Capitol Ballet Center

Capitol Ballet Center offers ballet training through classes such as Pre-Dance, Ballet 1, Ballet 2, Ballet 3, and Ballet 4/5/6, along with Pre-Pointe, Pointe 1, Pointe 2/3, and Pilates. Students at Capitol Ballet Center participate in performances of classical and contemporary works including Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Giselle, Paquita, La Bayadere, Le Corsaire Pas de Trois, Don Quixote, Les Sylphides, Sylvia, A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream, Coppelia, Markitenka, Grofe Variations, Dvorak Serenade, Sweet Debussy, Spanish Rhapsody, Pastorale for Guitar and Ascension, Les Patineurs, Shostakovich, and Sweet and Low. Capitol Ballet Center is connected to Capitol Ballet Company, a non-profit, pre-professional ballet company.

• Ages: 3–18 years old

Capitol Ballet Center is connected with Capitol Ballet Company, which has been directed by Artistic Directors Stuart Carroll and Sharon Newton since 1999. Sharon Newton co-founded Capitol Ballet Center and Capitol Ballet Company in 1999 and is described as a respected artist and an accomplished dancer and teacher. Her experience includes serving as Principal Teacher at the Darvash Ballet School in New York City from 1981–1987, Guest Teacher at Broadway Dance Center in New York City from 1993–1996, Guest Teacher with the school of Ballet Hispanico in New York and Dance Masters of America, Guest Teacher at Sacramento High School’s Visual and Performing Arts Centre in 1995, developing and teaching in the Ballet Department at the Natomas Charter School for Performing and Fine Arts Academy from 1997–2001, and teaching from 2007–2009 at the Paul Taylor West Coast Dance Intensive. Stuart Carroll is the Artistic Director of the Sacramento-based Capitol Ballet Company, and Elaine Orimo is the instructor for Pilates, which is described as an excellent way for more advanced dancers to help improve strength and alignment.

Capitol Ballet Center is the school connected to Capitol Ballet Company and trains ages 4 to adult, inspiring intermediate and advanced level dancers to join the company and perform, thereby preparing them for professional careers in ballet. Capitol Ballet Company presents the full length ballet of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker every December, and its expanding repertoire includes multiple classical and contemporary ballets. The company’s mission states that it brings the beauty and artistry of ballet to a diverse audience of art lovers, and that the strength and vitality of its pre-professional dancers generates excitement and appreciation for the arts at venues throughout the Central Valley Region of California.

Capitol Ballet is funded in part by the Cultural Arts Awards Grant of the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission with support from the City and County of Sacramento. Each year Capitol Ballet Company serves over 3,000 individuals through performances and outreach, including free tickets, presentations, and discounted performances to under-served or confined individuals who might not otherwise see a live ballet performance. Capitol Ballet provides free or discounted tickets to increase participation of under-served individuals in its program and works with organizations that serve individuals confined by chronic conditions, disabilities, age, or income. Audience members consistently rate Capitol Ballet with high marks on quality of performances, both from the general public and seasoned patrons who understand the art form.

Last updated March 10, 2026.