Diablo Ballet + Diablo Ballet School Find a Forever Home in Shadelands
Founded in 1993 by professional ballet dancer Lauren Jonas and prominent structural engineer Ashraf Habibullah, Diablo Ballet was the first professional ballet company in the history of Contra Costa County, with Lauren guiding the Company as Artistic Director. In 2019, Diablo Ballet launched Diablo Ballet School, the first and only ballet school in Contra Costa operated by a professional ballet company.
For more than three decades, Diablo Ballet has called the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek its artistic home, delivering shared, magical experiences to audiences from around the region, On March 10, 2026 — Diablo Ballet’s 32nd anniversary — the esteemed ballet company and school secured its Permanent Occupancy Certificate from the City of Walnut Creek for its stunning new facility at 490 N. Wiget Lane in Shadelands.
Previously operating with mulitiple offices in downtown Walnut Creek separate from the school and costume storage, the organization is now united under one roof – bringing all of its operations together in one central space. After 32 years of entertaining audiences and nurturing dancers, Diablo Ballet has found its forever home.
The entire Diablo Ballet organization — Company, School, and adminstrative offices — is now under one roof at 490 N. Wiget Lane, Walnut Creek. [Photo courtesy Diablo Ballet]
For Lauren and her staff and team of professional dancers, this is another welcome milestone in a year of growth and expansion, a testament to the pull and power of ballet, an art form that combines extreme athleticism, emotional storytelling, and artistic grace to engage audiences fortunate enough to have a seat in the theater.
Members of Diablo Ballet’s professional dance company are full-time employees of Diablo Ballet, who perform on stage, teach dance in the studio and classroom, and participate in Diablo Ballet’s many community programs and initiatives. [Photo courtesy Diablo Ballet]
Today, Diablo Ballet is an award-winning, internationally recognized professional dance company, numbering 18 dancers, committed to enriching, inspiring, and educating children and adults through the art of dance.
Diablo Ballet dancers demonstrate athleticism, emotional storytelling, and artistic grace to engage and inspire audiences of all ages. [Photo courtesy Diablo Ballet]
Lauren’s own journey began at Marin Ballet, where she trained as a youth. After high school graduation, she launched her professional career with Milwaukee Ballet, followed by Oakland Ballet, Southwest Ballet, and tours with Moscow Ballet. In 1992, she met Ashraf.
Ballet dancer and artistic director Lauren Jonas was a member of the first Diablo Ballet company of dancers between 1994 and 2007. [Photo credit Ashraf Habibullah]
“We attended a performance of Stars of the Moscow Ballet at the Lesher Center, and we saw how excited the audience was because there was no professional ballet company here. There was opera and theater, but no ballet,” said Lauren. “So we started talking about forming a company, which was a daunting, but incredible experience. We received our nonprofit status in 1993, and launched our first full season of Diablo Ballet on March 10, 1994.
“When we started the Company, we only wanted to be a professional ballet company – we had no need or wish for a school. We started small – we were a performing arts company of eight dancers, and I was one of the eight. We performed at the Lesher Center, and toured the United States and worldwide.”
Since that first performance, Diablo Ballet has grown to become a highly influential arts organization whose profound contributions to arts education and the regional performing arts scene go beyond the stage.
And while he is no longer a part of the day-to-day operations, Ashraf continues to be one of Diablo Ballet’s most passionate supporters and champions.
Open seven days a week, Diablo Ballet School offers classes for ages three (Pre-ballet) through adult, with a professiional track for teens interested in pursuing a career in dance. [Photo courtesy Diablo Ballet]
“In 2018, as we started planning to celebrate Diablo Ballet’s 25th anniversary the next year, we also began talking about starting a ballet school,” said Lauren. “We knew that, to ensure the longevity of the organization, we needed a school to enable us to grow and provide employment and training opportunities for our dancers, and to offer young dancers opportunities to develop a solid, well-structured foundation in dance.”
In 2019, Lauren and Director of Operations Krissy Gray established Diablo Ballet School. The school’s teachers are Diablo Ballet’s own full-time professional dancers, who are also full-time employees of the Company — this is their day job. While still in the prime of their careers, these working artists are balancing busy schedules of stage performances and studio instruction.
“Because our teachers are professional ballet dancers who are in the midst of their professional careers, our school is a built-in professional dance mentorship environment,” said Lauren, "helping those students who are making decisions about moving forward with dance as a university study and professional career.”
Diablo Ballet’s working artists are balancing busy schedules of stage performances and studio instruction. [Photo courtesty Diablo Ballet]
Krissy manages the day to day operations of both Diablo Ballet and Diablo Ballet School. With deep roots in musical theater, a degree in dance, and extensive experience on the business and nonprofit side of the arts, Krissy’s expertise — both artistic and operational — made her contributions key to bringing the school to life.
