Ballet Hawaii puts on an amazing nutcracker show and shows in general, but there are a few things to address. This studio provides amazing opportunities and training for students, but the environment can be toxic and negative with some of the students and parent chaperones. An issue with a girl bullying several others has been brought to my attention, with minimal to no effort being put to stop her. I understand it is not the responsibility of a dance studio to resolve bullying situations, but if the bullying is causing girls to skip class and show days, it must be addressed at that point. As for the parent chaperones/volunteers, I have noticed several instances of them being extremely dismissive and disrespectful towards students and some audience members. Yes, putting on a successful production can be incredibly stressful, but that cannot be an excuse to be blatantly disrespectful to others, especially if you aren't even organizing the show and you are a volunteer. As a mother, I found it extremely hurtful to watch my child (and myself, for that matter) be belittled by a woman who believes she has all authority. She was a woman by the name of Hannah, for anyone who cares. As a volunteer who is supposed to be helping put a show together, disrespecting audience members (customers who PAY to watch the show) is quite counterproductive if you want to make any money at all. Ballet Hawaii, I urge you to address these issues, as they are starting to become seriously concerning. read more

Although I loved the Ballet Hawaii performance of the Nutcracker, with creative costuming and beautiful choreography, I must say that the venue was completely inappropriate. Deciding to have the performance in Blaisdell Arena, instead of the Blaisdell Concert Hall, which was under renovation, proved to be the worst idea. We spent a lot of money to get the "best" tickets on the bottom floor and I must say that the rows of seats were so close together that our knees were hitting the row of seats in front of us. Additionally, it was impossible to see any of the dancers unless they leapt into the air because the bottom level was flat. We were never once able to see the feet of any of the dancers. What a disappointing experience. We saw dozens of people leaving the Arena at intermission. This was a waste of time and money. read more

I took my young niece to see her very first ballet at Ballet Hawaii's The Nutcracker last week! As an arts enthusiast who just relocated from San Francisco, I am thrilled that Hawaii has a robust arts scene. The Nutcracker features Ballet Hawaii and the Honolulu Symphony, set in the Kingdom of Hawaii 1895. Having seen The Nutcracker performed in other cities, it was so amazing seeing this classic Christmas Ballet with a Hawaiian theme! The best part was my young niece was awe-struck and captivated by the beautiful performance. Well done, Ballet Hawaii! I hope to make this an annual Auntie and Niece Christmas tradition. read more

Ballet Hawaii - Dance Studios Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Apart from being exposed to ballet while living in Europe and studying culture and the arts there, ballet still remains for many, an acquired taste. Had the pleasure of experiencing Ballet Hawai'i's "Romeo & Juliet" at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. I didn't have any expectations, however I was impressed to witness the high level of excellence and technicality to detail that Ballet Hawai'i presented. I specifically enjoyed the beautiful scenes showcasing just Romeo and Juliet, their fluidity, passion and convincing devotion. A very tragic love story indeed that need not have been if Juliet just told Romeo of her plans beforehand. Though seriously, a timeless story that behooves us to live for today and cherish every moment. I surely did. Bravo Ballet Hawai'i! #Yelp 365: 025/365 read more

Ballet Hawaii - Dance Studios Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

My expectations were a bit higher for the performance. The production got better as it led up to the second act. A couple good moments but overall I was underwhelmed. read more

Ballet Hawaii - Dance Studios Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

NO ALOHA First, let me say that I had no problems with the classes. My daughter attended Creative Movement classes for the young kids (3-4yrs), and she loved every minute. The instructor seemed nice, and the students seemed to really love her. Things to know: 1. If you tell them that their student will have to travel to the Mainland because their grandfather has fallen seriously ill, and will therefore have to miss a few classes, they will respond by asking for a donation. 2. Once their student returns from saying goodbye/burying their grandfather, they will not be able to make up the classes they've already paid for....Unless you purchase additional classes, or make a commitment to do so by paying a deposit. Note: My daughter was not able to perform in their annual Spring Showcase due to aforementioned missed classes and rehearsals, but here is what I learned from the process: Regarding their Spring Showcase: 1. They will charge you a fee for the Spring Showcase, but will not tell you what it's for until you ask. It is for "production fees", as they "do not charge the students for their costumes and such." 2. At a later time, they will ask you to fundraise and contribute donations, because they "do not charge for the students' costumes and such." After you've paid a production fee. 3. You will not be able to watch your student at the Showcase...Unless you purchase a ticket. 4. Even if you purchase a ticket, you will not be allowed to photograph/record your child's performance. This is so they can sell you a "professional" recording later. So, like I said my daughter really enjoyed her classes. Our situation may not apply to you (I hope it doesn't) and may not affect your decision to attend. But I also wanted to share with you the things I learned from what we went through, in case it helps someone else. The instructor seems nice and is a legitimate dance instructor, but the administration is beyond the pale of your typical non-profit operator. read more

