Elite Dance Academy has been such a wonderful experience for my daughter. The atmosphere is…read moreincredibly positive, encouraging dancers not only to grow in their skills but also in confidence and teamwork. One of the best parts has been the friendships my daughter has made. The dancers support and cheer each other on, creating a space where everyone feels valued. The teachers are absolutely fantastic--passionate, patient, and dedicated to helping each dancer reach their potential while having fun along the way. I'm so grateful for the experience we've had at Elite Dance Academy. It's more than just a dance studio--it's a place where kids can thrive, build lifelong friendships, and feel inspired every day. Highly recommend! Laura Vistine

My twin girls LOVE coming to Elite. There is such a variety of classes to offer the dancers and the…read moreclasses are fun! Couldn't be happier with Elite and my girls' progress.

My daughters have been dancing at Synergy for 7 years. My girls started as shy dancers to bringing…read moreso much energy, skill, and passion for dancing on the stage. At Synergy, they learn much more than dancing. The amazing director, helpful staff and talented teachers give life lessons that serve them well beyond the dance floor. They learn about making and reaching for goals. They learn about working as a team and caring for others. They gain confidence while being kind. They learn how to be strong while being graceful. When you dance at Synergy, you have so much fun and you become part of a family!

My wife and I saw a young girl being mistreated by another beautiful young lady on stage this…read moreweekend. We were surprised that no adult came to the stage to defuse the situation and stop the young girl from touching and yelling at this poor girl. The girl was so close to her face, and I found myself upset as if she were my child. The girl got emotional, and we saw her crying at some point during the awards it seemed as if two women came to the little girls rescue and removed her close to the end of the ceremony. My wife and I were really bothered by this and came back the next day and asked around as we wanted to know the correct location Synergy is from because we noticed when we wanted to write about this, there are multiple locations. We also found out that she missed the award for her dance due to the situation. We wanted to look for her to tell her what a wonderful job she did and how she handled the situation gracefully, but we didn't see the young girl the next day. Due to what transpired we decided to write on behalf of those who noticed and on behalf of this poor girl that just broke our hearts. No one should allow a child to behave in that way this showed poor sportsmanship, and how there seems to be tension amongs the dancers as they were not united. I'm very surprised no one stopped it nor a parent came up sooner, if this was my child I would of given the young girl a few words of wisdom about her behavior before removing my child from an uncomfortable situation. Synergy, these kids represent your company, and I hope this is being handled internally and we do not witness another one at future compititions. I'm not giving you a 1 star because I do not know what is being done or what the companies values are (But I'm sure misconduct behavior isn't one of them). I hope the company is taking this kind of behavior serious for the sake of the children and for all parents that would be put in this kind of situation from both sides. I'm sure this is something that is being fixed, and I hope the company is fully aware of what transpired and that those two ladies who removed the child reported the incident so that this doesn't happen to another child. We wish Synergy the best of luck! May the children and parents be united and not divided.

The performance of beyond the nutcracker was far from normal. First, the dancers were awesome and…read morethe symphony was great. But the storyline was poorly modified and very implemented. Gothic churches in most of the country images? It seemed like it was Vietnam instead of China? South Africa flag? I will be not returning to see this next year. I will be going to be going to another traditional performance of the nutcracker next weekend because I don't want to miss the regular story.

The dance was very boring and not even related to the nutcracker. Only the music was related.read more

My daughter has been going to ADC for years, we were first at the Homewood location and now at the…read moreOrland location. Everything about the environment and experience at ADC has been amazing! Dance class is the highlight of her week. As a parent I love the focus on movement and skill building rather than always prepping for recitals. For the classes my daughter is in they do a recitals every other year which is perfect because it gives time to work on skills. The older kids are also always so kind and helpful with the younger dancers. We were also at a different studio when our daughter was really young and my wife and I felt the older girls performances and costumes were overly sexualized. The older girls at ADC are outstanding dancers and their performances are always tasteful. We love all the teachers and the delay of community, can't say enough good things about ADC!!

Absolutely the worst place for dance in the south suburbs. If I could give this place NO STARS, I…read morewould. They are totally insensitive to the cultural differences of their students, lack professionalism when speaking to parents and children and isolate children based on their beliefs. Because I didn't want to put my 5 year old in the street walker makeup that was recommended for recital, I was told that my daughter couldn't participate in the group picture because she would not be "uniform and the other parents would complain." I'm sure that other parents are like me and don't care what other children in the picture look like as long as their kid is cute. We are African American and my daughter's hair is not the slick-back-into-a-ponytail kind of hair. They made a point to say that no one should have braids or beads. No beads, I understand. But let's be reasonable about the hair. The teachers constantly talk to the student, not their parent, about things they should not serving to alienate them from their classmates. While they do this, they hide behind the statement that they are "teaching more than just dance steps." Well, they are right about that. They are teaching them that to take a stand for what they believe in could cause them to be ousted from the group and that what they hold as a personal or religious standard is inferior to the need to have uniformity in a group. If you care at all about your daughter's emotional well-being, do not take them to this dance school.

