We've had nothing but a good experience with CCDS. Over the years, my daughter has tried 3 other dance schools in the area. Each of them have their strengths & weaknesses, but FOR MY DAUGHTER, CCDS has offered the best balance of classes & quality of instruction for my daughter's interests.
These are MY impressions.
If you're just casually interested in having your daughter or son take a few classes, that is probably fine for a couple of the early years at CCDS. Your child can be involved as much or little as you want. However, after a couple of years, they do seem to want you to be more serious about it. They will ask that you enroll your child in more varied classes including technique classes. You can only learn so much by learning steps for a recital. At some point you need to learn technique outside of the framework of a routine. For instance, they offer "Leaps & Turns" and "Cecchetti" (google it) classes.
My daughter, age 11, was asked to be on the competition company this past year. It was a tough decision to let her do it. For us, it is a huge commitment, both time-wise & financially, with 3 nights of classes each week (2 of those nights with 2 or 3 classes) & one class on Saturday. That's basically a minimum schedule for being on the company, but my daughter loves it and NEVER complains about going to class. To the contrary, she runs in the door because she can't wait to get into the studio. We do it because we want her to experience the opportunity to do something at a high level. She has no plans to become a professional dancer, but she loves the art & the process. But, unless you child is on the competition company, your commitment is not likely to be that "strenuous".
I'm not sure what the comment is about Mr. CC yelling or being rude to anyone. I've never seen anything of the sort. In fact, I've seen the opposite... nothing but concern & happy faces. At a parents' meeting, he once said something to the extent of "If you've ever seen Dance Moms, that is NOT what we are. We are the opposite." and I've found that to be true. Yes, they insist on regular attendance, typical for ANY team activity. It is just basic respect for the members of your dance "team". If one person is missing, it spoils the choreography & requires others to adapt to that empty spot which slows down the learning. If you can't commit to your child being at most classes or rehearsals, then you MIGHT want to choose a different school with lower standards.
I think CCDS strikes a good balance between having high standards & being aware that people have lives outside of dance. But, you will be required to show up for classes in the correct outfits, or correct make-up & costume for recitals.
Also, you have responsibilities as a parent to be aware of the requirements for participating in recitals & dress rehearsals. There are deadlines (including payments) for ordering costumes. There are picture days and your child will be required to wear the right makeup, have their hair done a certain way, to have the right tights & shoes, etc. This is typical of all dance schools that we have experienced.
Also, there are schedules for recitals, rehearsals & such. The information is there, you just need to open your eyes & read it. The teachers are not going to pound you with information. Newsletters, websites & Facebook will keep you informed. You, as a parent, have to be involved more than merely dropping your kid at the door & picking them up when class is over. That doesn't mean you need to be a helicopter parent (or "overbearing" per Halie J's review), but the studio is not a babysitting service either. Either you want your child to be involved in dance AND you are willing to do what you need to do to support them, or you aren't. If you don't want to put in any more effort than signing a check & dropping your kid, then you possibly don't want to enroll at CCDS. But it's not a massive effort, it's just "being involved", the same as any school sport or activity. CCDS is not an insane gung-ho studio (ala Abbie Lee), but they do have standards to adhere to - for everybody's benefit.
At the same time, there is a lot of fun happening there too. All of the parents I have met are really nice. The teachers are very nice and the girls (& boys) all seem to love them. They seem to honestly love the kids. I have seen real tears from teachers when their oldest students "graduate" to move on to college & life. It's like family there. THAT's the real gauge of the studio for me. When I see hugs & smiles between the kids & the instructors AND my girl is excited about going AND her skills are growing, I know we've got a good situation.
The best thing I can probably say is that CCDS has been in business for 35 years with hundreds of students attending & returning every year. You don't achieve that without being good and fair. There are too many other dance schools around. From OUR experience, CCDS is right there in the top layer. read more