Me: "I just wanna dance!" World: "No, you're too old... adults can't learn how to dance. you're crazy." Me: "NOOOOOOO" Livingsocial: "The world's cray cray. You can dance. In fact, here's a discount!" Me: "My hero!" Because the world has been a mean bully for so long, it has been 5 years since I've stepped foot in a dance studio, and 10 years since I've stepped foot in a ballet studio. I was a little bit rusty. That's ok though. There are two classes here for beginning and intermediate adult classes. The beginning class really is for someone who has never danced before. However, I benefitted from taking one to remind myself of the basic technique. The intermediate class more or less contains retired dancers like myself and those who have started dancing and have been taking classes for about a year. The studio is located on the first floor of the building across the street from the police station. There is plenty of parking available at the roof of the building, but the garage is a little difficult to maneuver. They have changing rooms and restrooms with water fountains and a small kitchenette area if you are trying to fit this class into your busy schedule. If you don't have the right clothing, they are pretty lax about letting you take the class regardless. If you show up to a daytime class though, they have a store open to buy clothes/shoes. They have three clean well equipped studios with pianos, portable barres, and spring floors. Us adults don't have a lot of options where we want to dance, but this is by far the best option I've found in my 3 years living on the island. It doesn't hurt to just drop in and try a class or two. read more

LOVE the classes and teachers here! Not a huge fan of the administrative staff... kinda rude and pushy but if you can dodge them and go into class, do it! read more

I'm a parent and my five year old daughter takes classes here. She likes it, and it is wonderful to watch her dance. BUT, we have not been very happy with the school's efforts to extract additional money from parents. For instance, they ask the girls to sell packages of internet discount coupons as a fundraiser. This is not the Girl Scouts, and it is not something you ask a five year old to do! If I wanted her to be in a salesman's training academy, I would have signed her up for one. Then, they also ask parents to pay $21 for each ticket to see their kids dance in a recital. What? It's not like its a public performance of the Nutcracker. This is like when you were a kid, and you worked on your performance with your teacher, and then the parents were invited to see it. You don't charge the parents for that. If Ballet Hawaii needs more money from parents so they can pay their rent and instructors (and my understanding is that a lot of people are volunteers there, which is great), then they should just charge us more. I feel like I'm just getting off a flight on a discount airline... read more

Ballet Hawaii is a lovely gem of a training studio for my daughter who loves dance. Lesley is an amazingly organized 'do-it-all' for the organization and keeps me updated with progress via timely emails. My daughter is in her 2nd year taking ballet at this studio and loves her teacher Ms. Siko. I find the place clean, parking is easy and plentiful up on the rooftop, waiting areas comfortable, and the staff are pleasant. The opportunities that this place offers for my little child to expand on her dance expression in the studio and on stage is invaluable. read more

Ballet Hawaii - Dance Studios Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Wonderful performance of the Nutcracker. Principals were excellent. Enjoyed the live orchestral music. read more

Ballet Hawaii - Final curtain call! - Dance Studios Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Granted, I've only been to Ballet Hawaii for Street Jamz Werkout, the dancer in me appreciates the studios they have available for their dancers here! Studios are spacious and well lit. Mirrors galore and clean floors. I cannot emphasize the clean floors enough. Restrooms available inside. Parking lot available, don't know the conditions here since I walk to class. That said, love the location. Would love to try their ballet classes sometime in the future! read more

If you're looking for a studio for an aspiring ballerina starting at the age of 4. This is a great place for you. The artistic director Pam Taylor-Tongg makes learning the techniques fun. The spring show is amazing and the winter show is the best in town! read more

I like the new and spacious studio with good floors etc. The drop-in I took was good. Being a new student, I still got a couple of corrections. I'm used to a teacher who walks around during barre to correct. This instructor sat down during that time. Maybe it was just a bad day? My 2 stars is for disorganization. The school didn't bother to correct any schedule changes for the adult drop in class. I showed up on Tuesday morning for class at 10:00. They told me that class is no longer in session. Another worrisome incident. The secretary doesn't keep track of payments. I paid for a drop in class (cash). I get an email a week and a half later asking if I'd paid for that class. And another asking if I'd paid for a class that I haven't even taken. For a school with a good reputation on the island, I feel that this is really a bummer that they are unorganized. read more

They have a nice assortment of classes to meet many types of people needs! Claases for all ages are also offered. Not just a ballet studio! I love the Street Jamz Werkout class. Dance workout class thats lots of fun. You forget how much of a workout it is. read more

Eeeeeeeek! I have volunteered backstage for 4 years for this event and have always wanted to go. Watching The Nutcracker on television on Christmas Eve for my entire life has led me to this huge fantasy of watching it live. So this year I finally booked tickets to see the show. My sister and niece were in town from Chicago and we took our daughters for the Sunday matinee. A DREAM COME TRUE. Thanks you so much Ballet Hawaii for your tireless efforts and hard work. We enjoyed the show so much and I can't wait to go back next year! read more

A truly magical evening from beginning to end and that means alot coming from someone who has never attended a ballet performance before. For years I've toyed with the idea of attending a ballet because it's something my wife likes. But previous attempts to watch Swan Lake on PBN would put me to sleep. So I figured The Nutcracker by Ballet Hawaii would be a good compromise and if nothing else, I was familiar with the music. When we first arrived, I noticed members of the cast were in costume in the lobby offering photo opportunities for guests who arrived to see the performance. I was impressed with the details of the costumes and the courteous behavior of the performers. After a few shots, we checked out the small souvenir stands in the lobby which were well-stocked with T-shirts, bags, stuffed animals, etc. Another reason I chose this particular ballet was the music was being provided by the Hawaii Symphony. I've been lucky enough to attend several performances earlier this year and am becoming a regular fan. When the curtains went up, hearing the opening measures of the music and seeing the beauty of the set, I was truly impressed. And the dancing hadn't even started yet! The rest of the performance was applause after applause for each new group of dancers that appeared. Before I knew it, Governor David Ige was there to present an award to the show's director for providing years of service to Ballet Hawaii while the audience gave the company a standing ovation. I can't say enough good things about this show from the music to the dancers to the sets and even the program was well done with biographies of all the guest dancers who were performing tonight. If you have a chance, they have two more performances, the night of 12/19 and 2 PM on 12/20. If you don't make it this year, try to see it next year. It's well worth the money! read more

Definitely not the place for budding ballerinas to be, if they are at all self-conscious or nervous about dancing in front of people. We had a great experience at first when we were deciding which ballet studio to enroll our 5 year old in, after we moved to Honolulu this year. They welcomed us to view a class to see if our little girl would like it...which she did, so we enrolled her. After she experienced an actual class, however, she cried and begged not to go back...all the rooms have big glass viewing windows. She wasn't quite getting the hang of some of the moves, and she felt very shy about performing in front of everyone. The instructor seems like a caring lady, but I don't feel like she was able to give her the attention my little girl needed to get her off on the right foot (pardon the pun). Probably just too big of a studio, and we probably should have known better. Just wanted to provide some insight for any other parents out there who want their children's early ballet experiences to be nothing but positive. read more

My daughter and I love the instructors at Ballet Hawaii but we have doubts about how the operations staff prioritize ballet over academics/school. On what reasons or logic can they tell their ballet students to miss their school to attend a week day, mid-day Nutcracker practice? Ballet and performing arts are great classes to learn and appreciate the beauty of the dance but it shouldn't overtake the importance of academics. Where is the priority for the children's needs? read more

They told our child she could not use her glasses for "safety" reasons though she has no vision without them. They seemed to think was perfectly plausible. I'm not sure why. read more

Excellent performance of The Nutcracker. I haven't taken dance classes since I had children, but watching the show made me miss dancing and gave me a strong desire to sign up for a class at Ballet Hawaii. Loved every minute of the show!!! read more

what a delightful performance . I was invited to watch ballet hawaii by Dr Joy ostroff, her son Aron is very talented dancer in fact everyone involved in the nutcracker & Ballet Hawaii has amazing talent. thank you for a wonderful experience :) read more