For a small city's rec center they are pretty well organized. They post info for fitness classes…read moremonths in advance- unlike most places that barely can get the info out the week sessions start. I attend the Zumba classes weekly- both Wednesdays and Fridays. They offer a drop-in rate so you can try it out and pay as you go if you're nervous about starting the class. Lyn is the best and always keeps your heart rate up during the hour, and even if she misses a step she is always back on beat and keeping the rhythm. Belly dance with Mavi is a lot of fun, towards the end she let us wear huge gypsy skirts to dance with and brought veils as well. The fitness center is small, but has everything you need. Haven't used the pool, but my niece and nephew loved it. Most days are open gym- so you can come in and play basketball or volleyball. A lot of people come just to walk or run the track. The staff is very friendly and willing to help with all problems. Lost my keys as I was coming in to Zumba, and one of the staff members had them waiting for me once class was over. Looking forward to starting Tai Chi class next week!

I took my 3.5 year old for swim lessons here. It's a really good deal- 6 weeks for $55 for non…read moreresidents. It's the least expensive around for indoor swim lessons, and my daughter did enjoy it, though the teachers are kind of awful. It seems to be primarily high school students which teach the classes, which is fine (particularly for the price); they have a very high student to teacher ratio, though the majority of the girls who are teachers spend nearly the entire half hour just kind of staring into space or chatting amongst themselves. They also have open swim on Fridays from 4-7pm which is (for non residents) $5 per child and $10 for adults.

After 5:00 summer series Wednesday wine down:I recently visited this Little Black Pearl, and I have…read moreto say the energy when I walked in was great. I was surrounded by such positive, welcoming people of all ages. Throughout the night, we sang karaoke, played cards, shot pool and listened to good music. What really stood out to me was how safe, inclusive, and comfortable the environment felt. Everyone was so kind and genuine. But what truly touched my heart was how the community embraced my brother, who is special needs. There was no judgment only acceptance, laughter, and open arms. For the first time in a long time, I didn't feel like I had to be on guard, watching to make sure he was being treated with respect because everyone just welcomed. It was a relaxing night filled with connection and joy. I would absolutely come back and recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, warm, and safe space. Thank you for such an unforgettable expeience.

The organization for which I work recently held an event at Little Black Pearl (LBP). The support…read moreand service we received was beyond stellar! LBP provided the space, catered the food (via their onsite cafe, Carver 47), connected us to amazing balloon and floral vendors, and provided other accoutrements (e.g., tables and chairs, table coverings, a stage, sound and tech support, package management). LBP's one-stop shop especially helpful given that our planning team resided outside of Chicago. There is so much to applaud from the experience: the warm and inviting space exuded elegance; the feast was as beautiful as it was delicious; and the LBP team's interactions with us (from planning to completion) was the epitome of grace and hospitality. They accommodated every request and did so with an exceptional level of excellence. When we asked that the menu include a vegetarian and Halal dish, they ensured guests had multiple options. When we requested assistance erecting our banner, they took on the task of assembling the entire structure, even machine washing and drying it when they noticed a stain. Compared to other spaces we considered (and have used in the past) across the city, LBP's offerings and support stood head and shoulders above and their love was palpable in their attention to details.That they have a heart-centered mission and work in support of youth and community was tasty icing on an already amazing cake. Thank you, Little Black Pearl team, for making our event a world-class experience!

