Deane Dance Center

Deane Dance Center has been teaching ballet in Sacramento since 1945. The studio was founded by Barbara Crockett, founder of the Sacramento Ballet, and is now directed by her daughter and son-in-law, Allyson Deane and Don Schwennesen, both San Francisco Ballet dancers. The studio continues Ms. Crockett's 70+ year legacy of producing dancers with sublime technique, work ethic, compassion and professional standards.

The school teaches ballet as the foundation of all dance forms, using a syllabus developed by Deane and Barbara Crockett that combines the best of different techniques, including Cecchetti and Vaganova. Classes are offered for ages 3 through 19 and adults, with age-appropriate instruction for girls and boys of every skill level. The curriculum includes ballet, pointe (by invitation), partnering, character, tap, musical theater, contemporary, and stretch. Private and small group instruction is also available for more individualized training.

Advanced students have access to the Judson Project, an advanced training tool for serious dancers, and the opportunity to participate in Sac Civic Ballet Company, a nonprofit pre-professional company. The studio also offers the CDB Apprentice Company and The Petite Company. Guest teachers and master classes are part of the regular curriculum, and bi-annual ballet performances showcase dancers from both the school and the pre-professional company.

Deane Dance Center's advanced students have gone on to great success at prestigious companies including Pacific Northwest Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Ballet X, National Ballet of Canada, Texas Ballet Theater, Houston Ballet, Madison Ballet, Ballet West, Angeles Ballet, Columbia City Ballet, Nashville Ballet and Carolina Ballet, as well as universities including University of Utah, University of California—Irvine, University of California—Santa Barbara, Butler University, Harvard, and Princeton. Since 1994, the school has won many nationally recognized awards, including a recent award from Regional Dance America/Pacific (RDA/P) for an original choreographed ballet.

Adult-level classes are available for all levels and abilities. The studio philosophy emphasizes building a dancer with a beautiful spirit within and without, encouraging self-confidence, discipline, work ethic, focus, and creativity in a nurturing, fun and exciting environment.

You'll join a child-centered studio that nurtures artists and works to bring out the best in both beginner and advanced dancers. Classes are age-appropriate and taught by expert faculty in a supportive ballet environment.

The studio is directed by Allyson Deane and Don Schwennesen, both San Francisco Ballet dancers. The faculty includes expert teachers trained in Cecchetti and Vaganova techniques, with guest teachers and master classes also part of the curriculum.

The studio is described as a marvelous child-centered environment that will help any motivated beginner or transfer student bring out their very best skills.