We just started during the summer and Centre Stage already feels like home! Coming from my daughter's old dance studio was tough because she loved them. The transition was smooth and seamless. All the instructors are super nice and have been great with all the dancers. Allison is the best! Thanks for making our baby girl feel right at home! read more

Centre Stage Dance Academy - Performing Arts Near Me - Monrovia, California

A gem in the Monrovia community! 3 spacious studio rooms with sprung marley flooring, a nice size waiting area, free street parking, and a variety of classes/styles for kids of all ages plus adults. You can tell the owner Alison has a passion for dance and working with kids and made us feel very welcome here. Grateful to have found this studio! read more

CSDA has become a second home for my family. My daughter was immediately embraced by the culture of the studio. Not long after she started classes, I started taking adult classes. We love the variety of classes and the instructors are so wonderful. read more

My 4 year daughter has been doing her dance (hip hop/ tap) at this place for months now, and I should say it was awesome. Her dance teacher was very patient and calm. She makes sure they get the steps right, even if they have to do it over and over again until they get it. She's very patient and very gentle with the kids. My daughter loves it. She's always excited to go. When they closed do spring break, she was "oh no I missed dance!" But I told her you're fine. It's spring break. I can't wait for the dance recital coming up soon!! read more

CSDA is the best!!! I started taking my daughter here 4 years ago when she was 4 years old. She was shy, timid, and wouldn't talk to anyone. She quickly came out of her shell, due to the love, comfort and support of her teachers, peers and older dancers. She has learned and grown so much in the 4 years she's been at CSDA, not only as a dancer but also as a human. This studio has become her home away from home!!! read more

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We love CSDA! My daughter has been attending classes for over 4 years and on the competition team for 3. She has grown tremendously! Not just as a dancer but as a young women! She is truly cared about and loved by her teachers! CSDA is our second home and truly a place of peace and joy for her, where she can dance her little heart out! We have definitely found a family here and will be here for the long haul! I cannot say enough how thankful I am for this place! read more

Centre Stage Dance Academy - Performing Arts Near Me - Monrovia, California

Note in case you're wondering: 4 classes a month= $55/month (don't know the cost of registration) Not a fan. My girlfriends and I went there to try out their free hip hop class for our daughters. It was a waste of time. They didn't allow us to see what was going on until about the last five minutes of the class. The setup of the place is weird. There are two instruction rooms connected to one another without a hallway of any kind. In order for us to get to the second room where the hip hop was being taught, we had to cut straight through the first room (pretty much interrupting that class). Thinking back on it now, I don't remember seeing an outside exit door in the second/back room. If there isn't one, then they actually cannot be teaching classes there because that would be a fire trap/hazard. Don't quote me on that, though- there could've been an exit. I wasn't paying attention enough to remember because I was trying to watch our kids dance. The hip hop class was not fun at all for any of our three kids, not even the one who's done hip hop before. It was only a trial class but our kids were being treated like all the other current students whom had experience, so it was super fast paced and the class was too large and crowded for that little room. The thing is, all three of us wanted to try their ballet class but we missed the free trial for it and decided to give the hip hop one a try in case the kids liked it, so we could maybe do both hip hop and ballet with them. But we were so turned off by the hip hop one, we just never went back to try the ballet. read more

My daughter started dancing here at age 21/2. At first, Miss Amanda was great. My daughter loved her and loved to dance. It just so happened that Miss Amanda was always her teacher because that's the age group she taught. When we first started here they had at least 3 different teachers for the young girls but for whatever reason after the first year Amanda was the only teacher left for the young girls. This meant most of my daughters classes were with her. Not sure why but over time it seemed like Amanda's patience started to grow thin with my daughter more so than with the other kids. She just always seemed so annoyed with my daughter which was so sad because my daughter loved her. My daughter and her friends would do the exact same things and yet only my daughter would get called out. My daughter started to feel it. I confronted Amanda a few times about the disconnect and the blame was always put on my daughter for either talking in class or doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing. It was very hard as a parent to see my 4/5 year old being treated like a problem. She was starting to loose her interest in something she loved all because of the way her adult teacher was treating her. I would always communicate with my daughter about her feelings & her point of view and if there was something legitimate she did wrong I would have her apologize. With that being said, any time I confronted Amanda about the way she was singling out my daughter and how it made her feel I would get met with denial. She told me she had no intentions of singling out my daughter but her actions did not match her words. The pandemic hit and the kids didn't get to go to in person classes for a year. Finally they returned to in person and there were cameras set up for kids who were still joining via zoom. This meant parents could watch the classes via zoom as well. I was sitting in my car watching her class & the kids were having a high energy day but nothing crazy. Amanda was asking them to settle down and they did. Then I witnessed Amanda, once again, single out my daughter. She said "Ari stop, seriously STOP! You're not funny and you're not cute".... TO MY 7 YEAR OLD!............ "You're not funny and you're not cute"..... i saw the hurt on my daughters face, I was disgusted! She didn't do anything even remotely close to deserve being treated that way. It's been a year so I honestly don't remember if it was Alison or Amanda but I also witnessed one of them get frustrated with the class talking & their solution was to turn the music so loud so they couldn't hear each other when they tried talking. Mind you the kids had just returned to class, they had to wear masks, be in their own squares, stay 6 ft apart etc. There were a lot of changes. It was a lot even for a grownup so imagine how uneasy 5/6/7year olds felt. My take was that the kids were just so excited to be back in class and see friends. Sure, maybe they could've had a better day following the rules in class but Amanda did not handle the situation like an adult. I confronted her again following that class where she made those hurtful comments to my daughter, there was literally no way she could deny saying it when I heard it & saw it with my own eyes & ears. I was met with 0 remorse and again she tried to blame my daughter for being "cheeky" with her. She also gave me an attitude and said I should talk to Alison if I have a problem. I never took my daughter back. That day my daughter was so hurt by the words her teacher said to her. It was so disheartening to hear a grown woman my age talk like that to my 7 year old. Especially after being her teacher since she was two. The worst part is she didn't even care. Something Amanda doesn't know is my daughter was also dealing with bullies who that very same week were calling her names and physically bullying her. So to have her teacher bully her with her words & say something like "you're not funny and you're not cute" .. it was like pouring salt in a wound. Words really can cut so deep. You never know what someone is going through. A teacher should be kind with their words, not say something so cruel. My daughter gave up dance that day because of how her dance teacher made her feel and as a parent that hurts me deeply. If I have my child in an activity where I have to leave them in the care of someone else then I want to feel extremely secure in who I am leaving them with. I didn't feel that with CSDA. And don't even get me started on their inclusivity.. Their whole motto is inclusion but unless you're paying the big bucks to have your child in their competition dance there isn't any of that. read more

