Westside School of Ballet

Westside School of Ballet Bridges Training and the Professional Stage - Pointe Magazine Pointe is for the serious ballet dancer, providing valuable training and career advice for students and young professionals.

Our Artistic Director Designate, Adrian Blake Mitchell, featured in Los Angeles Magazine.

Adrian Blake Mitchell first got his start at Westside Ballet as a young dancer, and went on to make history as the first Black graduate of the renowned Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet and the first Black male dancer to join a major Russian company.

Mitchell later returned to Los Angeles in 2022. Now, as he gets ready to take the reins of Westside Ballet as artistic director, he spoke with us about his time in Russia, his vision for the school and why he believes Los Angeles could become one of the world’s next dance capitals.

Full story👇

https://lamag.com/arts-and-entertainment/adrian-blake-mitchell-westside-ballet-santa-monica-dance-future-los-angeles/

“The connection between fashion and ballet has always felt completely natural to me,” says Copeland. “Costumes aren’t just decorative; they transform us. For choreographers and dancers, fashion can be a source of deep inspiration.”

How Black Swan Gave Us Balletcore and Sneakerinas In celebration of the film’s 15th anniversary, here’s a look back at fashion’s modern love affair with ballet

"His mother enrolled him in ballet classes, including a stint in California at Westside Ballet in Santa Monica. "

New York City Ballet dancer Jock Soto Returns to the Stage to Celebrate His Trailblazing Career Dance took him from New Mexico’s rodeos to New York City’s Lincoln Center where he spent 24 years with the New York City Ballet (NYCB), 20 years as a principal dancer. On August 23, the 20th anniversary of his 2005 retirement from NYCB, Jock Soto returns to the stage for a celebration of his tra...

Congratulations to Westside student Gianna Zingone’s feature on Spectrum's "LA Stories":

"It was at the Westside Ballet of Santa Monica, under the guidance of artistic director Martine Harley and the mentorship of Adrian Blake Mitchell, that Gianna truly discovered her calling. Mitchell coached her through intensive training and prepared her for the Youth America Grand Prix — where she captured the attention of the Joffrey Ballet."

Former Green Beret 'girl dad' helps his daughter dance her dreams into reality "LA Stories" profiles the Zingones

"Ballet has always been a huge stress reliever for me," says Erdmann, a Wall Street banker who left professional dance at 21 to pursue finance. "It's a happy place where I can have fun and just focus on my body."

https://www.smobserved.com/story/2025/07/28/lifestyle/span-classbrnwsbreaking-news-spanfrom-wall-street-to-the-barre-santa-monicas-adult-ballet-community-takes-center-stage/9178.html

Santa Monica Observer

From Wall Street to the Barre: Santa Monica's Adult Ballet Community Takes Center Stage When Shannon Erdmann commutes from Calabasas to Santa Monica for ballet class, she's trading one high-pressure environment for another-but this time, the pressure comes with joy. "Ballet has always been a huge stress reliever for me," says Erdmann, a Wall Street banker who left professional dance at...

“I began my early training in ballet at the Westside School of Ballet in Santa Monica, CA. Through scholarships I continued training at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School, San Francisco Ballet School and The Rock School. I danced with the Pennsylvania Ballet, Santa Fe Opera, San Diego Opera, Chicago Festival Ballet, Napoles Ballet Theater, California Contemporary Ballet, City of Angels Ballet, California Riverside Ballet, Key West Ballet, Coast City Ballet and San Gorgonio Ballet. I had the privilege of working with some of today’s most esteemed choreographers including the late Kenneth von Heidecke, Nicola Bowie, Jodi Melnick and Kitty McNamee in Samson & Delilah, Aida, A Masked Ball, Romeo & Juliette, Capriccio and La Traviata respectively.

“I started teaching ballet in 2012 and have been teaching ever since in addition to performing as a freelance artist. I started my own contemporary ballet company: Freaks With Lines (FWL), which is based in Los Angeles. Since its inception in 2019, FWL continues to successfully bring a community of professional ballet dancers together with like minded artists working in and with other media to preserve the art form of ballet while pushing its boundaries and subverting traditional norms often associated with the art.

“From what I have seen opportunities for classically trained dancers to do substantial work in Los Angeles are far and few between. Many of the “golden opportunities” that actually do come through underutilize, undervalue and belittle artists. Some of the dancers I work with come from toxic work environments where they were told they were “too skinny,” “too fat,” “too tall,” etc, and yet despite layers of adversity they somehow manage to tap into an unrelenting hunger deep down with the aspiration of finding the right opportunity that enables them to continue doing their beloved craft.
Above all else these artists are extremely talented and desire nothing more than the opportunity to work and to live the process. FWL celebrates dancers on the fringes of the ballet world.”

Daily Inspiration: Meet Susan Vishmid - Voyage LA Magazine | LA City Guide Today we'd like to introduce you to Susan Vishmid. Hi Susan, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story. I began my early training in ballet at the Westside School of Ballet in Santa Monica, CA. Through scholarships I continued training at the Pacific Northwest

"Murphy credits much of her success to her growth mindset. “Even going into the last show, I feel like I’m still learning something new every day,” she tells me later in her dressing room, a cozy space tucked just offstage. “For me, it is a constant discovery of how to express more, to be more authentic in each of those characters, and to really iron out any of the technical elements in the studio as much as possible so that when I’m onstage, I can really play and be present.”"

Gillian Murphy Left It All on the Stage Until her final performance this past Friday, Gillian Murphy was American Ballet Theatre’s longest-standing member.