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Blackbox Studios

5.0 (6 reviews)

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Kids 'N Dance 'N Theater Arts - Nutty Nut performance

Kids 'N Dance 'N Theater Arts

(51 reviews)

Laurel District, Lower Hills

I have two daughters who have many treasured memories from taking gymnastics, aerial arts, dance,…read moreand musical theater at Kids N Dance since they were little. They both developed innumerable skills and grew emotionally in countless ways under the supportive guidance and encouragement from all of the staff there, and especially from the owners. One of my daughters joined the Cirque Masquerade troupe (Expression Arts) in 2023, when she was 16. As in previous years, she has only positive things to say about Esme, Kris, and Marielle during her time in Cirque Masquerade. Like everywhere else in life, we have found at Kids N Dance that while things may not always be perfect, the staff there are all highly skilled at what they do, are compassionate and sincere, and very open to communication. As in other situations in life, rather than avoiding communication, it is always better to reach out with an open mind towards understanding the other's perspective instead of lashing out with negative reviews. Esme is brilliant, caring, and highly skilled, and like all of us, also human and not yet perfect. In our experience, it should be and is possible for mature adults to hold concerns about a perceived problem, and at the same time still recognize and show appreciation for the incredibly hard work that Esme, Kris, and Marielle have all done in order for our kids to be able to put on these magnificent shows. And let us remind ourselves that in situations where we demand curiosity from others, we should hold ourselves to the same standard and demonstrate the same curiosity towards them.

It is unfortunate that I must write this review, but we do so for the benefit of future families…read morethat may be considering Kids n Dance or Expression Arts as an outlet for their children. A little about our experience. Our daughter has taken many classes at Kids n Dance (owned and managed by the same persons who own and manage Expression Arts). As she grew older and developed a passion and skill for circus, she joined Expression Arts and was part of their circus troupe for 3 seasons. For a time, circus was a haven for our child. She built a community with the peer troupers and truly enjoyed the challenge and art of circus. Over the past two seasons, we have increasingly heard of concerns by our daughter about the environment at Expression Arts. While we were receptive to her concerns, we initially tried to ask our daughter to trust the program, embrace the challenges as opportunities to learn, and to believe in the positive intent of Esme, Kris, and Marielle. But over the past season the concerns and experiences have escalated. Numerous troupe members have come forward to raise awareness of troubling experiences endured over the course of years. Some of the concerns raised by troupe members and our daughter directly: Unsafe Physical Environment-Troupe members raised concerns of inadequate warm-up, inadequate breaks, extended time upside-down, and a persistent culture of pushing through pain and injury. During the lead up to performances, the children are often at practice for 6+ hours. Practice increases in frequency until the final few weeks preceding shows, where practice is nearly every day. During the two weeks of performances, troupers were initially asked to do 1 show on Friday, 2 shows on Saturday, and 3 shows on Sunday. Each show is ~2.25 hours. It was only after there were serious concerns raised in a parent conference with Kris and Marielle, that the 3rd performance on Sunday was cancelled. The standards, rigorous schedule, and high-risk performance are a dangerous recipe for the safety of the troupe members. Emotional Manipulation and Inappropriate Behavior- Esme often drifts between friend and coach with the troupe members. This relationship is confusing for the troupe members, with Esme using this bond to instill her values on the children and also playing favorites. Multiple troupe members have noted that Esme can be erratic in her behavior, switching between positive behavior and disparaging and belittling language. In one incident, Esme told our daughter that she must have "ADD" after our daughter offered to help with transitions. In another incident, Esme commented on the body figure of a trouper. And in another incident, she told a group of troupe members that their act was "stupid". In isolation these incidents may be explainable (and Kris and Marielle have attempted to rationalize all of the incidents), but what can't be explained or rationalized is how widespread and consistent the experiences are amongst the troupe members. After a senior troupe member sent a note to the troupe parents about her own traumatic experiences with Expression Arts, numerous troupe members came forward and shared consistent and repeated experiences. What is most concerning about our experience with Expression Arts is not the negligence of Esme, Kris, and Marielle, it is the complete lack of accountability and curiosity to do something about the numerous concerns raised by the troupe members and families. It is our belief that Esme, Kris, and Marielle have the best of intent. We believe they want to provide a safe place for children and to cultivate a thriving community built around circus. We also believe they are wholly incompetent and untrained in how to create this place. The incompetence can be addressed, there are programs like SafeSport which, coupled with Esme's passion for the art, could transform the space. But Esme, Kris, and Marielle first need to face the root of the issue and take the concerns seriously. After the senior troupe member raised concerns about her own experiences, she was abruptly removed from the troupe and essentially called a liar. The parents of the troupe then demanded a conference with Esme, Kris, and Marielle. Esme did not attend, but Kris and Marielle spent the bulk of 90 minutes deflecting and taking no ownership or corrective measures. Despite her initial love and passion for circus arts, our daughter has decided to close this chapter of her life and move on. Despite everything we note above, our sincerest hope is that Expression Arts and Kids n Dance thrives and can be a safe place for our youth to grow and express themselves. For this to happen, two things are needed: 1) Esme, Kris, and Marielle need to be curious, vulnerable, and accountable for the harm they are causing to the children. No more deflection. 2) Esme, Kris, and Marielle need to pursue the ongoing training to equip themselves to appropriately and safely engage with children and young adults.

