The Academy of Ballet Arts was founded in 1969 by Lester Jacobsen and Suzanne Pomerantzeff in St. Petersburg, Florida. The School was established to provide students with a professional setting where they could study classical ballet exclusively.

Forty years later, the Academy continues its mission to develop each student's creative potential by allowing them to express their individual ideas and emotions through the beauty of movement.

The Academy's curriculum is based on the Vaganova Method, which originated in the Russian schools associated with the Kirov and Bolshoi ballet companies. The Russian pedagogy along with elements from the Bournonville School and the French school provide a level of professional training that have permitted many of the Academy's students to pursue careers in dance and related arts.

The Academy of Ballet Arts is one of the few Dance Schools organized as a not-for-profit educational facility. It is governed by a Board of Trustees and all income from the school is channeled back into the training and performance programs.