Destiny Arts Center

✨ We’re hiring a Development Director!

Do you believe in the power of the arts to inspire young people, build community, and create social change? Join the team at Destiny Arts Center and help grow the resources that make our mission possible.

As our Development Director, you’ll lead fundraising efforts, cultivate meaningful partnerships, and help ensure that thousands of young people continue to have access to transformative arts experiences each year.

If you’re a strategic relationship-builder with a passion for equity, youth development, and the arts, we’d love to hear from you.

🔗 Apply today at destinyarts.org/careers

Earlier this year we marked our THIRD anniversary of Destiny Arts Center’s annual participation in the sensational San Leandro Boys and Girls Club Showcase!

We want to extend an incredible congratulations to the youth who performed, ranging in grades TK to 8th! And endless gratitude to the awesome Teaching Artists that support this community, and of course, to the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Leandro staff that work so hard to bring us together for this yearly show.

Here, we see drummers gathered from Moeketsi Boke Gibe Mr. Moeketsi’s Madison Elementary School African Drumming class, and Bancroft Middle School Bancroft Middle cheerleaders from Marjorie Ortiz Mx. Marjorie’s Cheer Club showing off what they’ve learned this year.

Way to go, San Leandro! And thank you to the ELO-P partnership of SLUSD and BGCSL for the photos of Bancroft Cheer!

🍂 Fall Class Registration is NOW OPEN! 💃

This fall, give your young artist a place to grow, create, and belong.

At Destiny Arts Center, our classes go beyond learning dance, martial arts, and movement. Every class is designed to help young people build confidence, develop leadership, express themselves creatively, and become part of a caring community.

Whether it’s your child’s first class or they’re returning for another season, we can’t wait to welcome you to the studio.

✨ Classes are available for a variety of ages and experience levels.
✨ Financial assistance is available to help make our programs accessible.

Register today and join us for a season of creativity, connection, and joy!

Learn more and sign up: destinyarts.org/at-our-center

Through circle time 🤝, live music 🎹🪘, and a culture of participation👏, Ms. K’s Afro Urban class at Cleveland Elementary establishes foundations in rhythm, expression, movement, and community-making.

Amazing work, as always, Ms. K kanukai, and thank you to our partners, Oakland Leaf Cleveland Elementary - Oakland, CA! Excited to get pick up where we left off after the break ☀️😎

Destiny Community! We are excited to share that Fall 2026 registration at Destiny Arts Center is opening soon!

SAVE THE DATE!
Registration Opens: Monday, July 6th at 1pm
Fall Session: September 21 through December 14

We will have a full lineup of classes and programs for youth of all ages, including movement, hip hop, breakdancing, african dance, and martial arts. More details on scheduling, tuition, and how to register will be coming your way shortly.

In the meantime, mark your calendar and spread the word. Spots fill up quickly, and we want to make sure your family has first access.

Stay tuned — full registration details coming soon.

We closed out May programs with Breakdancing bang!

Thank you to for hosting the incredible year-end ceremony, Pass the Torch, celebrating youth, mentors, and sustainable community impact.

B-Boys and .ha DJ’d and MC’d the dance battle for the evening, pairing Destiny Youth from different schools in teams of two with mentor Breakdancers representing locally and globally!

Congratulations to Theo and his mentor for winning 1st place, and HUGE thank you to for donating tickets and merch to the winners and semi-finalists.

We can’t believe it’s already been one month since our community witnessed GAME OVER, a one of a kind blend of movement, self-expression, satire, and storytelling performed by the talented artists from the Destiny Arts Youth Performance Company ( ), the Destiny Junior Company, and The Elders Project. Under the artistic direction of Paula Dewart ( ), GAME OVER challenged us to question the systems we’ve inherited, understand who benefits from those systems and who is left out, as well as how to imagine something better together.

Your presence and support mean the world to us!

🎉🎉🎉 Congratulations to Sarah Crowell 🎉🎉🎉

Sarah was recently named as a 2026 Rainin Arts Fellow! She is a decorated professional dancer, Destiny Arts Center Artistic Director Emeritus, Co-Founder, and Board Member.

The Rainin Arts Fellowship is an annual program honoring Bay Area artists working in Dance, Film, Public Space, and Theater who push creative boundaries, anchor local communities, and advance the arts field.

This is a huge accomplishment and well deserved recognition from for Sarah and her dedication of over 35 years to supporting the lives of young people, inspiring communities across the Bay Area, and igniting arts-based social justice and change. All of us at Destiny Arts Center are so proud!

Slide 1 & 2: Sarah Crowell Feature on Kenneth Rainin Foundation Youtube Page
Slide 3 & 4: Sarah Crowell Feature in KQED Article
Slide 5 & 6: Sarah Crowell Bio from Broadway World Article
Slide 7: Sarah Crowell Headshot

Read the and articles that Sarah is featured in here:
https://www.kqed.org/arts/13988742/rainin-foundation-2026-fellows

https://www.broadwayworld.com/san-francisco/article/Cece-Carpio-Sarah-Crowell-Danny-Duncan-Cheryl-Dunye-Named-Rainin-Arts-Fellowship-Recipients-20260429

Watch Full Video of ‘Meet Sarah Crowell: 2026 Rainin Arts Fellow in Dance’ Here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw7tr09Dt3Y

Meet all the 2026 Rainin Artist Fellows:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWBtbWPBAaE

During we want to spread love to our Teaching Artist’s who show up for our after school partners year-round. Our TA’s work hard to keep students engaged, educated and empowered long after the last school bell of the day rings, just like Ms. Arayah ()does every week at Oakland Academy of Knowledge ( ) through our long-term partnership with Bay Area Community Resources ( ). Thank you Ms. Arayah for continuing to bring Destiny magic into every space you enter 💐🌺❤️. Also shout out to BACR for supporting Destiny Arts after school for over 10 years!

This upcoming weekend come and be inspired at Destiny Arts Center’s Moving for Peace ☮️💟!

Our spring showcase celebrates the incredible dedication of young people from all of our North Oakland Center classes and our incredible school and community partnerships.

Don’t miss this uplifting experience!

Date:
Saturday, May 9th
Destiny Junior Warriors (ages 3 - 7) @ 11 AM
Destiny Warriors (ages 8+) @ 3 PM

Location:
Castlemont High School Auditorium
8601 MacArthur Blvd
Oakland, CA