Ayako Takahashi
Director, Ayako School of Ballet
Artistic Director, Peninsula Youth Ballet
Originally from Japan, Ayako was a principal dancer with the Tokyo City Ballet Company and the Matsuyama Ballet Company. She studied with Sulamith Messerer, Aleksei Varlamov and Mikiko Matsuyama. Ayako performed leading roles in Swan Lake, Cinderella, The Nutcracker, Balanchine’s Serenade and many other works. Since 1976 Ayako has taught in the United States. Ayako has choreographed full-length productions of ballets such as Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, The Little Humpback Horse, Paquita, Coppelia and the Nutcracker.
Peninsula Youth Ballet was founded in 1979 to provide opportunities for serious young dancers to develop their ballet skills and expand their performance experience in a company setting. Peninsula Youth Ballet is a non-profit organization that offers a unique opportunity for young dancers and promotes the art of ballet in our community. We pride ourselves on the diverse cultural and multi-ethnic background of our dancers and believe this diversity enhances our dancers’ experience. Each year Peninsula Youth Ballet presents academic performances, giving thousands of school children the opportunity to see a ballet in a theater atmosphere.
Artistic Director Ayako Takahashi has been inspiring us since 1987. Her excellence in teaching and choreography has made the Peninsula Youth Ballet one of the most professional youth companies in the Bay Area. Ayako’s goal is to provide young dancers with the opportunity to dance in a professional atmosphere.
PYB is comprised of dancers whose ages range from five to adult. We encourage
and welcome dancers residing in the Bay Area to participate. While many schools
offer their students recitals, we go one step further and encourage their
participation in a professional performance. The choreography to which our
dancers are exposed is professional and we ask our young dancers to rise
to the challenge.
Some of our previous productions have included Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Giselle, Coppelia, Paquita, Stars & Stripes, Peter and the Wolf, Graduation Ball and La La Bayadère. Current and former company members have performed with the American Ballet Theatre, Oakland Ballet, Smuin Ballet San Francisco, Colorado Ballet, Joffrey II, ODC/SF and Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley. Company alumni frequently return as guest performers.