News & Reviews

Nothing says “holidays” like ballet set to the bright music of the 1930s and ’40s, including favorites by legends like Duke Ellington and Nat King Cole.

People love to talk about Lauren Jonas behind her back. They describe the Diablo Ballet co-founder and artistic director using words like “nurturing,” “generous,” “incredible.”

With the help of a California Arts Council grant, Jonas and Stegge are teaching movement classes to juvenile offenders in a bid to give them new and positive ways to express themselves — and maybe even help them stay out of juvenile hall. The teens — ages 15 to 18 — meet weekly with the dancers and learn how to turn their emotions into movement.