Calendar Girls was very well done. Fun & playful. The cast was terrific.Theatre doesn't have a…read morebad seat, parking is free and convenient.

Generally very good community theater. A well run volunteer organization that usually puts out a…read moregood product

I attended a Swing Dance event at The Lasley Centre For The Performing Arts recently. A friend of…read moremine was teaching a Swing Dance lesson one evening, immediately followed by a Swing Dance with a local band named "The Silver Tones Swing Band" providing the musical accompaniment. It was $10.00 per person to get in the door. Bottled water, a few different beers, and one red wine and one white wine were available for $5.00 each. I had a cup of the red wine - was pretty good. I met the daughter of the owner - she was manning the bar. Very nice people! I don't dance - and I did not attempt to participate in the dance lesson due to a lower back problem. But it was sure fun to watch the lesson, and then later the dance. There was an interesting mix of older and younger dancers. During the lesson - Ben made everyone periodically switch partners - so you basically cycled around a large circle. The lesson and the dance was held in a rather large room that I guess is a dance studio. There is a smaller second room where Ben held some more lessons after the dance started for those who felt like they needed more instruction. The only two things I will ding them on is: (1) Not enough capacity and hangers for folks to hang their coats; (2) The price of the bottled water was a little steep! I hope The Lasley Centre For The Performing Arts does well!

When we moved to Warrenton, I set out to find a dance school that would foster the same love of…read moredance in my girls that I had growing up. I enrolled them in a program but was quickly disappointed in the quality of teaching and mentoring that they were receiving. As a former dancer--I took ballet for 5 years as a teenager--my expectations were high. I wanted my girls to have the same positive, nurturing, challenging and inspiring experience that I had. Unfortunately, my girls hated going to dance class. We finally agreed to let them quit, a decision that didn't set well with me or my husband, but I could see they weren't learning anything. I found out about The Lasley Centre a year ago and enrolled my 8 and 10 year old daughters. Now, they love ballet and I can happily say that we have found the dance community I was looking for. From the professionalism of the teachers to the excellence of dance skills to the fellowship of the students to the community of parents and families, The Lasley Centre is everything I had hoped it would be. They teach kids responsibility and commitment along with a solid ballet foundation. And, they don't do recitals, they give performances. I believe, The Lasley Centre is an outstanding addition to our Arts community.

Great facility, just beautiful. Huge stage and the acoustics are tremendous, all the seats have a…read moregreat view of the stage. see everything, hear everything. 1 point hit for place was warm, and no restrooms or drinks except on ground floor, I was in the 4th. Easy parking, easy to get too

We just went there last weekend to see Jeremy Jordan, a show I'd been waiting to see for months…read more During intermission, I was waiting in line for the ladies room & had on wedge heels, causing me to roll my ankle. Which usually would be no big deal, but I also dislocated my knee cap. Within 30 seconds 3 ushers appeared wanting to know how they could help, as I sat there crying "I don't know but I'm NOT missing the end of the show! The hospital will be open when the show is over!" These amazing ladies, who I wish I knew their names to thank individually, literally ran and got me a wheelchair & wheeled me into an accessible seat for the remainder of the show & I didn't even miss a single song! Thank you to those wonderful ushers who helped me.

I am so disappointed to be writing this because Virginia National Ballet used to be such a…read morefantastic school. We were part of this community for a long time and truly loved the environment they provided, but things have changed drastically. It feels like the school has shifted its focus entirely toward profit rather than the well-being of the dancers. The atmosphere has become incredibly corporate and greedy. It is clear they no longer care about the students' feelings or their personal growth--it's all about how much money they can squeeze out of the parents. Decisions seem to be made based on the bottom line rather than what is best for the kids, leaving many students feeling ignored and undervalued. It's heartbreaking to see a place that once felt like a second home turn into a business that only sees its students as tuition checks. Save your money and find a studio that actually values its dancers as people.

