Congratulations on the successful and beautiful (Spring) Recital performance! We are very lucky to live in a community that has excellent ballet program offered by you and your staff. Amy has been in your program for three and a half years. She loves ballet so much and ballet is part of her life as long as she can remember. She wants to be just like you in the future – a ballet teacher! This summer, Amy will attend the summer camp for the 4th time. No words can express our appreciation to your delication to the children of Alameda! We have been thanking you for many years. And finally, we think that we should let you know!

Amy Suess, Yi Weng, Eric Suess

Hi Ms. Abra,
Just had to share this sweet reflection of you that Mia shared with me today while getting ready for Ballet… well first you know how much she enjoys your class and how much she adores you – she said to me, “I really love Ms. Abra because she pushes us to do things to be better dancers.” She explained to me that she enjoys the challenges that Ms. Abra presents to her! Thank you for inspiring in Mia a love of ballet and the desire to improve her skills! All the best!

Kristin Furuichi Fong mom of Mia Furuichi Fong

Hello everyone! I posted earlier this week (on Alameda Parent’s Network) with a request for any information on ABA and got a lot of responses! Thank you, everyone, who shared their experience with me! The fears I had (specifically from reading Yelp) dissipated with each email I received. There were SO MANY great recommendations for ABA from parents. I also called the Academy directly to ask about he Yelp postings and learned a few interesting thins about Yelp, including the fact that organizations have to pay A LOT to have any bad postings removed, and the postings are not necessarily in chronological order (I took another look and this is true) so bad postings from years ago can be at the top. As for the accusations, she addressed the body image issue saying that there was no discrimination made in the younger classes regarding body type and encouragement. The combination of speaking with her and the many, many positive emails assured me that this would not be an issue. She did, however, make no apology that as children get older and progress further along in her ballet classes, showing a desire to carry on with ballet for the long haul, she becomes more clear about the requirements of ballet, including health and nutritional information. So, if your child is older and wants to pursue ballet seriously, you might consider speaking with her about how her vision and your families vision of ballet match or clash.

My 6 year old had her first lesson yesterday and LOVED it! She showed off the poses she learned and is excited to go back. Now, that could be a combination of ballet infatuation and the desire to wear pink slippers, but it is a great start đŸ™‚ And if she had been in any way disrespected or neglected, my daughter would let me know – she isn’t the shy type!

Shalom

I wanted to say thank you to the school and to the wonderful teachers. My daughter, Giselle, loved her week at camp. She has been dancing all week and talking about nutritious meals. I really appreciate it and we are really looking forward to coming back in the fall.

Maria Struve

Abra and Miss Karin,
My daughter Elizabeth was a Cherub in this year’s Nutcracker. We know it was a commitment, but after seeing the performance, it was worth it. She enjoyed every minute of it. She also enjoyed the Sugar Plum party. She really likes ballet and shows us what she did every time she comes home from a lesson. I just wanted to let you know that when she woke up this morning she was disappointed that she wasn’t doing another performance today. I am glad that you can include even the pre-ballet students in the performance. She is looking forward to more lessons…

Henri Elkaim

As both a student and an instructor at this studio, one of the most remarkable things about the Alameda Ballet Academy is the community that is created. There is a strong sense of esprit de corp. The kindness and respect that the students show for their teachers, as well as one another, is truly a testament to the school and its Artistic Director – Abra Rudisill. This permeates all levels – from Ballet I through the adults classes – and is what keeps me coming back again and again. Alameda Ballet Academy is a very happy place to dance, learn, grow, and discover.

Michele Leavy

Abra’s love and enthusiasm for the art of ballet is evident in the way my own daughter loves attending the lessons. Even with the long hours during the nutcracker rehearsals she always came home excited and not at all exhausted like I had expected she would. The monthly tuition is definitely a good value for the quality of skills she is learning. We plan on keeping her at ABA for a very long time!

Pamela Fong

I’ve been a student of Abra’s for over 3 years and I love every minute of being a ballerina. Abra’s the best. She wants us all to do well. The Nutcracker productions are the highlight of our class. Wish all my friends can be ballerinas with me!

Jackie Lim

One thing I love about Alameda Ballet Academy is that I get to work with my friends. Everyone is always having fun before and after class, and during class we get to learn from each other’s mistakes and successes.

Talia Soglin, Ballet 3

My daughter couldn’t be happier at ABA. Even when she is struggling to learn something new, I see a determination to conquer it. Every level will have its challenges and that determination will serve her well in all aspects of her life.

Barbara Mooney