Hipline

Hipline

(121 reviews)

Lakeshore, Lower Hills

I was going through a breakup over the summer and what better way to get over a man than to keep…read moremyself busy? I did the 2 week intro class pass because it was the same price as a single drop-in. I really took advantage of it because I was taking classes back to back every single day for those two weeks. One Saturday I took all their morning classes. That's like 5 in a row. It was amazing. I had so much fun! There's like a 15 min break in between classes. I love every single class that I took! The only downside to this is I live so far (South Bay) so to beat traffic on weekdays I would come super early (around 2-3pm) and sleep in my car parked at the Trader Joe's parking lot and wait for their 4pm class. I even considered moving to Oakland just so I can start taking their classes again and be in a closer vicinity. I love what they stand for (body positivity). I love the staff. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming. If you try one instructor and don't like their vibe or playlist, I encourage you to try another! There's always someone out there for you that fits what you're looking for. I cannot recommend this place enough and wish they had options for day passes. I wish I could come in for one day and take back to back classes again. Hoping they open a studio in the South Bay!!

This is an interesting spot. The vibe is warm and welcoming, they are definitely try to create a…read morehome away from home feel. Body positive. Not sure if it is a women's only space, but definitely has that feel. There was a spiritual/therapy element to the class I tried that felt jarring to me to be sandwiched between upbeat sexy dancing - I go to a dance class to have fun and work up a sweat, not get a surprise therapy moment in the middle, but ymmv. The style is follow-along, eg you have to watch to know what steps to do, because there is little to no verbal instruction on the steps/dancing. I asked if they had any classes with verbal cueing and they said no, they "encourage movement over perfection." My real complaint though is that they are very big on inclusivity and in a lot of ways walk the walk, but not with their virtual classes. Virtual classes are an accessibility need for folks with various kinds of disabilities, chronic pain or chronic illnesses, who are immunocompromised, who have care-taking obligations and may not be able to leave the home, and more. The virtual offerings are just in-person classes being live-streamed and they don't translate that well. Especially with the lack of verbal cueing, which means you have to stare at the screen the whole time... Which is not a great modus operandi for dancing in general, and really doesn't work with moves that have you move to the side, turn around, etc.! It makes sense that it doesn't translate well because the classes are designed for the in-person experience, not for streaming. Streaming is an afterthought. It is just super disappointing that despite all the focus on inclusivity, they offer zero classes that are designed for a high-quality virtual learning experience. They refunded my membership when I complained about it, which I appreciated and is classy, but I'd love to see the focus on inclusivity actually include sick/disabled people and others who benefit from virtual offerings.

VIBE Dance Studio - Heels Basics with Sophie, Thursdays 8pm

VIBE Dance Studio

(35 reviews)

We decided to check out this dance studio since we saw they were teaching a Kpop class. Luckily…read morethey were teaching 2.0 by BTS and we were excited. This was our first time at the studio. There's plenty of parking, and the studio is on the smaller side, but nice (there's two dance rooms--one larger one and one smaller one). Since the Kpop class was so popular, there were a lot of people, but we were in the smaller room, since it sounded like there was another group training for some sort of performance. Once they left, we switched over to the larger room. Isabel teaches the Kpop classes and she was so friendly and encouraging. She was patient and great at breaking down the dance moves, while moving the class at an appropriate pace. It is a 1.5 hour class, so we finished all the moves with 15 minutes to break into dance groups (not exactly my favorite part, because my brain can't usually learn all the moves in the same class). Of note, they do record the group dances, but you can probably sit out if you want (I just stick around because of peer pressure and low key want to remember how I looked from when I started until mastering the dance). It's also nice that she will be kinda doing the dance on the side to guide you. There's no level listed on the class, so I'm assuming it's all levels. Based on being at other dance studios, I think 2.0 was more of an intermediate level class, but it was very doable! Overall, I really enjoyed my class with Isabel!

Best dance studio ever. I joined the k-pop dance class and it's really fun. Isabel Jones is an…read moreamazing teacher who is kind and funny. She also lets you request whatever kpop song you want to warm up to and is just a great teacher and dancer overall. It is a stress free class where it's ok to make mistakes. Classes are Tuesday nights 8-9:30pm and Saturdays 3:30-5pm. The dance changes every week. You do learn the whole dance in 1.5 hours so it's fast pace, but you don't need to be perfect. I just have fun and don't worry about getting it perfect. She does record it at the end but you don't have to be in the recording if you don't want to. I recommend you bring a water bottle. If you have trouble finding it, it is near Vinnie's Pizza.

The Dance Floor

The Dance Floor

(14 reviews)

Berkeley Hills

I continue to be so beyond grateful for this place, their instructors, the leadership team and…read moretheir care for each person who walks through the doors. It's amazing to see how this small business has grown over the years under the leadership of the incredible owner! I love hearing people's stories, so if you get to try this studio, share your story with me!

This studio used to feel really special, but as it's grown, classes have become uncomfortably…read morepacked. With columns blocking the view + overcrowded space, getting a decent spot can feel competitive, which is a space issue that contributes to increasing tension between members. Lately, some of the messaging around space feels like it's putting the burden on clients, which can come off as frustrating or unintentionally shaming. I get that it's a tough room to manage--but there are better ways to handle it. The minute a business starts treating its clientele as gnats or 'entitled problems', is the moment that the heart of the business begins to weaken. Simple fixes like rotating rows each song, clearer spacing markers on the floor, or more instructor movement (use all mirrors!) could make a big difference. Even having a place up front just for newbies could be a positive way to address this vs making clients feel blamed for environmental and system barriers. There's still a lot to love here--I just hope the studio can hold onto the supportive, growth-oriented culture it's known for.

Blackbox Studios - dancestudio - Updated May 2026

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