I have been waiting to write this review because I genuinely hoped the director, Jessica, would…read morecommunicate with me and provide clarification about what happened during my child's recital. Unfortunately, after multiple attempts to follow up, I never received the communication I was promised or deserved, and our last interaction left me very unsettled. I enrolled my 5yr son in the Monday hip-hop class. From the beginning, we were informed that students would participate in a dance recital. This was my son's first recital, and although I initially had concerns, he was excited to participate, so we agreed. I communicated my concerns with the director and asked questions (see email) because I wanted to ensure he would be appropriately supervised.
After the recital, my son told me he played a game called "spin the bottle." He also said older children were sitting with the group. This was extremely concerning because my son is only 5. My understanding was that the children would be supervised and groups separated by age. I emailed the studio for clarification and to explain my concerns. I received an initial response and replied with additional questions, but never received another response.
I later called the studio because my son would miss a class and followed up about my unanswered email. Jessica said she would be out for a competition that weekend but would try to get further details about what happened at the recital. She also said she was not comfortable contacting other parents to ask whether their children had experienced anything related to this situation. I explained that I was uncomfortable with what my 5yr old had experienced and felt my concerns were valid and deserved to be addressed. She agreed and said she would follow up when she returned. I never received a follow-up. When I later called to unenroll my son, I again told the receptionist I was still waiting for the director to contact me and asked her to pass along the message. Again, I received no response.There was also a separate issue involving the recital photographs. At this point, 2 months had passed, and we had never received the photos my son took for the recital in June. On 9/9, I called the studio and spoke with Haley, the receptionist. I explained that we never received the photos. She provided an email and suggested checking my inbox/spam folder because I should have received a notification from the studio. I checked and found nothing. I asked if she could contact the studio for me. She said she could provide their contact information. I explained I was driving and it was difficult to take the information down at that moment, and she said that was no problem. She stated Jessica would reach out to the photography studio regarding the photos. I asked her to CC me so I could have their information since I was driving. I also asked her to have the director respond to my previous unanswered email regarding my recital concerns. She said she understood and would follow up. I called again on 9/10. The director answered. When I brought up my previous email, the conversation became defensive. I was told, "I don't know what you wanted me to respond to!" despite my email clearly asking for clarification regarding my concerns 2m ago. I was also told I was the only parent who had not followed directions regarding contacting the studio about the photographs and that I "refused" to take their information down. However, after reviewing the emails, I did not see anything advising parents who to contact regarding photos, updates/issues. Since I couldn't locate the photography studio, I thought it would be easier to contact the dance studio. The conversation became increasingly confrontational. I was also told, "I don't know if you know how things work around here, but we have over 300 kids here. We respond to things by urgency." I understand that a studio with 100s of students has to prioritize its workload, and I understand that photographs are not an urgent matter. However, that was not the only issue I was trying to address. My concern was that my 5yr old reported being introduced to "spin the bottle" at the recital, and I asked for clarification about what happened and how the children were supervised. To me, that warranted a response. What was most disappointing was the defensive response to a legitimate concern. I gave the studio multiple opportunities to address it and was promised a follow-up, but never received one. As a parent, I need to know my concerns will be taken seriously, my child will be properly supervised, and communication will be respectful. Unfortunately, I experienced the opposite.
