Luke Eastwood’s love of ballet began here in Alameda when he was in 4th grade. He was enrolled at the local Dance10 studio, where he was getting a broad background in tap, jazz, hip hop, and ballet. But what really “clicked,” he says, was ballet.

“I love it because of the attitude and persona,” Luke says. “It’s so formal, and we have to be so in tune with our bodies. We are focused on how everything is working and feeling. That’s not true in any other part of life.”

Luke went to Oakland School for the Arts for middle school, where he received very “serious training” in a fairly “strict” program, he says. He returned to AUSD to attend Alameda High School. But while his home and academic work are based here on the island, his creative life is now based in Berkeley, where he studies at the Berkeley Ballet Theater.

It’s unusual for a high school student to have so much of his life outside of his high school, but Luke says his friends are supportive of the ups and downs of his dance journey. “About half way through high school I considered quitting dance,” he says. “But they helped me get back on track.”

 

And while commuting to Berkeley six or seven times a week makes for a very full schedule, Luke says he likes being “in touch with the rest of the Bay” and other dancers, as they share his “love and passion” for the art. Luke has also studied at the San Francisco City Ballet.

In August, Luke heads to Butler University in Indiana, where he will pursue a Bachelors in Fine Art in Dance-Performance. The school's ballet program has long ranked among the top five collegiate programs in the country.

 

"I feel ready for this," he says. "Berkeley Ballet Theater prepared me for this, including the audition I had to do to apply. I'm looking forward to this!"