I hope this business is run with more humanity than one of it's founders/managers teaches her…read moreprivate lessons. As an artist, I believe that art nourishes society as much as the singular soul. Because of its healing potential, I hold that its training should be taken seriously and rigorously. But I also know that it is possible to train with dedication and intensity within a culture of support, kindness and respect as my primary voice teachers include Benita Valente, Sharon Sweet, Barbara Honn, Virgina Zeani and Joan Lader--many of whom had major international careers at the Met and beyond or teach the leading singers of Broadway and Opera. For a brief, but very dark, chapter in my training, I had the misfortune of taking lessons with Ms. Catbas. Perhaps it was just her projecting her own career and life frustrations, but her insecurity led her to be abusive, manipulative and condescending. I and other students had to report her conduct to administration. Suffice to say, it took me some years to vocally, physically and psychologically recover from the abuse rendered in her studio. It ultimately made me stronger as a person, but I wouldn't wish it on any other young person as life is so precious, so short and the craft so long to learn. Young artists are sensitive and it's tough enough to pursue the arts; fascistic training need not exacerbate it. As I look back, I see she was desperately unhappy and unfulfilled and I do hope, indeed, she is a more content person today to prevent this kind of cruelty. Practically speaking, too, I think most students would be more behooved by teachers who have continued their education and can combine solid bel canto training with updated research on vocal anatomy and speech pathology. It doesn't serve a young singer to study with someone who lacks deep knowledge but postures otherwise. I am sure she is a competent administrator for the Ballet; I just hope she treats her staff--as well as any current students--better than has in the past. I feel compelled to share this simply as a public service announcement because I don't want others to suffer as me and many of my peers did. When she wants to be charming and kind, I'm sure she is for her own purposes. But over the years, many have suffered; suffered to the point where Alexander Teachers and other vocal instructors across Baltimore associated her name with abuse and pettiness. Art heals, art unifies, art cultures humanity: there was no art in Ms. Muscat-Catabas's teaching.

My daugher (now 8) started to dance at Showcase since she was 3. Her first ever dance teacher is Ms…read moreSarah (we love her). All are so very skilled and kind. You can tell their amazing skills, and her dedication to dance and to the kids. THEY ACCEPT BABIES IN DIAPERS - Showcase start their dance classes for 18 month old babies. Yes! This was my first concern for my daughter because she was 3 when she started but no other studio would take her because she wasn't potty trained yet. (i did went to 3 other dance studios around the area and they rejected my daughter because she was still on diapers). In only a few weeks, we don't need diapers as she copied her classmates and learned to potty eventually. PROFESSIONALLY PLANNED RECITALS- These kids are no dance professionals but if you have been to a Showcase Studio recital, you will feel how professionally they have prepared the kids' dances and the whole show preparation and presentation looks amazing. Also, in spite all the great dance numbers, they also have a parent and child dance number (although I never tried it because I don't dance, I enjoy watching kids dance with their parents during recitals) ORGANIZED MEMORY ITEMS- yearbooks, dance pictorials, dance apparels with Showcase is such an important factor of why we love how they value each dancer and create memories as the kids grow. For most parents, this is so very important. CLEAN, CHILD-FRIENDLY and SIBLING-FRIENDLY STUDIO- Showcase now relocated to the new and bigger studio at 11252 Balls Ford Road. And you will be greeted by kind and accomodating faces like Ms Meg, Ms Michelle and Ms Tasha. We don't have issues waiting in the lobby with a 1 year old. They even have books to entertain the dancers' little siblings who are waiting. LEADERSHIP TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES- Showcase Studio dance teachers facilitate leadership trainings for the bigger kids to become assistant dance teachers and eventually become dance teachers themselves like my daughter's ballet teachers Ms Blair and Ms Jenni. Very impressive because of the opportunities for the kids to hone their talents and skills. They also acknowledge the dancers with school awards. This encourages the dancers to do well both in school and in dance. I can go on and on but this is becoming too long of a review. :)

I had the privilege to attend Showcase as a very young girl under a different owner. Fortunately…read moreenough, the current owner not only used to dance with my older sister, but decided to reopen the studio and continue the legacy after developing and creating her own very fun career. She came back to her roots and has continued to do an exceptional job at making this studio feel like home and every dancer feel like family. Showcase has 100% become a part of my family's own legacy, where generations have continued to grow and learn technique that carried on throughout, as well as have a familiar place to reflect upon after 20+ years. I am grateful to say I was raised by such a strong team of dynamic teachers and always looked forward to rehearsals, wherever the studio may be. Showcase Dance Studio is a team I will wear and represent proudly for the rest of my life.

We started drum lessons for my daughter six months ago and she is loving it. She even enjoys…read morepracticing which is very different from previous music lessons. The instructors make it fun to learn and the staff are pleasant and helpful. For more advanced students they offer performance groups which allows your child experience working with others to put on a concert. Your instructors will let you know when they feel your child is ready for this next step. Highly recommend giving them a try if your children are interested in music.

Awesome program. Their instructors are top-notch and the group lessons help the kids make an…read moreamazing amount of progress in such a short period of time because of the program. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for an awesome program for kids who want to learn an instrument :)

My daughter danced here during and after Covid. The dance training is excellent. It's the best…read moretechnique you can get in northern Virginia. Their Nutcracker is the best you will ever see from a dance studio : dancing, sets and costumes are world class. They also bring in many exceptional teachers for their summer intensives.

It wasn't a *terrible* studio when I first enrolled there at the age of 12. But that was also the…read moredreaded year of 2020, when we didn't have any performances or competitions to prepare for. That first year I actually had a fairly good experience, aside from the Covid precautions that were still in place. But sadly, once we went back to performing and competing during my second year there the studio showed its true colors. This studio is highly competitive and stressful. If you aren't already naturally amazing or flexible you will likely be ignored or yelled at. There is a lot of favoritism at this studio. If you aren't part of the owners invisible "A tier" group of dancers you will likely be stuck on the side and never given a chance to prove yourself. The owner's daughter, who I will not disclose the identity of, is also here. Which by nature means she gets unfair attention and opportunities that the other girls in her level don't. And to be fair, she is an amazing dancer, but the other girls in her level would probably be as well if they were given equal attention. And don't get me started on their pointe teachings. This studio has no pointe classes. Yet you are thrown into doing difficult pointe techniques without any proper explanation or training. The owners at the studio would constantly berate my pointe work. Yet wouldn't even bother to show me how to properly dance on pointe. I went THREE YEARS on pointe without knowing the fundamentals until I switched studios for good. For a studio that prides itself on having top of the line training and dancers, they are terrible at teaching pointe. And it's not just pointe either. A lot of the time they fail to properly explain difficult steps, leaving you either confused and lost or winging it. Your first year or so will probably be a nice experience, but sooner or later this studio shows its true colors. It's a nice place to go to if you want to do summer intensives for a few weeks. But I don't recommend staying full time. The hate I received from the owners here worsened my preexisting self doubt and imposter syndrome, and I'm still trying to get over their failure to be a good example. Academy of Russian ballet, you will not be missed.

Gainsville dance center is the best dance studio I have ever been to. This is my second year here…read moreand I already feel like this is my home. I am planning to tryout for the competition company team this summer and I am confident in myself.

If you have a 2-3 year old and are thinking of signing up, make sure your kid is good with group…read moresettings without you in the room from the start. If your kid cries because they are scared in a new setting, make sure they cry quietly otherwise your kid will be removed from class. After spending almost $300 between registering for the class and school and buying the required clothing and shoes, my kid was removed because she didn't cry quietly enough nor would they let me sit in the class for her to watch lest she "sets off the other kids." So if you think your toddler may cry and make noise, don't waste your money. You won't get it back either. No trial period.