She is very talented and professional. Everyone likes the way she teaches Piano lessons with high…read moreknowledge and experience. Yoana is highly recommended as a teacher for piano lessons

My first Theatre Sports experience was phenomenal and I can't believe the value for the money!…read moreAlso, maybe I was a bit spoiled: I attended their 30th anniversary, so alumni were present, which included celebrities like the Kokanee commercial guys and hometown-boy-done-good Nathan Fillion (if you do not know who he is, we can't be on speaking terms). Though, I feel slightly blasphemous by saying the locals did a wee bit better than Captain Malcolm during the "competition?" Makes me so proud of our local theatre scene! At any rate, soooo much fun watching improv teams compete against each other with audience suggestions. It's a relatively small theatre, so seats at the back (where my friends and I were situated) still had a great view. It's a first-come, first-served seating so if you're enthusiastic to get better seating, come early. After such a rousing evening, I have to say I've become a convert. Will definitely attend again.

I mentioned Theatre Sports in my review of the Varscona but it deserves its own attention…read more Theatre Sports at the Varscona is the best way to spend a Friday night in Edmonton, hands down. Not only does it support local talent and the arts, it really is the funniest stuff I have ever seen. What makes theatre sports different from Chimprov? Theatre Sports is a competition, Chimprov is not. Theatre Sports presents 2 comedy troops at a time (2 in the first half of the show and 2 different ones after the intermission) and they challenge each other to different tasks. They still follow basic improv rules and ask the audience for suggestions which it makes it even better because the comedy becomes interactive. They have a host for theatre sports (also the judge when needed to be) and he is hilarious! His name is Julian and I love love love him! The host sometimes changes at intermission so that Julian can partake in the actual Theatre Sports, which is always a treat. Theatre Sports goes from 11pm-1am on Friday nights at the Varscona. It only costs $10 and, believe me, you won't be wasting your money. Make sure to come a bit early though because they sell out fast! Theatre Sports is honestly one of my favorite things about this city and I want the rest of Edmonton to discover it for themselves!

Kids take a weekly private lesson focused on popular rock music and can also join a rock band that…read morepractices weekly and performs a few times a year. The motivation to improve comes very fast when there's a purpose to the learning and the students consistently experience personal and team success. Teachers at the school are young, fun experts at their instruments, and they are always learning a new instrument themselves, so they know how it feels to be a student. This music school is unlike any other in Edmonton. The owners are highly educated, creative, flexible people, and so are the staff. Their methods create high motivation. Your kiddo will WANT to play! Mine sure did. In my experience, Backbeat provides a 100% happy musical experience for kids of all ages. Thank you to Dan and Nella Sabo for bringing this unique opportunity to Edmonton's kids.

Awesome music school for teenagers offering both private lessons and rock bands. Great teachers who…read morereally know teenagers and how to make performing fun and not intimidating. My son started with private bass lessons and then joined a rock band this year. He's a shy kid who now loves playing in a band and on stage.

L'UniTheatre is a gorgeous theatre in Edmonton that is sometime forgotten by the general public…read more Tucked away in the french quarters of Edmonton L'UniTheatre produces its own french theatrical programming as well as is a popular rental venue for companies such as Good Women Dance Collective and Workshop West Theatre. It is also programmed heavily during the Fringe Festival. Built in the late 1990's the theatre is a beautiful space with 3 levels of seating stacked in a manner that allows everyone to be near to the stage and with great sight lines. There really aren't any bad seats in the house. The theatre remains well kept, easy to access and a great spot in a beautiful neighbourhood.

Went here for the first time last night to see a dance performance. The theatre is small - looks…read morelike it can seat around 100 people - and pretty basic. The audio seemed fine but they were only playing recorded music so I don't know what it would be like for a live performance. Two pet peeves: - The seats aren't staggered at all so the person in front of you is right in front of you. Moving their head at the same time as you are moving your head, etc. If you get stuck behind someone taller than you, it's pretty much tough luck, suck it up. Also, not a lot of leg room, rows very close together. - I don't know if it's just because it was -30 outside, but it was boiling hot in the theatre. I got a little dizzy! A few of my friends commented on it as well.

My gf and I participated in a Bollywood style dance fitness class here tonight. It was really fun…read more We are going back next Friday. This studio is really big and looked clean. There is free parking in the back you just need to register for it in the building.

It's been a while since my last visit to Marr Mac, but I have vivid memories of my experience at…read morethis dance studio. I have been studying dance since I was 5 years old (thanks, mom!), so the first thing I did when I moved to Edmonton was find a dance studio. One of my girlfriends recommended Marr Mac. I love this studio's location: it is at the back of the building occupied by Movie Studio and is very discreet. The studio itself is in the basement and consists of several large dance rooms. There are hardwood floors and wall-to-wall mirrors in every room.I signed up for musical theater, hip-hop and jazz. Additionally, there are ballet and tap classes. What can I say about the intructors? These people bring out the best in their students and make everyone believe in themselves. They are quick to provide encouraging words and to commend, and they never reprimand or discourage. There were several older women in my hip-hop class who confessed that their feelings of inadequacy upon starting the class disappeared as the classes progressed, thanks to the instructor's professionalism and encouraging words. I didn't get a chance to experience it first hand but as far as I know, Marr Mac's students get to perform onstage at various venues and to take dance trips abroad. Our musical theater teacher mentioned that once we master our routine, we will get to perform onstage. I wish I stayed at Marr Mac long enough to see this happen. Unfortunate circumstances made me stop attending this wonderful studio. I am thinking about resuming the classes very shortly.

