Dance Arts is the best! The teachers and staff are always warm and welcoming, and their…read moreprofessional instruction is amazing. It's a always a joy to take dance classes there to improve my dance skills.

I've been to Dance Arts many times over the years for private lessons, and did it again this past…read moremonth. It is always an awesome experience because the facility is quite nice and recently remodeled, and the teachers are all consistently terrific. Seth was our dance instructor, and he is very personable and a wonderful instructor so it was a pleasure to work with him. And it seems like everyone is very competent and friendly. The owner Joanne is an incredible teacher, and a very nice personality, so in summary it's just a pleasure to be there, and I love this place!

Just Dance Academy has impressed us in every aspect. The studio director and staff exude warmth and…read morea love for dance. Jenna, the owner, is a graceful and enthusiastic instructor, and also an incredibly responsive and diligent administrator. She manages the studio with great care and professionalism, communicating quickly, paying attention to details, and always going above and beyond for her students and their families. Most importantly, my daughter loves dancing at Just Dance Academy. Her instructors have been outstanding, and the performances we've been a part of have been fun, innovative, and inspiring. The classes bring her immense joy, confidence, and excitement. We are so grateful to be part of such a nurturing, well-run, and inspiring dance community.

Artistry, Inclusivity, Athleticism, FUN and JOY! These are all the things that make Just Dance…read moreAcademy a spectacular community! My daughter started in 5th grade when we moved to Marin, with only one year of dance under her belt. Today as a 7th grader, she does Jazz, Ballet, HipHop, Contemporary, and Competition Team. She is learning creativity, resilience, artistry, and commitment -- dance has boosted her body confidence and helped her make a bunch of new friends in our new community. And then there's the shows (oh, the SHOWS!)...the winter show and spring shows are incredible! High production value and absolutely incredible choreography. Jenna and all of the teachers create a warm, welcoming, encouraging, and inclusive environment for all abilities and interest areas. Highly recommend!!

-----Adding to address Annie's comment below: Annie - if…read moreindeed you want to apply consistency across all performers, then when we fly in for the performance on Sunday we will join the show just like a number of other caucasian ensemble performers who had lower attendance and are still being allowed on stage. I plan to have my video on, so will record any interactions in which we're stopped from going on stage, and point to the caucasian students who have missed tech rehearsals this week yet still being allowed on stage. If paam is keeping our money, then we are performing on Sunday. Paam can also issue a refund and we'll be happy to go separate ways. But Paam does not get to take all our money and disallow us to be on stage yet allow others to be on stage who have lower attendance than our kids. Appreciate you doing the right thing. -----Original post: Our experience with the Performing Arts Academy of Marin (PAAM) has been deeply disappointing -- both in terms of fairness and the overall learning outcomes. The program feels heavily commercialized, prioritizing revenue over education or student experience. Tuition is extremely high for what ultimately amounts to very limited technical instruction, the pressure of buying vanity products aimed at parents who think their kids a star is everywhere, and the refund/credit policies are rigid to the point of being unreasonable. I've never written about race or discrimination in a review before, but I feel obligated to address it here because it has affected my daughters repeatedly. In the lyrical squad, choreography has been super simple and non-technical, yet cast placements have shown a clear pattern: the same Caucasian dancers are routinely placed front and center, while my older daughter -- who is a good dancer but not Caucasian -- is continually placed in the back or off to the far side. My younger daughter was once put in the front purely due to her small size in a formation, but it wasn't part of any fair or rotating system that would give all dancers a chance to shine. The final straw has been this: Multiple Caucasian dancers have been allowed to miss tech rehearsals and still participate in shows. Meanwhile, my daughters, who need to miss a single 24-hour window for a required ski team race and assessment (and for which we arranged to return early at significant cost of flying in, tickets already purchased), were told just 3 days before that they would not be allowed to perform once they fly in -- despite knowing their choreography thoroughly and being disciplined, capable dancers. The rigidity applied to them simply hasn't been applied to others. The pattern is painful to watch as a parent. It's demoralizing for kids who have worked hard and earned their place on stage. It's their right and not someone's at the front desk to strip them of who doesn't even see them. At the start of the year parents also receive an extremely one-sided agreement through DocuSign -- which I declined to sign because it was so imbalanced. I can't say I'm surprised. But it is disheartening to pay thousands of dollars for a program that delivers minimal instruction, selectively enforces rules for preferential kids, and ultimately allows discriminatory dynamics to persist. I wish our experience had been different, but based on what we've seen, I cannot recommend PAAM for families seeking a fair, inclusive, or educationally meaningful dance program.

