Today we’d like to introduce you to Simone Gabrielle.
Hi Simone, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I am allergic to average.
I don’t check any of the traditional boxes one would think would need to be checked to do what I do.
I quit ballet more times than I can count. I did not pursue pro career opportunities when I should have. Instead, after training from four to seventeen at (now defunct) California Ballet, I went to UCSB, got two degrees, neither having anything to do with dance or ballet, and then spent decades in industries outside of the ballet world.
In mid-2021, when the world was still thawing from the pandemic, I reconnected with the founder of San Diego Academy of Ballet (SDAB), Sylvia Tchernychev. Sylvia, and her former partner, Max Tchernychev, trained me when I was younger, They instilled in me the technique and artistry I distill on a daily basis as (now) Director of SDAB.
We train kids in San Diego for pro careers even if they don’t go pro. We set them up for life. I coach from my gut and extract from my decades of ballet training. I have some hard lines. I refuse to do competitions. No trophies. No tiaras. I put an enrollment cap on classes, so it’s quality over quantity. I ask dancers to leave who don’t want to be there and aren’t trying. All of these boundaries are either inflammatory or lauded, depending on the family of the dancer.
I run the only ballet school in San Diego where currently enrolled students have attended/are attending, the most elite feeder ballet schools in the world. We are a premium local feeder school to the elite international feeders schools.
Since 2022, and every year since, SDAB dancers have auditioned for, and been accepted to; Paris Opera Ballet School in France; Royal Ballet School in London; New York City Ballet’s School of American Ballet (SAB) in New York City; American Ballet Theatre’s JKO school; Royal Danish Ballet in Copenhagen, Denmark; Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia, and; Dance Theatre of Harlem in NYC.
Our kids are so good that when they show up at these elite international feeder schools like School of American Ballet in New York City, we have the administration reaching out to US asking who their coach is. They are that spectacular.
No other ballet school in San Diego Is engineering the pedigree we do. Typically, when an athletic art or sport is galvanizing this type of domination, it is because of a “once in a lifetime” prodigy is harnessing the headlines akin to a young Michael Jordan or burgeoning Caitlin Clark making moves. That’s not what’s going on at SDAB, it’s not ONE kid making headlines, it’s A LOT of kids, year after year. It’s in the water.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The training at SDAB catalyzes controversy because by default our boundaries, high standards and refusal to accommodate delusional and drama-inducing parents creates conflict. I do what’s best for the kids, not what’s easiest. And when issues arise, it is always coming up from under me, from people below me, no one above me is trying to bring me down. I burn bridges because I know I can swim in situations that drown the haters. The most heat I get is from the type of person who would review the sound of an angel’s wings.
SDAB is not a ‘participation trophy’ ballet school. Instead of accepting tuition and looking the other way, I tell parents to their face, in writing, that no amount of of elite training is going to make their kid a ballet dancer if I can tell it is untenable for their child. That tends to be an unwelcome practice in the business . I also kick out unhinged dance moms and toxic dance dads, I don’t care how talented their kid is, or how wealthy they are.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
This past summer, 2025, I was personally invited to New York City Ballet’s School of American Ballet (SAB) by the Director. She said in twenty seven years at SAB she has never requested to meet with a coach. It’s like Phil Jackson requesting a meeting or Nick Saban wanting to go to lunch. The only reason this happened is SDAB students are showing up to the most ballet schools in the world and turning heads. People want to know where they came from, and who trained them.
No other ballet school in Southern California is engineering ballet dancers who are auditioning for, being accepted to, and being awarded scholarships to the most illustrious and prominent ballet schools, like SDAB is. There is no close second. Not only are the kids getting in Paris Opera Ballet school, New York City Ballet’s SAB, Royal Ballet, etc., they are also being awarded full scholarships. They are being artistically drafted.
A distinct flex at SDAB is the strength of our boys’ program. We have over ten boys in our boys program, Usually there are ten boys in a zip code, buckshotted across multiple counties, not one ballet school. Redefining what is means to lift women up, literally, and the prestige of the athleticism is something we are redefining at SDAB.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Ballet is an athletic art.
Also.
SDAB actively supports adults in our open adult ballet program, which does not require enrollment. You only pay for classes you attend.
More info on our app, including schedule and rates.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sandiegoacademyofballet.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandiegoacademyofballet/?hl=en
- Other: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/san-diego-academy-of-ballet/id6754953463
Image Credits
Sage Vail Photography
