Pensacola Youth Ballet is a pre-professional program for children ages five and up. We utilize a progressive syllabus to prepare students for a professional career in the arts. Our focus is on our students growth, and development in all areas, including building a diverse performance resume. We believe it is necessary for each student to have opportunities that challenge, encourage, and improve their overall confidence according to their technical and artistic level. In addition to the multiple performance opportunities we offer throughout the year, our studio serves as an audition hub for professional ballet summer programs such as Oklahoma City Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Nashville Ballet, and New York Dance Project. We are always trying to expand our students education beyond our studio walls and into the professional arena. Our students benefit from guest instructors and supplemental classes in theatre and music, as well as resume and self marketting, dance history, and cross training among others. 

Directed by Michael Wardlaw, former Senior Soloist with Cincinnati Ballet , and Soloist with Tulsa Ballet. Mr. Wardlaw takes great pleasure in providing his students with 26 years of professional experience.  A graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, his career has spanned both national and international stages. In addition, his students have gone on to dance for such companies as Oklahoma City Ballet, Ballet Idaho, Het Nationale Ballet, Disney and Broadway.