Omoto Children's Ballet
A small ballet school in Kagurazaka for children from three years old to the end of high school, running here since 1993. Beginners and experienced children are both welcome, and each child is taught at their own pace.
At a glance
Ages 3 to 18
Classes on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
Small groups
Supervised and taught by Yasuyo Omoto
Free trial observation, by appointment
Recital each April, on the theater stage
Venue: Kagurazaka Session House B1F Studio
1.5 minutes' walk from Exit 1b, Kagurazaka Station (Tokyo Metro Tozai Line)
About the school
A child's first step matters. The classes here are supervised and taught by Yasuyo Omoto, who danced as prima of the Tani Momoko Ballet and still appears on stage as its senior principal, with wide experience of international work. She teaches the foundations herself, and the other teachers share the same approach.
The school was founded in April 1993 as an academic ballet class for children from three years old to high school age. What Yasuyo Omoto sets out to give is a basic technique that will hold up in any ballet setting anywhere - taught carefully, in small groups, in a room that is also a working theater. Some classes are taught with live piano accompaniment.
What the school believes
Classical technique is not only for children who will become professional dancers. What we care about above all is elegance: manners, posture, sensitivity, musicality. Ballet training also does a great deal for how a body is formed - the same core work is used across every kind of sport.
Through the lessons we try to draw out each child's own sensibility and to respect their independence, so that they are able to choose freely later on. The lessons are for the whole of a life, not only for the next recital.
Classes
| Tuesday | 16:05-16:50 Kids / Pre Ballet 16:20-17:10 Class C 17:15-18:15 Class B 18:20-19:20 Class A |
|---|---|
| Wednesday | 17:45-18:55 Class A (Class A3 until 19:05) |
| Thursday | 17:00-18:00 Class B 18:05-19:05 Class A (Class A3 until 19:15) |
Children are placed in a class by age and by experience when they join. The timetable is subject to change - please check with us before coming.
Features
| From 3 to 18 | Classes divided by age and level, from small children through to high school, so a child can stay with the school for years. |
|---|---|
| Beginners welcome | Children with no ballet experience are welcome from the age of three. The starting class is decided according to experience. |
| Small groups | Small classes, so that every child is actually watched. |
| Taught by Yasuyo Omoto | Former prima and current senior principal of the Tani Momoko Ballet, who supervises the school and teaches in it herself. |
| Piano accompaniment | Some classes are taught with live piano. |
| Recital in April | Each April the children perform in the same space that serves as our theater. |
Coming to look
Observation is free, by appointment. Please telephone in advance so that we know to expect you.
Tel: +81-(0)3-3266-0461 (11:00-19:00)
Email: mail@session-house.net
Classes are taught in Japanese, though ballet vocabulary is French and much of a class is shown rather than explained. Children from non-Japanese-speaking families are welcome - please write to us in English and we will talk through which class would suit your child, and arrange a visit.
For adults
Yasuyo Omoto also teaches adult ballet at Session House - Ballet Basics on Wednesday evenings, and a monthly class for revisiting the foundations. Those are listed with the rest of the weekly timetable and on the workshops page.
