaches our kids discipline and dedication, but also makes a point of including the family in the journey. Ballet Petit is not only dance school, it's a family of dancers and parents.” Another parent said that after meeting Miss Peggy, “we immediately felt at home” and described being “swept away with Nutcracker preparations.”
Last updated June 6, 2026.
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