Scripps Performing Arts Academy, San Diego

In many cultures, performers begin training at a young age to ensure they become proficient as well as confident in their art. While the instructors at Scripps Performing Arts Academy believe in that approach, they put just as much focus on stoking the fires of creativity and ensuring that every student has some fun at the same time. Expert faculty members train students as young as three in myriad performance classes, which are held in professional-grade studios outfitted with floating hardwood floors for safe frolicking. Though the studio specializes in the classical discipline of ballet, it also offers programs in tap, jazz, modern, and musical theatre dance. Private lessons, meanwhile, incorporate instruments such as piano.

A calendar of productions allows students ways to showcase what they've learned, and include musicals and three major ballet shows each year. Performances take place in the studios as well as a dedicated black box theatre outfitted with professional stage lights and sound equipment.