Santa Barbara Festival Ballet

Santa Barbara Festival Ballet is a highly recognized ballet school and dance company with a 50-year history of hosting the Nutcracker at the Arlington Theater. The Conservatory Director, Denise Rinaldi, is a Fellow of Cecchetti USA, an examiner, and its Executive Director, ensuring a high standard of teaching. Instructors have over 100 years of combined teaching experience, providing age-appropriate training in carefully graded classes. Staff members are professionals or trained in the teacher training program. Company dancers work with Valerie Huston, UCSB Senior Lecturer in the Dept. of Dance, as the company’s resident choreographer. One reviewer, who started dancing at the studio at eight years old, highly praises the first-rate instruction and welcoming environment for dancers of all levels and ages. The reviewer still participates in the Nutcracker every December. A second reviewer travels from Ventura, stating the studio is the best with a warm, encouraging, and serious atmosphere, deserving of confidence. A third reviewer, who grew up taking ballet at the studio, describes it as a wonderful experience that set them up for success in adult life. They used dancing to get into college and pursued a career as a Pilates instructor, now owning a Pilates studio in SB. The reviewer highly recommends enrolling children and adults in dance classes at SBFB, as it can open up many opportunities for the future.