About Us > Our Organization > History
The Allegro Tradition
The Allegro Ballroom was originally founded at 10690 San Pablo Avenue in El Cerrito, and quickly developed a warm social atmosphere under direction of the late Bob Knox, a master teacher and dancer who owned the facility. The warm social atmosphere became a tradition famous in the ballroom community. Dancers would commute many miles to participate in parties at the Allegro.
When Knox became ill, his students formed a non-profit club called Allegro Dancers, Inc., on October 1, 1994, and operated the ballroom for almost a year before losing the lease. A search was launched for a location that would have everything: easy access, plentiful parking, space for a major ballroom, space for a small practice floor, and space for a lounge.
We have all of the above and more at the present location, which was opened on November 1, 1996. After operating the new ballroom for over two years with an all-volunteer and amateur staff, we were successful enough to hire a professional Executive Manager and a Program Director in 1999. We are very proud of:
Members of the Club loaned funds to build the new Allegro. The Club finally repaid all loans as of February 1, 1999, and became debt free. Now, future funds can go into improving the facility and better serving the dance community. We are maintaining the Allegro tradition of a warm social atmosphere, and continue to make improvements to serve the membership and the public. We invite you to participate.