I've sent my daughter here for the Holiday Spectacular one year and she loved it. However, I signed…read moreher up again and she didn't want to go again a year later and was scared to go. I'm not sure why but she said it was scary and wouldn't enter the studio. The holiday spectacular, while adorable-but can be very intense for smaller children. The (little) girls are all expected to wear makeup; such as mascara, rouge and lipstick, which some people may not want their kids to wear under a certain age. The performances are cute, but about 50 kids on stage. Pros: Nice facilities, clean, on trend dance classes (I.e Taylor Swift or Wicked/what's on broadway). Sweet teachers. Cons: Lots of marketing pressure to sign up for classes or your kid won't get into their dance class. Pressure to sign up when is opens or not in. $40 fee just to change a class even if you made a mistake. Their refund policy is not family friendly. I really tried to get my daughter (6) to go into dance class, but she was having anxiety about going. She was scared about going to a new class with new people and just wouldn't go in. This particular performance has about 50 little 6 year olds tap dancing or doing hip hop on stage and a wait list. So, it was a very popular class. However they don't offer refunds. The cost for a semester (Jan-May) is about $700 for a weekly lesson + performance. I think it's just something you should be aware of when signing up to send your kid here is that you may not get any funds back if they can't go for any reason. (Anxiety, injury, work/childcare issues etc.) So, perhaps think about this before you sign up. Recommendation: don't pressure parents so much on sign up day to get into the classes and then don't offer refunds. Offer more "try before you buy" options or options for little girls who might be more hesitant to try new things.

I was one of the older students in the open division adult classes for the last 2 years or so. I…read morehad never taken ballet at an early age so while I lacked the proper body training and preparation and attempted to start ballet at age 60 (15 years ago) I nonetheless had redeeming qualities, that being grace and good musicality and sometimes good form in certain movements. I could keep up with the speed pretty well, am fairly intelligent and enjoyed the rigorousness of the classes and the excellent teaching, as hard as it was for me at times to "keep up" because of my aging memory. At one point, 2 other women in my class (at least 50+ years of age) ganged together to bully and intimidate me because I wasn't dancing "in form" across the floor. One of them accused me of never having been in a performance before, and she was wrong--I performed at the College of Marin Dance Concerts as a student there. They had no right to gang up on me like that, and the teacher had never said anything about it. I was insulted and angry. I took the matter up in a private meeting with the teacher and executive director of Marin Ballet. I didn't expect much results but at least the offending party stopped going to that class for awhile. The bad news is, the instructor became suddenly very unfriendly towards me afterwards like he was angry at me for "rocking the boat" or something. I was very sad about that, and took classes until the end of my 20-class card that I purchased earlier and then left for good. When I told the office manager that I wasn't coming back and why, basically all she said was "have a nice day". In my book, there is absolutely no excuse why anyone should be bullied in a dance class, especially an older person. We should all feel welcome in dance classes, and I certainly never had this problem in any other dance classes I attended at other Marin dance studios and College of Marin. In fact, I was often complimented by the teachers. So I think the students that bullied me were completely out of line, and I had no support around that. I'm surprised that Marin Ballet wasn't more understanding around this issue, even though I know it does happen more on the professional level. But we were not all professionals in that class!

A very special place. A Marin institution. My daughter studied ballet here for many years. She…read morelearned so much more than just dance. She developed lifelong friends. (She graduated over 10 years ago but still gets together with her ballet class mates) The facility is amazing. And I just love going to the Marin Ballet Nutcracker each holiday season even though I no longer have a child in the program. This place is magic.

Where do I start? The instructors of MDT are nothing but passionate, caring and dedicated to the…read morelove of dance. Miss Vicki has been an amazing instructor. She is always creative with her curriculum! We are grateful to be part of this wonderful program!