At one time, the Diablo Ballet dance company was working out of Shadelands Art Center, before it moved to a studio in Pleasant Hill, then to a studio in downtown Walnut Creek. The School was renting space once occupied by Contra Costa School of Performing Arts in Shadelands. The organization’s administrative offices were in downtown Walnut Creek, and its costumes were in a rental space in Berkeley.
“Now, we’re under one roof in this beautiful space,” said Krissy, who has been with the organization for 11 years. “We can unpack our bags, hang photos, and spread out. Our company rehearses here. Our students take classes here. And costume fittings just got a lot easier!”
The large main dance studio measures 1800 square feet and sports a custom-designed floor, built by San Francisco Ballet, with a sprung subfloor for shock absorption and a non-slip finish for pointe shoes and ballet slippers.
The new space in Shadelands measures 9200 SF, and includes one studio at 1800 SF for larger classes and rehearsals; a second studio at more than 1500 SF; and a third studio at 700 SF for pre-ballet and smaller classes. For Company dancers, there are locker rooms; a kitchen and break room; a lounge; and a Pilates studio.
Filling out the space are costume and props storage rooms, restrooms, and a large lobby. Throughout the space, the high ceilings evoke openness and freedom to move and jump and dance about.
Young students in position for class in the new Diablo Ballet School studio in Shadelands. [Photo courtesy Diablo Ballet]
Open seven days a week, Diablo Ballet School offers classes for ages three (pre-ballet) through adult, with a current enrollment of 180 students, which includes young dancers, adult dancers, and participants in the Dance for Parkinson’s program. Krissy and Lauren are excited to welcome new students who are looking to add the joys and rewards of ballet to their lives. Some students dance for fun, testing to see if this is something they want to continue as a performing art or as an alternative to organized sports. Others are serious about a professional path: For advanced high school students, the school offers a professional track designed for those committed to careers in dance.
Many high school students in the upper level classes will choose to make ballet a university study and career choice. [Photo courtesy Diablo Ballet]
Diablo Ballet dancers rehearse for the Company’s May 27, 2026, premiere of Romeo & Juliet, a contemporary and whimsical retelling of the classic drama, choreographed by Penny Saunders. [Photo courtesy Diablo Ballet]
Diablo Ballet’s season at Lesher Center for the Arts runs November through May, offering five programs each season, with three to four performances per program. This current season has featured The Nutcracker, Company B by Paul Taylor, Donizetti Variations by George Balanchine, The Little Mermaid, and Romeo & Juliet.
Coming up in May, Diablo Ballet will perform the full-length Coppélia, the famous comedic ballet about a doll who comes to life, first performed in 1870. Coppélia performances include one on Friday, May 15, and two on Saturday, May 16. Finally, on May 22, the annual Dancer Choreography Showcase will be held at Del Valle Theatre in Walnut Creek, where dancers present original works they have choreographed themselves.
(l-r) Dancers Diego Cruz Alvarez and Nicole Ciapponi rehearse Birthday Variations (by choreographer Gerald Arpino) with Dawn Perrin, who staged the ballet, and Pierre Francois-Vilanoba, who assists with coaching. [Photo courtesy Diablo Ballet]
One of the most popular and treasured holiday traditions since the 1990s is Diablo Ballet’s The Nutcracker, performed every season at Lesher Center for the Arts. [Photo courtesy Diablo Ballet]
“Ballet’s classical, disciplined training is core to any dance training a student might pursue,” said Krissy. “There is great athleticism and artistry in ballet. To feel this as a dancer is exhilarating – to experience this as an audience member or someone standing in the wings can take your breath away.”
Diablo Ballet’s season at Lesher Center for the Arts runs November through May. [Photo courtesy Diablo Ballet]
“Ballet has been my life. I started when I was six, and I’ve been dancing and living ballet my whole life,” said Lauren. “This is my passion, my hobby, my work. Our relationship with the Lesher Center allows us to live our dream of sharing a professional dance company with the community, and offering a professional dance school to young people and adults who see ballet as a means for nurturing their minds, their bodies, and their spirits.”
(l-r) Andrea Gaudet, Diablo Ballet School Principal; Lauren Jonas, Diablo Ballet co-founder and Artistic Director; and Krissy Gray, Diablo Ballet Director of Operations, celebrate Diablo Ballet’s growth, its beautiful new home, and its future of endless possibilities. [Photo courtesy Diablo Ballet]
Congratulations, Diablo Ballet, on your many accomplishments these past 32 years. And, welcome to Shadelands!
To learn more about the dance company, school, and upcoming performances, visit Diablo Ballet. To reserve tickets for upcoming performances, visit Tickets or Lesher Center for the Arts. Diablo Ballet School’s 2026 Summer Program will run June 1–August 9.
