Dance Performances for Kids

Most high schools, colleges and dance schools have a spring recital - so you'd have to figure out where you want to go (geography-wise) and then check out their individual websites.

You likely won't find much ethnic dance in any of those places, it tends toward modern, contemporary and hip-hop (especially for the HS's).

There's a huge ethnic dance festival in SF every year in the fall, and you can find reasonable ticket prices - https://www.worldartswest.org

Check out the Berkeley High performing arts calendar: https://www.berkeleyhighartdept.com/performing-arts-calendar. Their dance department has modern and African Diaspora dance.

You should also check out the UC Berkeley Dance programs calendar: https://tdps.berkeley.edu/events/current-season

Have fun!

Destiny Arts (in Oakland) has dance and martial arts classes and camps for youth. Every once in a while, they host recitals or have their youth dancers perform at other events. There aren't many events listed on their website, but their Instagram account seems to be more active. Maybe if you sign up on their mailing list, you can get information on upcoming events. I've definitely been to Destiny Arts events over the years that were free or sliding scale to get in. 

The Oakland Museum does a Friday Nights thing every week (although warmer months are better) with food trucks, live music, and often dance groups. It's free to attend any of the outdoor performances, and is very accessible for families. Their website has more information on what performers are coming up.

I'll be taking my little one to this dance performance in Alameda next week.  It's not child focused but it is child friendly, especially the early show - MoToR/Dance Water In The Kettle. The venue, Rhythmix Cultural Works, has a lot of local dance performances that are more modern/urban dance, as well as folk dance. 

Hi!  Retired dancer here.  Dancers' Group is the hub for the Bay Area modern dance scene, and they keep a calendar!  Some of the events will be more avant garde so you may want to do some due diligence before buying tickets since you're bringing your kids.

I've taken classes at both the Mahea Uchiyama Center for International Dance in Berkeley and Rhythmix Cultural Works in Alameda. Both have occasional events and recitals. World Arts West's annual Ethnic Dance Festival features an astonishing variety of dance styles. It's been a while since I've gone, and the tickets may be on the pricey side. Also check out the Malonga Arts Collective (https://malongaartscollective.org/)

The SF Ethnic Dance Festival usually has a bunch of free performances throughout the year, not just the big more-expensive festival (which is amazing).

Some local companies (definitely ODC in SF) will offer cheaper seats for dress rehearsals, so that’s worth looking into.

Also check out some of our many cultural festivals, since these will often include dance. For example, the Oakland Asian Cultural Center usually has some dance performances during their Lunar New Year celebration, which is coming up soon. The Solano Stroll and other big general outdoor festivals usually have a variety of performers, including dancers. These are often free, depending on the festival.

Every year, there's a week plus of free dance classes and demonstrations around the Bay Area.  This year, Bay Area Dance Week will be April 25-May 5.  There will be updates as the time gets closer.

https://dancersgroup.org/badw/ 

And this comiong up in SF (starts pretty late, and it's very loud, but if that's ok, they permit age 6 and up): https://nonstopbhangra.com/

For modern dance, I would look into Shawl-Anderson. They have both adult and youth programs, so I would imagine they have performances for both. 

Mahea Uchiyama Center for International Dance does hula dance and it looks like they have a performance in March. 

If you're willing to go into SF, you might look into ODC, LINES Ballet, and Smuin Ballet. ODC is modern dance, LINES and Smuin are contemporary. I believe tickets should be more affordable than Zellerbach or SF Ballet. 

You will find ethnic dances at the local ethnic-related street fairs and festivals.  The website SF Funcheap usually has a good summary of events around the Bay Area.

There are a bunch or celebrations coming up in Feb for the Lunar new year.

Yerba Buena Gardens Festival is the best!

https://ybgfestival.org/

You'll have to wait for warmer weather but they have shows all summer and fall. Many are dance, all are free, all are kid-friendly (not just the ones marked as for kids). And it's right by an awesome playground if you need a break or after the show.

Hi, I highly recommend local modern dance company Robert Moses' KIN: https://www.presidiotheatre.org/show/2024-robert-moses-kin/  They perform at the Presidio Theater (a lovely mid-sized theater in SF) and ticket prices start around $20. Also check out what's going on at ODC in SF: https://odc.dance/calendar  A friend's daughter was in ODC's teen company and their performance was open to the public (and was really great).

I highly recommend BrasArte on Shattuck. It’s a Brazilian Cultural Center, very family friendly, and they have wonderful performances of Brazilian dance and music throughout the year. The upcoming Yemanja arts festival is just one example. Enjoy! 

* BrasArte had a festival this weekend -- there's one more show in Santa Cruz next weekend. I think the next big event there will be the Carnival Parade, which is free and full of great dancing. There's always some adjacent performances that weekend. They also offer a one or two week summer camp that looks super fun. https://brasarte.com/camp-ere/

* Mission Dance Theater has a great calendar and they're across the street from 24th Street BART, so super easy to get to.

* Oakland Museum often hosts performances

* Ashkenaz hosts balkan dance nights. That is more participatory but very family friendly.

* Stop by The Beat on 9th. I bet the bulletin board there will have some cool upcoming small performances.

* I've never been, but I've always been curious about the Berkeley Ballet Theater. It's mostly a school, but they have some performances.