Behind the pastel pink and purple walls of the Tutu School in Bixby Knolls lives the enchanted world of sugarplums and swans that make up children’s ballet.
The boutique ballet school—catered to children 18 months to 8 years of age—is part of a Bay Area franchise that started in 2008. The Long Beach location opened on February 1.
The school specializes in teaching “age-appropriate” ballet that serves as an introduction to the world of theatrical dance, according to Tracy Gonzalez, owner of the Long Beach location.
“What I really like about the Tutu School mission is that it really allows children to be children,” Gonzalez said. “You’re not forced to be in this mold of what ballet should be.”
With a passion for musical theatre, one of Gonzalez’s favorite things to do at sessions is let children use their imagination to view the studio as a forrest, dance like animals and sing.
“[It] really makes the whole ballet experience magical at that age,” Gonzalez said.
At a Wednesday, March 2 afternoon session, children dutifully observed their instructor pirouette through a stream of bubbles, ready to take on the lesson. The only noise in the studio was that of their shoes twirling on the wood floors.
Intent on creating a whimsical world for children, the pastel walls of the studio are adorned with elaborate tutus signifying classic ballet stories like The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty.
“You feel like you just want to twirl around,” Gonzalez said, noting thats what kids often do when entering the space.
Gonzalez has ballet in her blood. The daughter of a retired ballerina, she took up dancing at age 2 while growing up in the Phillippines. It was her children who propelled her to open her first school in the East Bay in 2013 after leaving the corporate world.
With six locations of her own in Northern California, and a few others in SoCal, according to the school’s website, Gonzalez is pushing the legacy forward.
The Bixby studio currently counts four instructors who teach three class divisions (tutu toddlers, exploring ballet and primary ballet prep). The school currently offers just under 30 classes a week.
For 45 minutes, children learn the fundamentals of ballet and take time to listen to storybook readings of classic ballet stories that inspire each session. In late February, the children were introduced to The Firebird by composer Igor Stravinsky.
“It’s really important to expose kids to a world of creativity,” Gonzalez said of the school’s mission. “And also to give them the experience of what it feels like to be joyful when you’re moving and you’re dancing.”
A parent’s reaction to seeing their children “light up when they’re dancing” is Gonzalez’s favorite part of owning the studios, she said, noting it reminds her of her children at that age.
“[The chidren are] just so proud of themselves, they’re just so confident,” Gonzalez said. “Even just wearing the sparkliest tutu gives a child so much confidence.”
The classes have a monthly membership cost of $102 and come with unlimited make-up for missed classes and priority access to events. New students have the option to schedule a free trial class.
On the weekends, patrons can rent out the studio for ballet birthday parties that include a cupcake picnic, party favors and a brief ballet class.
Themed summer ballet camps (for ages 3 to 8) and spring recitals will come to the Long Beach location soon, but will likely skip spring and summer 2022, according to Gonzalez.
Part of what makes Gonzalez passionate about the expansion of the Tutu School is its philosophy that “dance is for everybody regardless of where you’re from or what you look like,” she said, noting that some of their story time books reflect that to the children.
“It’s wonderful to be part of that,” she said.
The Tutu School is located at 4234 Atlantic Blvd. To stay up to date, follow them at @tutuschoollongbeach. For the class schedule, visit www.tutuschool.com/longbeach.
Additional reporting by Richard Grant.
