Blanka

NOTICE

Dear Friends,

Leila has made the decision to sell School of Ballet Arts to Expressions Dance and Movement Center. She looks forward to teaching at other dance companies in the county in the future.

My thanks to all of you and best wishes for a safe continuance of your dancing careers.

"My daughter had been coming to Ballet classes since she was 1 1/2 years old; she is now 5 and still enjoys coming to classes. Ms Leila and her staff are caring and patient with every student and we look forward to the annual ballet recitals."

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"This school offers a friendsly learning environment that emphasizes the discipline and joy of dance. This has been a great experience for my student as they continue on their journey of ballet."

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"Lots of fun. My 3 year old has been going to the half-hour class for about 4 months. We have noticed improvement in her listening skills during class as well as learning ballet as the skills are slowly increased in complexity."

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My Story

The School of Ballet Arts emphasizes the joy of dance in a friendly, non-competitive environment. We believe the art of dance enhances the quality of life. Our focus is classical ballet dance as education, training, fitness, and fun. The School of Ballet Arts offers a complete ballet curriculum for children, teens, and adults. Individualized classes, taught by our credentialed, professional staff, offer a unique opportunity to learn ballet technique, pointe, classical ballet variations, stretch, jazz, and tap. We offer fun Pre-Ballet, and Toddler- pre-ballet classes. Our yearly recitals typically occur in the summer. We offer affordable rates, family discounts, and senior citizen discounts.

LEILA PARELLO has taught ballet since 1972. She holds a Life-time California Community College Teaching Credential in Dance, as well as a B.A. and M.A. in Philosophy, and a Preliminary Single Subject Credential in English. Leila is an Adjunct Professor of philosophy at Grossmont College, where she teaches Critical Thinking, Philosophy of Art, and Introduction to Philosophy. Leila won the Excellence in Teaching Award on May 10th, 2012 from Grossmont College’s philosophy department. She has taught at several colleges including Southwestern College and Palomar College. Leila’s ballet training began in Brazil when she was 5 years old. She was trained by Dimitri Romanoff of America Ballet Theater and studied at San Jose Ballet School (Dimitri and Francesca Romanoff), San Francisco Ballet School, Academy of Ballet San Francisco, Youskevitch Ballet School, American Ballet Theater School, and Ballet Arts at Carnegie Hall in New York City. She danced with San Francisco Ballet Company, San Francisco Opera Ballet, Berkeley Ballet Theater, San Jose Dance Theater, and Young Audiences of San Jose, CA. As principal dancer, Leila performed leading roles in such ballets as The Nutcracker, Pas de Quatre, Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia, Raymonda, Les Sylphides, and performed in operas, such as Aida, Carmina Burana, Eugene Onegin, Turandot, Faust, Carmen, Les Troyens, La Traviata, Romeo and Juliet, Don Giovanni, A Masked Ball and others. Leila started the School of Ballet Arts in San Jose, CA, where she choreographed major productions such as The Nutcracker, Coppelia Act I, and other original works. She held the position of assistant to the director of the San Francisco Ballet School. After moving to southern California, Leila reopened her school, where she choreographed new productions, such as, Beauty and the Beast, La Boutique Fantasque, Winter Dream, Coppelia Act I, Scenes from Sleeping Beauty, Chopiniana, Carmen, Schubert Dances. Leila has taught ballet at major institutions, such as, San Jose City College, San Diego Civic Youth Ballet (artistic director), USIU (now Alliant University), California Ballet School, and Grossmont-Cuyamaca Continuing Education Program.

PATRICIA BAKER, faculty member, began her training at the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet in Balboa Park. She studied with Jillana of New York City Ballet, among others. Patricia won a full scholarship to study dance and drama at USIU. She performed in productions at the Casa Del Prado Theater, and danced leading roles in productions such as Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia, and La Bayadere, as well as modern and contemporary works. Patricia performed leading roles with California Ballet, San Diego Ballet, and San Diego Dance Designs in ballets such as the Nutcracker, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Raymonda, and Serenade. At San Diego Civic Youth Ballet, Patricia taught all levels of ballet and produced her own choreography. She has choreographed original works for The School of Ballet Arts. She looks forward to sharing her experience and love of dance with others.