Allard Hall is one of the many building on the MacEwan University campus. I'm not reviewing Allard…read moreHall in terms of academics (I went to MacEwan but that was before Allard Hall was built). Instead I'm reviewing this in terms of theatre space from the many shows I've seen there. I've gotten season tickets for MacEwan Theatre for the past few years. Their theatre program does four shows from November to March. These are usually musicals, but there's often a play for one of the four shows. The productions I've seen have been excellent. These are students studying and performing theatre to do this professionally, so the quality is great. Tickets are around $70 for the season (or around $30 if you get single tickets for a show). It's a great value in terms of live theatre here in Edmonton. MacEwan Theatre performs shows in one of two theatres inside Allard Hall. The Triffo Theatre is your standard theatre where there are rows of seats with the stage in front. There are also two side balconies at the Triffo. The stage is large and I believe this theatre hold 450 people. The shows done here are usually larger productions with larger cast members. The other is the Tim Ryan Theater Lab. This is a smaller theatre of about 150 seats on the floor or risers, and is a black box theatre. The way the seats are arranged can change depending on the production. Some shows I've seen have the seats in an L shape, but when I saw "Natasha, Pierre, and The Great Comet of 1812" (a musical based on an excerpt from Tolstoy's "War and Peace") they had seats and opposite ends of the space. Plus they had tables and chairs in the middle on either side of a catwalk stage; it was I believe, supposed to resemble a Russian supper club and was a creative use for the space. The Triffo Theatre is great and of course there's lots of creativity done on stage (both for the performances itself and the set design), but you can't move the seats, so I understand why the Tim Ryan Theatre Lab is used for some of the shows. It's usually the theatre chosen for shows with smaller casts as well. However; the seats in the theatre lab are foldout chairs, and not as comfortable. They're also really packed together very tightly. Since this is a school there will be other students around, but if you're seeing something on a weekend (MacEwan shows usually run Thursday to Sunday) that's less likely. There is sometimes beverages available, but not alcoholic so if you like to enjoy a glass of wine during intermission that won't be possible. Parking is available at the back of the building and it is paid. There's construction downtown so if you drive then give yourself time. The MacEwan LRT stop is a few blocks away.

Nice intimate theater just off of Whyte Ave. No bad seats, great concession with local beers and…read moreother drinks available. Good for immerging artists. We were there for "Oh Christmas Tree" which was a fun play for immerging artists. I was in a wheelchair because I broke my foot, and they were quite accommodating. And free parking is a plus.

I love the closeness and intimacy of this venue. Every seat is a great seat so close to the action…read more Staff was friendly and extroverted on the night of my visit. Bar service available and not overpriced. Theatre network hosts a great selection of plays and I highly recommend the current show "What a Young Wife Ought to Know". Bravo

Susanne was recommended by another caricature artist in Edmonton when I was looking for someone to…read moredraw participants at my retirement BBQ this year on the August long weekend. I booked well ahead (two months) and held the date with a small deposit. The communication was easy and Susanne supplied a short contract for the basics. She reached out before the day itself just to check in and see how everything was going. From the time I returned from shopping for food to the day of, 10 people of 23 revised their RRSPs. I was a little worried that my effort to do something a little different from our usual BBQs had failed, but we decided just to see how things went and work out the remainder of the details at the end. Not to worry; Susanne made sure everyone had one of her works in whatever form they wanted by the time she packed up. Some of the portraits were single and some were in group form, but since often people were too preoccupied to sit for a portrait together, Susanne was able to sit them separately and then draw them together if that was their wish. Having arrived at 5 with guests set to start arriving at 5:30, Susanne was kind enough to stay for one person who arrived at 2030 so she would not miss out. The whole vibe was relaxed, with guests reporting they enjoyed interesting and lively conversations during their sittings. My personal observation was that Susanne is someone who is interested in people overall, and is very skilled at finding out more about them to help inform her art. Overall, I didn't notice the missing people as mich because Susanne helped so much to ensure everyone had a great time. I was able to spend more time with the people I hardly ever get to see, and to top it all off Susanne did a portrait of my son and his new spouse on their wedding day -- from a phone photo since they are in Connecticut! They are looking forward to putting it up in their new home. If you are hesitating about doing something like this at your next event, you can take it from me that this is excellent value. Just do it! What could be more valuable than a good time and a little treasure to help remember it by?