I originally put this on google reviews but after I posted it, they deleted their whole google…read morebusiness account so you can no longer view it. Please don't come here if you actually care about the way your child is treated. Long read but worth it. This was my 5 year old's 1st dance class experience. She is quieter than most kids. She started in February 2025 and her last class was early June 2025. We noticed right away that the instructor, who I believe is the owner, Vienna had little patience with kids but we wanted to stick it out. She is usually running behind on classes so you'll start a few minutes late for a 30 minute class but she makes sure that she's done on time. She's on her phone most of the time & trying to figure out what music to play rather than having it ready before class. When she was showing the kids the recital, she was constantly changing moves & making the dance up on the spot. At the last class my daughter attended, you could tell she wasn't feeling class and not doing her best moves. Vienna kept calling her out and telling the class they had to start over because my daughter was doing it wrong. Naturally, that brought my daughter down & she checked out (understanding since again, she's 5). Vienna kept calling her out the whole 30 minute class then grabbed her arms aggressively to do the move properly, mind you she almost never even acknowledges my daughter the whole time she's been enrolled. My daughter came out very sad telling me she doesn't want to come back & of course I don't want her back there either since I did witness everything. I emailed them the following week letting them know she won't be back & asked when we can get her recital costume since we paid for it & she loves playing dress up. Vienna asked if there was something we can work out so she can do the recital at the end of the month & said we can pick up the costume during open business hours if not. The manager, Camille, who is Vienna's mom called me & left messages. I honestly didn't want confrontation so I figured I would respond once we got the costume with the reason we made this decision. My aunt went to pick up the costume for me & they asked if I can call and confirm that my aunt is allowed to take the costume. When I called and told Camille that it was ok, she asked me what happened. I told her what happened & she got defensive & said kids need to be corrected. I agreed but said not to the extent Vienna went to & my daughter was no longer comfortable coming to their "Housee." She asked what I would do when my daughter was corrected at school & I told her she is already great in school & we don't have issues like this. I then told her that I felt Vienna was aggressive when moving her arms and she said she found that hard to believe. Then Vienna took the phone and said I needed to email that it was ok my aunt take the costume which I was trying to do but then she started yelling and I couldn't even understand what she was saying at this point. I told her I wasn't arguing with her & this is exactly why my daughter wasn't coming back & why I didn't tell them why until I got the costume because I KNEW this kind of situation would happen. My mom took the phone from me and told them this wasn't the time to do this since we were at gymnastics so Vienna put the phone down & Camille hung up on my mom. My aunt was cordial with them the whole time but they were being snippy with her. Then they were talking negatively about a 5 year old while my aunt was right there; saying she never listened anyways (which is not at all true plus she's been in gymnastics a year & has absolutely no issues, never wanted to quit either). Then again infront of my aunt, Camille told Vienna that they shouldn't give my daughter the recital shirt but Vienna said just to give it to her because we paid for it. I've seen and heard them acting this way to kids & parents & was hoping I wouldn't have to do this review but here we are. My family nor my daughter never gave them problems but they don't like being told they're wrong. A simple "I'm sorry you feel that way" would have been fine. Extremely unprofessional & I bet they will respond to this with something passive aggressive like their last negative review. This all just shows what kind of people they are.

Ms. V is an excellent teacher. My granddaughter loves going to little tip toes. She met new friends…read moreand is learning how to dance. The studio is very clean and very organized

Positives: satisfactory and clean, which honestly goes a long way…read more Negatives: pretty much everything else. It feels stuck in the early 2000s, especially compared to the other Lifetimes. I abhor the sauna setup, the coed situation is not it and makes no sense, it skews heavily male and the lack of consideration for women is honestly aggravating. And the front desk can never seem to be bothered with a simple hello or even basic acknowledgment.

After a brutal long day at work as a blue collar laboror, the last thing I want is the male front…read moredesk receptionist doing a 360 ballerina spin after scanning my id, no thanks. Enjoyed playing with the vast amount of LED color options in the dance rooms however.

This organization and the events held at Lincoln Way North High School (at their Performing Arts…read moreCenter) is just an absolute hidden gem, especially if you live in the Southwest suburbs and enjoy the performing arts. Maestro Carmen DeLeone who conducts the IPO, has also been Music Director of the Cincinnati Ballet since 1969, and just last season he also marked his twentieth year as Music Director of the Middletown Symphony in Ohio. At New York's Carnegie Hall, he has served as Conductor and Host of the "Family Concert" Series, and in Europe, he has conducted frequent performances with the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also an accomplished composer and really has a passion for music. His energy and love really come through as does the enthusiasm and passion of all the members of the IPO. This is really an outstanding experience and a great well kept secret. This past Saturday's event featured John Adams - The Chairman Dances, W.A. Mozart - Symphony No. 35 in D Major ("Haffner"), and Sergei Prokofiev - Piano Concerto No. 3. We also were able to enjoy an incredible appearance by Anthony Molinaro who is a world renowned Piano Soloist and his performance was excellent.

I saw them perform yesterday at Trinity Christian College and they were fabulous! They had a youth…read moreprogram and played Beethoven's 5th symphony. It was an interactive performance where the conductor was great at explaining the music, Beethoven's intentions, and sample pieces so that kids could follow along. After, we got to meet a bassist and learn a bit about his instrument. Wonderful experience.