Eugene Ballet Academy

Eugene Ballet Academy offers training in Classical Ballet Technique, Pointe, Variations, Jazz, Modern, Contemporary, Tap, Hip Hop, Acro, and conditioning classes. Ballet training at the Academy follows a methodical syllabus with both English (Royal Academy of Dance) and Russian (Vaganova) influence. Young and adult dancers study classical ballet from Creative Movement through Pre-Professional levels.

• Ages: 3–18 years old

Founded by Doreen Gilday and Fred Ditzhazy in 1959, the organization grew into the non-profit regional ballet company Oregon Ballet Classique by 1965 and later became the Eugene School of Ballet in 1978. For the next 10 years, Riley Grannan and Toni Pimble devoted themselves to the school and founded Eugene Ballet Company, and in 1985, Sara Lombardi became a member of Eugene Ballet Company, later becoming Director of the Eugene School of Ballet and purchasing the school in 1994. In 2006, Eugene Ballet Company purchased the school from Lombardi, renamed it Eugene Ballet Academy, and built a series of studios in the Midtown Arts Center. Eugene Ballet Academy is the educational program of the professional Eugene Ballet Company and is recognized as a premiere youth arts program.

The Academy’s mission states that it is dedicated to providing an education in dance that will nurture a lifelong appreciation of the arts and that it serves students from age three to adult. The mission describes a curriculum that emphasizes strong dance technique, a thorough study of classical ballet, and training that incorporates both Royal Academy of Dance and Vaganova influences. The Academy states that its faculty are highly educated and devoted, and that students develop physical fitness, self-confidence, musicality, social skills, respect for others, and discipline through their dance education.

Eugene Ballet Academy is led by Academy Director Sara Lombardi, Academy Administrator Jennifer Martin, Operations Manager Barbara Lombardi, and Receptionist Elaine Lewis, and Sara Lombardi remains Academy Director of Eugene Ballet Academy. Ms. Pimble, born in England, attended the Elmhurst School of Ballet, studied the syllabus of the Royal Academy of Dancing, and became an Associate of the Royal Academy of Dance (A.R.A.D.). Sara Lombardi moved to Eugene in 1978 to pursue a degree in Dance & Movement Education at the University of Oregon and completed a Master’s in Sports Medicine through the College of Human Development and Performance.

Eugene Ballet Academy has provided the community with over 60 years of dance training and is described as a premiere youth arts program. Eugene Ballet Company casts students from the Academy in many of its professional productions, and all Eugene Ballet Academy students participate in an annual year-end production at the Hult Center. The organization states that Eugene Ballet creates dance experiences through performance, education, and community collaboration and that Eugene Ballet Academy is committed to excellence in its role as the educational program of the professional Eugene Ballet Company.

Parent and audience testimonials describe the dance education as “excellent, high-quality” and “exceptional in every way,” and note teachers’ professionalism, joy, and experience. Parents report that the building and instruction are “wonderful,” that their children admire the professional company dancers, and that they feel supported in their child’s well-being. Audience and patron comments describe the dancing, acting, live orchestra, music, costumes, and choreography as inspiring, moving, breathtaking, and “truly enthralling.”

Last updated June 11, 2026.