American Dance & Music was founded in 2005 by Artistic Director Carrie Diamond as Ballet Santa Barbara. After presenting a summer dance intensive for high school students in July of 2005 and a successful concert series at the Marjorie Luke Theatre in March of 2006, the organization was incorporated as American Dance and Music, Inc. Our mission is to enrich and improve the quality of life for all members of our community through diverse educational programming and outreach as well as professional performances. In the spring of 2009, the organization initiated the Moving To Learn program for the first graders at Roosevelt Elementary School.

In 2012, due to the success of the Moving To Learn programm which is not a ballet-oriented program, and the fact that Ballet Santa Barbara has moved past the expectations of classicism that accompanies its name, the board of directors decided to reorganize American Dance & Music to make the organization’s name more prominent. AD&M's professional performing company is now called American Dance & Music Performance Group. Moving To Learn is our in-school curricular program, and the adult and youth classes have been subsumed under the name AD&M: The School. In 2010, AD&M Performance Group performed its first Lobero Theatre residency and expanded the Moving To Learn program to encompass three public schools from the Santa Barbara School district.

In the past five years, AD&M has implemented the essential components of its programming mission. Our educational and artistic programs are sensitive to the needs of our community, including our underserved youth and their families. These include: