The Ballet School Performing Arts
The Ballet School Performing Arts, 1131 Locust St., 2nd Flr, Walnut Creek, CA 94596
About
The Ballet School Performing Arts offers acting, dance, music, creative dance, youth theater, improvisation, singing, choreography, tap, and musical theater dance. The youth theater program includes learning backstage terminology along with performance skills.
• Ages: 3–17 years old
Lareen Fender’s The Ballet School Performing Arts has been in Walnut Creek since 1976 and is one of the longest running businesses in existence in Downtown Walnut Creek. The Ballet Joyeux, a classical ballet company, is the performing company of The Ballet School and has been performing throughout the Bay Area for the past twenty-eight years. The Ballet Joyeux repertoire includes productions such as Etudes, Peter, Petra and The Wolf, Concert Waltzes, Cakewalk, Celebration for Life, Rodeo, The Shellie Awards, Art on the Main, Thanks for The Memory, and The Family Day Festival, celebrating the opening of the Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts.
The school was founded by Lareen Fender. Jennifer (Jenny) Perry, Lareen Fender’s granddaughter, is the director and owner of the school and leads The Ballet Joyeux. The Ballet Joyeux is led by San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award and Shellie Award winner Jennifer Perry.
The Ballet School Performing Arts states that it celebrates “the gift of everyday,” stays positive in its teaching, and teaches body alignment, technique, and discipline. The director’s stated goal is to inspire and teach excellence in the classroom and create a safe environment to grow and learn. The Ballet School Performing Arts is recognized as a SAFE STUDIO by the “HEALTHY DA:NCE” organization and is committed to providing a safe space for students to train in age-appropriate, safe environments that will not sexualize or exploit them.
The Ballet Joyeux has performed with Diablo Symphony and continues to perform lecture demonstrations yearly. The company has also performed throughout the Bay Area.
Parent and student comments describe teachers keeping students engaged on Zoom, a cautious and safe approach to reopening in 2020, and a creative dance program for very young children. Other comments describe the school as an important part of family life, mention that children in the Young Actors Studio learn backstage terminology, improvisation, singing, and choreography, and note that summer session showcases have been performed onstage at the Lesher Center with individual monologues, including by 5-year-olds. Additional feedback mentions long-term involvement from childhood through adult classes and enjoyment of tap and musical theater dance.
Last updated June 20, 2026.
• Ages: 3–17 years old
Lareen Fender’s The Ballet School Performing Arts has been in Walnut Creek since 1976 and is one of the longest running businesses in existence in Downtown Walnut Creek. The Ballet Joyeux, a classical ballet company, is the performing company of The Ballet School and has been performing throughout the Bay Area for the past twenty-eight years. The Ballet Joyeux repertoire includes productions such as Etudes, Peter, Petra and The Wolf, Concert Waltzes, Cakewalk, Celebration for Life, Rodeo, The Shellie Awards, Art on the Main, Thanks for The Memory, and The Family Day Festival, celebrating the opening of the Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts.
The school was founded by Lareen Fender. Jennifer (Jenny) Perry, Lareen Fender’s granddaughter, is the director and owner of the school and leads The Ballet Joyeux. The Ballet Joyeux is led by San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award and Shellie Award winner Jennifer Perry.
The Ballet School Performing Arts states that it celebrates “the gift of everyday,” stays positive in its teaching, and teaches body alignment, technique, and discipline. The director’s stated goal is to inspire and teach excellence in the classroom and create a safe environment to grow and learn. The Ballet School Performing Arts is recognized as a SAFE STUDIO by the “HEALTHY DA:NCE” organization and is committed to providing a safe space for students to train in age-appropriate, safe environments that will not sexualize or exploit them.
The Ballet Joyeux has performed with Diablo Symphony and continues to perform lecture demonstrations yearly. The company has also performed throughout the Bay Area.
Parent and student comments describe teachers keeping students engaged on Zoom, a cautious and safe approach to reopening in 2020, and a creative dance program for very young children. Other comments describe the school as an important part of family life, mention that children in the Young Actors Studio learn backstage terminology, improvisation, singing, and choreography, and note that summer session showcases have been performed onstage at the Lesher Center with individual monologues, including by 5-year-olds. Additional feedback mentions long-term involvement from childhood through adult classes and enjoyment of tap and musical theater dance.
Last updated June 20, 2026.
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