I've been taking Nancy Gallenson's class the past 4 years, starting as a beginner, and I absolutely…read morelove it! I've tried classes in several places in the Bay Area, and I have to say Nancy's instruction is by far the best you will ever find in Marin, if you want to learn classical ballet technique as an adult beginner. I have tried them all, classes in the city, other parts of Marin. Her teaching style is very approachable and down to earth. The class atmosphere is friendly and non-intimidating. Nancy offers clear instructions at every level from beginners to advanced. No dancer is left behind in the dust. She explains everything and corrects everyone. Her classes offer a good cardio workout, builds strength and gives you the "ballet body", lengthening and toning your muscles. You'll be sweating at the end of each class. Dress code, anything goes, as long as your feet and ankles are visible. If you like wearing the gear, you'll feel at home joining the Yumiko leotard brigade, in every color under the sun. But if you just want to wear whatever leggings and t-shirt, that is fine, too. There's no pressure. The drive up to the school off the freeway takes you past verdant pastures of cows and open countryside. The school is located in a stunning original 19th century cloistered campus, anchored by a beautiful chapel. The studios are varied, but beginners are usually in smaller studios (great for inspiring high grand jétés) and the intermediate to advanced are in the larger, airy studios, each with romantic views of the beautiful original architecture of St Vincent's campus and the green pastures beyond. It's no wonder your worries evaporate as soon as you are in class. I joined her beginner pointe classes recently, as a complete beginner en pointe. In her enthusiastic manner, Nancy gives very concise instruction and inspires confidence for those learning pointe work for the first time, starting in mid-life. The MDT Adult-Teen program is a great place for adults to learn the basics, as well as for more serious students who hope to graduate on to pointe for their very first time as a mature student. What a great find.

The people in charge of this establishment should be ashamed of themselves…read more My son is a 13 years old professional recording artist who lives and goes to school in Marin County. Our school's music director reached out to me asking if my son could help the Stapleton School. Apparently, they were in need of a pianist who could provide musical accompaniment for a ballet recital. I was put in touch with Isabella Qureshi who is the Director of Stapleton's Theatre Division. Isabella began an email thread communicating with us daily to ensure that my son would be able to fulfill their request. I explained to Isabella that despite being only 13 years old, that my son is an advanced pianist who has both competed as a state finalist in the MTAC program and was also the recipient of the Marin Music Chest Scholarship (he won in his first year of eligibility.) After receiving the sheet music, my son set out to learn the pieces. We were sent 4 individual piano pieces. I should mention that my son is actively involved in numerous recording engagements and live performances throughout the U.S. While my son was willing to take on this request for help on behalf of the Stapleton School, by no means was it convenient to do so. My son dedicated time every evening to learning these pieces in order to get them performance ready. This was after completing all his school work and other responsibilities. By no means was this effortless, he spent about 2 weeks overall in preparation for the event. A couple days before the performance date, I receive an email from someone named, Janell McFarland stating how "small changes can really confuse the kids" and "thank you for your offer." First of all, we didn't offer, we were specifically asked to help the Stapleton School in their "time of need." Second, is this how you conduct business on a regular basis? What a shame! You could have used this as an opportunity to build relations within your community. Instead, your flippant disregard for a young man's commitment and dedication has left us disenchanted. I'd like the Stapleton School to know that I share this experience with everyone who mentions your name.

Recently saw Stapleton's Swan Lake ballet at the San Anselmo Playhouse. I was blown away by the…read moreprofessionalism and poise of the dancers. They all seemed to love to dance and obviously have really great teachers. The costumes were lovely, the music beautiful and all in all a thoroughly enjoyable performance! Thank you!

5 stars for wonderful teachers and really fun classes that my child enjoys so much. We love this…read moreschool a lot. -2 stars because it's become clear to us that none of the teachers are willing to maintain a respectful environment for little dancers to learn. The teachers are all very positive all the time (lovely! yes nurturing teaching!) but they all pretend not to notice when a child or several children (not babies or toddlers) are completely ruining a class by screaming, throwing themselves on the floor, or leaving every couple of minutes for a sip of water. The distractions are endless sometimes. This is a huge shame for kids who actually want to hear their teacher and be present in the dance classroom. Some kids have a hard time focussing when other students are cutting off the teacher non-stop. The teachers also fail to shut down loud conversations in the waiting area. Adults and other children watching the classes all too frequently talk loudly, eat loud snacks, run around wildly, or cry (baby and toddler siblings). The culture at this school is so fake positive that it ignores how stressful it can be for parents who want to watch their children dance and, most importantly, for kids whose learning is constantly interrupted by loud people in the waiting area. There is a nice space outside at the front of the school for people to excuse themselves, but the rudest people rarely do, and the teachers NEVER ask them to take a moment outside. Please PLEASE fix this problem so we can continue loving this school and recommending it to all of our friends with young children. My child has taken class from almost every teacher here, and we really do love it, but this is a problem that will likely send us to another school in the not too distant future if it's not resolved.

