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Monday 11am - 7pm Tuesday 11am - 7pm Wednesday 11am - 7pm Thursday 11am - 7pm Saturday 9am - 1pm

Destiny Arts Center

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United States
Oakland, CA
Destiny Arts Center

Inspiring and igniting social change through the arts since 1988.
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We offer programs to build peaceful, powerful, creative communities and talented dancers and martial artists. Our programming includes dance and martial arts classes for youth ages 3 to 18, a performance companies for youth ages 13 to 18 and for ages 9 to 12. Our School and Community (virtual) programs over 13 East Bay public schools offering Hip Hop Dance, Martial Arts, African dance and more! Ou

r professional development offerings for teachers, educators, administrators is grounded in our Warriors Code and creative youth development model.

08/19/2026

We are proud to share that Destiny Arts Center was selected as one of nine community-based organizations contracted to provide subsidized summer employment opportunities for Oakland youth ages 14–21 for the 2026 Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program (MSYEP).

Destiny was selected to prioritize historically under-resourced Oakland youth, including youth who are not working, have little or no prior work experience, and are disconnected from traditional school systems. The program connected young people’s employment experience with our Camp Destiny youth-development environment. Camp Destiny engages children ages 5–13 through dance, martial arts, visual arts, mindfulness, and outdoor play, with an emphasis on community, responsibility, care, respect, and peace.

Thank you Mayor Barbara Lee (Mayor Barbara Lee) and the Mayor’s Office for helping our young people grow this summer. Thank you to Lighthouse Community Schools (Lighthouse Community Public Schools) and Lodestar (Lodestar Community Public School) for hosting Camp Destiny 🧡

Gloria Diaz was awarded a special commendation for her focus and strength in supporting Destiny staff and youth while she entered a new community this summer. Gloria successfully anticipated the needs of the community and was a big part of Camp Destiny. Congratulations Gloria and thank you for all your work!

08/05/2026

✨ Ready to take the next step in your artistic journey?

Audition for Destiny Arts Junior Company, our pre-professional performance company for youth ages 9-12!

At Destiny Arts Center, young artists grow as dancers and as leaders. Through dance, theater, spoken word and storytelling, company members build confidence, creativity, and the courage to express who they are in a supportive community.

💥 Auditions include:
• Learning a dance combination
• Performing in small groups
• Exploring a spoken word piece together
• Sharing a 1-minute performance in any artistic discipline—dance, martial arts, music, poetry, theater, gymnastics, and more!

📅 Audition Dates
• Monday, August 24 | 5-8 PM (Registration opens at 4 PM), OR
• Wednesday, August 26 | 5-8 PM (Registration opens at 4 PM)

⭐ Callbacks
Friday, August 28 | 5-8 PM (Registration opens at 4 PM)

📍 Destiny Arts Center
970 Grace Ave.
Oakland, CA 94608

Come ready to move, create, and shine. We can’t wait to meet the next generation of Destiny artists and leaders.

Marjorie Ortiz

07/16/2026

✨ We’re hiring a Development Director!

Do you believe in the power of the arts to inspire young people, build community, and create social change? Join the team at Destiny Arts Center and help grow the resources that make our mission possible.

As our Development Director, you’ll lead fundraising efforts, cultivate meaningful partnerships, and help ensure that thousands of young people continue to have access to transformative arts experiences each year.

If you’re a strategic relationship-builder with a passion for equity, youth development, and the arts, we’d love to hear from you.

🔗 Apply today at destinyarts.org/careers

07/10/2026

Earlier this year we marked our THIRD anniversary of Destiny Arts Center’s annual participation in the sensational San Leandro Boys and Girls Club Showcase!

We want to extend an incredible congratulations to the youth who performed, ranging in grades TK to 8th! And endless gratitude to the awesome Teaching Artists that support this community, and of course, to the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Leandro staff that work so hard to bring us together for this yearly show.

Here, we see drummers gathered from Moeketsi Boke Gibe Mr. Moeketsi’s Madison Elementary School African Drumming class, and Bancroft Middle School Bancroft Middle cheerleaders from Marjorie Ortiz Mx. Marjorie’s Cheer Club showing off what they’ve learned this year.

Way to go, San Leandro! And thank you to the ELO-P partnership of SLUSD and BGCSL for the photos of Bancroft Cheer!

07/06/2026

🍂 Fall Class Registration is NOW OPEN! 💃

This fall, give your young artist a place to grow, create, and belong.

