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Segerstrom Center for the Arts
600 Town Center Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 556-2121
www.scfta.org

One of Orange County’s premier destinations for professional dance productions is the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. World-class productions are available at various times throughout the year. The next major production hosted at the Center is the Mariinsky Ballet, which will be appearing from October 2 to October 7, 2012. Showtimes and prices vary. Along with ballet performances, this center provides educational programs to inspire youth activity in the arts.

(credit: Maple Conservatory of Dance/Facebook)

Maple Conservatory of Dance
1824 Kaiser Ave
Irvine, CA 92614
(949) 660-9930
mapleconservatory.com

The Maple Conservatory of Dance offers programs based on the American Ballet Theater National Training Curriculum for students interested in preparing for a career in dance. The Conservatory has a summer intensive program that will run for eight weeks from June 25 to August 17, 2012. The summer intensive program is for dancers ages eight to 24. The Conservatory also provides performance opportunities for young dancers through its Maple Youth Ballet program.

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Anaheim Ballet
280 E Lincoln Ave
Anaheim, CA 92805
(714) 520-0904
anaheimballet.org

The Anaheim Ballet is another excellent local company that offers a summer intensive program for young dancers. That program will begin on July 9 and end on August 4, 2012. The school will present a Gala performance at the Anaheim Grove at the conclusion of the summer program. The Gala performance features internationally-known dance stars and helps support the Anaheim International Dance Festival held during the second weekend in August. Tickets will go on sale soon and will range from $20-$100. Advance purchase is advised. The Anaheim Ballet has a YouTube page at youtube.com/anaheimballet that has received more than 40,000,000 hits.

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Orange County Dance Center
16161 Springdale St
Huntington Beach, CA 92649
(714) 846-0215
orangecountydancecenter.com

In addition to providing dance classes, the Orange County Dance Center supports the Ballet Repertory Theater. The Repertory Theater has brought ballet to the community for more than 35 years, performing three different classical ballets throughout the year. Their annual presentation of “The Nutcracker” offers younger dancers the opportunity to dance before a live audience.

(credit: festivalballet.org)

Festival Ballet Theater
9527 Garfield Ave
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
(714) 962-5440
festivalballet.org

The Festival Ballet Theater is fortunate to have Salwa Rizkalla as its Artistic Director. Miss Rizkalla is a classical ballet dancer who trained with world-renowned choreographers. The Theater offers a summer intensive program for dancers that features instructors from the Royal Ballet in London. To celebrate the conclusion of the summer program, Southland Ballet Academy will perform on August 17 at the Irvine Barclay Theater. That evening, the Festival Ballet Theater will present its Gala of the Stars, which features professional dancers and the best up-and-coming ballet dancers.

(credit: thebarclay.org)

Irvine Barclay Theater
4199 Campus Drive, Suite 680
Irvine, CA 92612-2751
(949) 854-4607
thebarclay.org

The Irvine Barclay Theater not only serves as a venue for local dance companies, but also national and international dance companies. The theater is comparatively small with only 750 seats and provides an intimate venue for a variety of events. In July, the Barclay will host the National Choreographers Initiative, an event that brings together four choreographers and 16 nationally-recognized professional dancers to create new ballet performances. On July 28, those performances will debut at the Barclay.