Back Bay · Boston, Massachusetts
Boston Ballet School — Boston Studio
Official school of Boston Ballet, founded by E. Virginia Williams in 1963 — first professional ballet company in New England. Back Bay flagship at 19 Clarendon St offers the full Children's, Pre-Professional and Adult ladders. Sibling studios in Brookline and Newton.
- Ballet
- Children's Dance
How Boston Ballet School — Boston Studio comes across
Boston Ballet School's Boston Studio comes across as the institutional heart of the operation — located at the company's own headquarters, "19 Clarendon Street" in "Boston's historic South End," it reads as the flagship rather than a satellite. The presentation is matter-of-fact and credential-forward: classes span "Preparatory, Foundations, Classical Ballet, Teen Beginner Program, Adult Dance, Adaptive Dance," under named leadership including Associate Director Tamara King, and the school sits directly inside a major professional company led by Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen. The breadth is notable — training begins as young as sixteen months and extends through an audition-based Professional Division at Walnut Hill and a Graduate Program — which signals a genuine pre-professional pipeline rather than recreational dabbling. The inclusion of Adaptive Dance for ages two and up, plus the Citydance community program, suggests the access mission is real. The overall impression is of a rigorous, conservatory-grade ballet school operating at company scale, where serious classical ambition is the default expectation.
An editor's impression, drawn from the school's own website and public materials, 13 June 2026. Not a review — if it misses the mark, the school or a parent can tell us via the form below.
About the school
Boston Ballet School's Boston Studio at 19 Clarendon Street is the Back Bay flagship of the school affiliated with Boston Ballet. Boston Ballet was founded in 1963 by E. Virginia Williams and Sydney Leonard — the first professional repertory ballet company in New England, established with a $144,000 Ford Foundation grant recommended by George Balanchine. The school operates a Children's Program, a Pre-Professional Program, and a structured Adult Dance Program (16+) ranging from beginner Foundations of Ballet (18-week courses for 0-2 years experience) through advanced. Drop-in adult open classes run on a pay-as-you-go basis. Sister studios operate in Brookline and Newton.
At a glance
- Address
- 19 Clarendon St, Boston, MA 02116
- Suburb
- Back Bay
- City
- Boston
- State
- Massachusetts
- Age range
- 3+ years
- Disciplines
- Ballet, Contemporary, Pointe, Variations
- Approach
- Both
- Price band
- Premium
What stands out
- i.Official school of Boston Ballet — first professional repertory ballet in New England (founded 1963)
- ii.Back Bay flagship at 19 Clarendon St
- iii.Sister studios in Brookline and Newton
Teachers listed on the school's site
- Luciano Aimar — Faculty Leadership Team
- Ivaylo Alexiev — Faculty Leadership Team
- Melanie Atkins — Faculty Leadership Team
- Joan Boada — Faculty Leadership Team
- Maureen Kelly — Faculty Leadership Team
- Tamara King — Faculty Leadership Team
- Kathleen Mitchell — Faculty Leadership Team
Plus around 40 additional teaching faculty across classical ballet, pointe, variations, partnering, character, contemporary and adaptive dance — see the school's full Faculty page.
Sourced from the school's Faculty & Staff page (bostonballet.org/education/faculty-staff). Teachers can request removal or correction via the listing-edit form below.
Also in Back Bay
Boston Conservatory at Berklee — Dance Division
Ages 18+
Conservatory-level BFA dance program of Boston Conservatory at Berklee — 4-year Contemporary Dance BFA and 3-year Commercial Dance BFA serving 270 majors and 250 additional dance students. New 699 Boylston St studios complement main campus at 31 Hemenway St.