At Destiny Arts Center, our classes go beyond learning dance, martial arts, and movement. Every class is designed to help young people build confidence, develop leadership, express themselves creatively, and become part of a caring community.

Whether it’s your child’s first class or they’re returning for another season, we can’t wait to welcome you to the studio.

✨ Classes are available for a variety of ages and experience levels.
✨ Financial assistance is available to help make our programs accessible.

Register today and join us for a season of creativity, connection, and joy!

Learn more and sign up: destinyarts.org/at-our-center

07/03/2026

Through circle time 🤝, live music 🎹🪘, and a culture of participation👏, Ms. K’s Afro Urban class at Cleveland Elementary establishes foundations in rhythm, expression, movement, and community-making.

Amazing work, as always, Ms. K kanukai, and thank you to our partners, Oakland Leaf Cleveland Elementary - Oakland, CA! Excited to get pick up where we left off after the break ☀️😎

06/22/2026

Destiny Community! We are excited to share that Fall 2026 registration at Destiny Arts Center is opening soon!

SAVE THE DATE!
Registration Opens: Monday, July 6th at 1pm
Fall Session: September 21 through December 14

We will have a full lineup of classes and programs for youth of all ages, including movement, hip hop, breakdancing, african dance, and martial arts. More details on scheduling, tuition, and how to register will be coming your way shortly.

In the meantime, mark your calendar and spread the word. Spots fill up quickly, and we want to make sure your family has first access.

Stay tuned — full registration details coming soon.

06/08/2026

We closed out May programs with Breakdancing bang!

Thank you to for hosting the incredible year-end ceremony, Pass the Torch, celebrating youth, mentors, and sustainable community impact.

B-Boys and .ha DJ’d and MC’d the dance battle for the evening, pairing Destiny Youth from different schools in teams of two with mentor Breakdancers representing locally and globally!

Congratulations to Theo and his mentor for winning 1st place, and HUGE thank you to for donating tickets and merch to the winners and semi-finalists.

06/03/2026

We can’t believe it’s already been one month since our community witnessed GAME OVER, a one of a kind blend of movement, self-expression, satire, and storytelling performed by the talented artists from the Destiny Arts Youth Performance Company ( ), the Destiny Junior Company, and The Elders Project. Under the artistic direction of Paula Dewart ( ), GAME OVER challenged us to question the systems we’ve inherited, understand who benefits from those systems and who is left out, as well as how to imagine something better together.

Your presence and support mean the world to us!

05/07/2026

🎉🎉🎉 Congratulations to Sarah Crowell 🎉🎉🎉

Sarah was recently named as a 2026 Rainin Arts Fellow! She is a decorated professional dancer, Destiny Arts Center Artistic Director Emeritus, Co-Founder, and Board Member.

The Rainin Arts Fellowship is an annual program honoring Bay Area artists working in Dance, Film, Public Space, and Theater who push creative boundaries, anchor local communities, and advance the arts field.

This is a huge accomplishment and well deserved recognition from for Sarah and her dedication of over 35 years to supporting the lives of young people, inspiring communities across the Bay Area, and igniting arts-based social justice and change. All of us at Destiny Arts Center are so proud!

Slide 1 & 2: Sarah Crowell Feature on Kenneth Rainin Foundation Youtube Page
Slide 3 & 4: Sarah Crowell Feature in KQED Article
Slide 5 & 6: Sarah Crowell Bio from Broadway World Article
Slide 7: Sarah Crowell Headshot

Read the and articles that Sarah is featured in here:
https://www.kqed.org/arts/13988742/rainin-foundation-2026-fellows

https://www.broadwayworld.com/san-francisco/article/Cece-Carpio-Sarah-Crowell-Danny-Duncan-Cheryl-Dunye-Named-Rainin-Arts-Fellowship-Recipients-20260429

Watch Full Video of ‘Meet Sarah Crowell: 2026 Rainin Arts Fellow in Dance’ Here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw7tr09Dt3Y

Meet all the 2026 Rainin Artist Fellows:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWBtbWPBAaE

Address

970 Grace Avenue
Oakland, CA
94608

Opening Hours

Monday	11am - 7pm
Tuesday	11am - 7pm
Wednesday	11am - 7pm
Thursday	11am - 7pm
Saturday	9am - 1pm

Telephone

+15105971619

Website

http://www.destinyarts.org/

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