Parking is really bad!! Street parking if you can find any. I took my 3 years old daughter for the first day. Can't find parking, we were late. Then got in the class late there were over 15 kids in the class. It was crazy!!! 1 teacher and all these kids. They allow you in to see the class at the end. There were kids doing different things. Teacher would have to stop every time to ask the child to stop touching everything or wonder off. If this class was only 8 kids. It would be much better. Kids can't learn if there are so many in class and 1 teacher. It is not worth putting my child in until there's some changes in the future. read more

This is the best dance studio! All of the teachers are caring, nurturing and most importantly help all of the kids to be their best! (In dance and life!) Both my daughter and son dance here! Wouldn't go anywhere else! read more

My child has been dancing at CSDA since 2010 - first as a rec dancer and then as a member of the competition team since 2012. I have nothing but good things to say: my child has been taught with love, patience and kindness. Teachers are firm but caring. They are highly skilled and the quality of teaching just gets better every year as the studio grows and staff is added. The facilities are clean and safe: yes, there are two exits in every studio. There are video cameras in the lobby for parents to watch their children if they are being taught in the back studio; the other two studios have viewing windows. This is a place where kids learn more than just dance: they learn how to be good humans, how to work together in a choreographed group routine, how to be kind and supportive of each other and how to work hard to achieve skills, amongst other things. I highly recommend Alison Hooper Keslake and her staff at Centre Stage Dance Academy!! read more

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I have been taking my daughter here for over a year. A friend recommended them to me, and I couldn't be happier. This dance studio is outstanding. The instructors are very knowledgable, fun and loving. The owner is super nice, and constantly works so hard to make sure that everyone who walks through those doors feels appreciated and receives top notch dance training. read more

This studio has changed my daughter for the better. She has danced there for almost 10 years and has been part of their National Championship Competition Team for the last 5 years. As a clumsy elementary schooler, we thought there was no hope for her. But this studio has taught her not only how to be an elite dancer who thrives off of performing for others and consistently improving, but that she is part of a family. The friends she has met are like family, the teachers are second parents and siblings to her and I couldn't be more impressed with how the teachers truly care for their students. I would and have recommended this studio to many and can't say any of them have been disappointed. Sending your child to this studio would be an excellent choice for you and your dancer. I'm confused by the previous negative post mainly because there is not a teacher there who teaches dance named Kylie. Possibly check with the owner on that? Their motto... #oneteam #onedream read more

Centre Stage Dance Academy - Two time National Title winner at Next Level Dance Competition with the help of these fabulous ladies! - Performing Arts Near Me - Monrovia, California

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We love Centre Stage Dance Academy!! My daughter has been taking classes with this amazing staff for four years now and they have become her second family. It truly is her home away from home. She started with taking a few beginner classes a week to taking unlimited intermediate/advance classes as she progressed. She has also had the opportunity to be a part of their competitive dance team. We are so blessed to be part of such an incredible loving, nurturing dance studio. read more

Kylie, the instructor, is absolutely incompetent and unorganized. They are quick to take my money but slow to get my kids what they need for the classes. She has no patience when it comes to teaching kids. She is just there for money and NOT the sake of teaching. I recommend look else where if you want quality training. read more

CSDA is my daughters favorite place to be. Alison is not just an amazing dance teacher but someone who truly cares about making a difference in kids lives. All of teachers are great and the friendships that are built are lifelong. My daughter has been here for 2 years and has been on the competition team for 1 year. She is completely hooked and can't wait to see where this journey will take her. read more

Short and sweet....good place with lots of professional talent. HOWEVER: the owner appears to only speak to and greet parents whom she has friendly/historical relationships with. My child has been taking weekly classes there for nearly 6 months now. When she (the owner) is in the front lobby, she will literally look my way and either look away quickly or stare at me poker-face. Not OK. The front office manager/her mother (Debbie) is terrific! She's friendly, helpful, informative and understanding--definitely a professional ROLE MODEL. It's challenging enough to have several 'dance moms' around you every week, but to have the owner snub you is just too much. Not sure if we'll be returning. Appropriate social skills go a long, long way... read more

I have both my 3 year old daughter and 5 year old son taking classes here. I LOVE this studio! They are friendly, treat you like family and are great with the kids! All the teachers we have experienced thus far have been completely qualified to teach our kids and have treated them with respect and care. So...my experience with this studio has been top notch from enrollment to the availability of the teachers and owner for questions and concerns, I recommend it! read more