About Us

Pacific Coast Academy of Dance (PCAD) was founded in 2002 by Sandra Russell Ishida, JD, across from the award winning community of Talega in beautiful Rancho San Clemente, California. With a vision of performance artistry and technical virtuosity and a focus on the preservation of high level classical ballet training (Vaganova style), the studio was quickly recognized with awards for "Outstanding School" 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2008, and "Outstanding Teachers" in 2006, 2007 and 2008 by the international dance competition, Youth America Grand Prix.

Rent our Facility

YAB's Summer intensives and Master Classes have hosted international dance icons including Alonzo King, Ballet Canada's Max Ratevosian, Bolshoi's Boris Akimov and Larissa Saveliev, award winning choreographer Eloy Barragan-Perez, Royal Ballet's Gailene Stock and Gary Norton, Madame Tatiana Legat, Irina Kolpakova, Stuttgart's Alexander Khmelnitski, Cuba Ballet's Roberto Almaguer, ABT's Irina Dvorovenko, Susan Jaffe, Nancy Raffa, Amanda McKerrow, John Gardner and Ethan Brown, and Houston Ballet's Martine Harley.

Open classes in PCAD's Commercial Dance Academy are designed for preschoolers through teens, adults and professionals in contemporary, tap, jazz, lyrical, leaps/ turn, hip hop, Pilates and Ballroom. A fully equipped Pilates studio is on site under the direction of Darin Dantice. David Blair is the Artistic Director of PCAD's Academy of Musical Theatre Arts (AMTA) and offers training in dance, voice and characterization plus performance opportunities in local theatres. Five Coaches and Fourteen Performance Teams take jazz, lyrical, hip-hop, and contemporary dancers on the road to compete at local venues. 

PCAD and YAB's students perform full-length, professional shows at local venues including The Barclay, South Coast Repertory, The Robert B. Moore Theatre, and the historical Plummer Auditorium.

Join us and train with passion!

Sandra Russell Ishida
Executive Director, Pacific Coast Academy of Dance