We started coming here when my kiddo was just old enough because we were looking for a mommy and me…read moreclass. Ms. Marissa is the best, and we continued here until my son aged out because she made dancing and learning ballet so much fun. We highly recommend this Tutu school!

I have been dancing with the Tam Twirler Square Dancers club for nearly five years, and I wanted to…read moreshare how much I enjoy the experience. I'm always looking forward to attending to the Wednesday night club dance. It is a fantastic environment for learning square dance while socializing with a kind and supportive group of dancers. Additionally, our caller, Eric Henerlau, is one of the best in the country; it is truly an honor to dance to his calls. Come to join the club and start to enjoy the fun!!

If you can walk, you can square dance!…read more The Tam Twirlers are a group of awesome humans that square dance! Warm, friendly, kind and helpful they made our move from NJ to No Cal easy - we had instant friends from our first visit. The music is delightfully varied; in a single night you can dance to everything from Led Zepplin to a medley of vintage funk followed by an old school cowboy song thrown in for good measure. Eric, the caller, patiently and wittily keeps everyone involved, slows down for the left behind and teaches all sorts of tricks and style. He often welcomes guest singers to join him, which adds to the fun! Patrick, our President, (4 more years!) leads the club with panache and a dash of Dad humor and the generous people who serve on the board make every occasion special with decorations and yummy food and general oversight. This club makes a point of welcoming and teaching newcomers in a safe judgement free zone. There are potlucks and monthly beginner's nights on the 1st Wednesday of the month; special event dances, classes - no you don't need a partner to dance! Folks come from all over to dance with us. We are all ages and types of folks. The hall is a funky huge room overlooking the bay and the Richmond Bridge - spectacular sunsets for break hangouts are a bonus. Come join the good clean fun at the cheapest most welcoming outing in town, exercise in slow motion to great music, in lovely company!

I love the new Fairfax location of Roco!…read more They've got a variety of dance classes to choose from - morning and evenings - like modern, ballet, hip hop, and zumba/latin. Great workouts, fun dancing! They also offer youth classes and summer camp. My favorite classes right now are Joan and Annie's modern classes, and Shana's Yoga Boogie Ballet. All of them work on great technique and core strength, while also just having fun with dancing and basic to challenging choreography.

(((Also posted on Mill Valley)))…read more (pardon my language) If you like to shake your ass, this is the place to do it! (ok language better from here on out) Let's talk about fitness with fun, dancing is the way to go. I've checked out Jacquie's Cardio Hip Hop and Beginners Hip Hop classes, they are both amazing. She's a great teacher and kicks your butt. Cardio hip hop is easy to follow and keeps your heart rate up, not to mention you are drenched with sweat by the time it's over. Jacquie also adds in a FREE weight training session to the end of both of her classes. Yeah, I said it, FREE... Whatever Jacquie says to do, I do it. Check out her body, she knows what she's doing. I dragged a friend of mine to Tika's "Zumba" class, zumba with quotes because it's not your normal zumba. Tika is all about the dance more then fitness and I appreciate that. Though I'm not drenched in sweat as much as Jacquie's cardio class, I appreciate the movement and feel Tika brings to her version of zumba. I'm a huge fan and I've been frequenting both Fairfax and Mill Valley studios at least 3 times a week. If you're looking for a great way to burn calories and having fun doing it. Check out the above mentioned classes. I'm a huge fan!

My 10 year-old has been at Splitz for about 10 years and it has been such a life-changing…read moreexperience. She has learned so much about dance and performing. She is so strong and confident from her time at Splitz!

Just finished taking an adult hip hop class with my friends and had an awesome time! It was such a…read morefun experience and can't wait until we can sign up for another class. We learned a whole routine and got to perform onstage which was scary and fun. Not only was it a great physical and mental release, the customer service is above and beyond. Stefanie was communicative, supportive, and just a down to earth person. It was not about the turn and burn of clientele. She really cares and is so sweet. I'm hoping to sign my girls up now :)