Victoria Ballet

About Victoria Ballet

Victoria Ballet is a classical ballet school with studios in Palo Alto and Los Altos. The Palo Alto studio is on South California Avenue, which the school writes as 370 California Ave. The Los Altos studio is at 151 Main Street. The school teaches the Vaganova method of classical ballet. It describes its teaching as scientific and systematic. Classes run for ages 3 through adult, six days a week across the two studios.

Founder and director Victoria Lee has taught ballet since 1995. According to the school, she founded her own ballet school in 2005 and grew it to several branches in South Korea before opening in California in 2022. She trained at Busan Arts High School and Pusan National University, studied at the Laban Centre in London and learned the Vaganova method under Professor Byung-Su Min, a former St. Petersburg Ballet principal. Her message to families is that ballet should be open to everyone, not a chosen few.

Classes and levels

Children move through a clear ladder of levels:

• Petit Ballet, ages 3 to 5, a gentle first introduction to ballet, musicality and the first positions
• Pre-Ballet, ages 5 to 7, a bridge to formal class with barre basics and classroom etiquette
• Level I, ages 7 to 8, the start of serious classical training
• Level II for ages 8 to 9 and Level III for ages 9 to 10, with more complex combinations
• Level IV, ages 10 to 12, focused on strength, precision and expression, with placement auditions welcome
• Level V, ages 13 to 16, full-length classes in technique, pointe and repertoire for pre-professional dancers

Beyond the levels, the school runs a Young Talented Class for invited dancers ages 8 to 10, which began in September 2026. A VBT Competition Team, chosen by audition, prepares dancers for main stage performances and competitions. Private lessons cover technique, audition preparation and solo variations. An Art + Ballet program pairs a ballet class with fine art at the affiliated Victoria Art Studio in one weekly afternoon for ages 4 to 10.

Adult ballet and hip hop

Adults can take beginner and intermediate ballet. The school says adult classes run in the mornings in Los Altos and in the evenings in Palo Alto, with class packs or unlimited monthly options. That evening schedule makes the Palo Alto studio the practical choice for adults who work during the day.

The Palo Alto studio also hosts a weekly hip hop class for ages 9 and up on Wednesdays, with sessions from 4 to 5 p.m. or 5 to 6 p.m. It is a useful option for a sibling who wants to dance without taking ballet.

Faculty and performances

The school lists three teachers alongside its founder. Mariana Zschoerper teaches classical ballet. She is a Bolshoi Theater School graduate, a former principal with Baltimore Ballet and a Boston Conservatory B.F.A. holder who served as artistic director of San Jose Dance Theater. Anika Gautam teaches ballet and contemporary and holds a dance degree from San Francisco State University. Sophie Na-ae Kim teaches ballet and choreography and was assistant director of the school's 2024 Nutcracker.

The big performance of the year is The Nutcracker. The 2026 production is on December 11 and 12 at the Hammer Theatre in San José. The school also says many of its students, which it calls Victoria's Kids, have gone on to schools such as the John Cranko School, the Hamburg Ballet School and the Vienna Conservatory.

Enrolling and tips

Trial classes are available all year at both studios. You can book one through the website. Registration for the 2026 to 2027 school year runs through Victoria Edu, the school's official portal. Ask which studio hosts the class you want, since the class page does not tie every level to a location. The studio sits in the California Avenue area, so you can run errands or grab a coffee during a lesson. Our California Avenue guide covers the district. Our Palo Alto with kids guide has more family activities. For other performances in town, see theater in Palo Alto.

Location and getting there

Victoria Ballet is at 370 South California Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94306, in the California Avenue area of Palo Alto. Our California Avenue guide covers what else is around.

The California Avenue Caltrain station is less than a quarter mile away, a walk of a few minutes.

Parking: street spaces and city garages with posted limits (see parking in Palo Alto).

What is nearby

• Massage Therapy Center, salon or spa, under 0.1 mi
• Sun of Wolf, restaurant, under 0.1 mi
• California Paint Company, store, under 0.1 mi
• Palo Alto Sol, restaurant, under 0.1 mi
• The Cobblery, store, under 0.1 mi
• Bowden Park, 0.3 mi
• College Terrace Library, 0.3 mi
• Peers Park, 0.4 mi

Other fitness, dance and martial arts nearby: Summit Bicycles (under 0.1 mi); Tamayo’s Judo (under 0.1 mi); Silicon Valley Fit (under 0.1 mi); Pure Barre (under 0.1 mi). Browse the full fitness, dance and martial arts list.

Before you go

• Many studios offer a first class or trial pass. Ask before you buy a membership.
• Classes at popular times fill up, so book through the studio's app or website where that is offered.
• Bring water and check whether the studio provides mats, towels or rental gear.

About this listing

Checked October 29, 2026 against Victoria Ballet official website; About Victoria Ballet; Classes. How our listings work. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

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