The people in charge of this establishment should be ashamed of themselves…read more My son is a 13 years old professional recording artist who lives and goes to school in Marin County. Our school's music director reached out to me asking if my son could help the Stapleton School. Apparently, they were in need of a pianist who could provide musical accompaniment for a ballet recital. I was put in touch with Isabella Qureshi who is the Director of Stapleton's Theatre Division. Isabella began an email thread communicating with us daily to ensure that my son would be able to fulfill their request. I explained to Isabella that despite being only 13 years old, that my son is an advanced pianist who has both competed as a state finalist in the MTAC program and was also the recipient of the Marin Music Chest Scholarship (he won in his first year of eligibility.) After receiving the sheet music, my son set out to learn the pieces. We were sent 4 individual piano pieces. I should mention that my son is actively involved in numerous recording engagements and live performances throughout the U.S. While my son was willing to take on this request for help on behalf of the Stapleton School, by no means was it convenient to do so. My son dedicated time every evening to learning these pieces in order to get them performance ready. This was after completing all his school work and other responsibilities. By no means was this effortless, he spent about 2 weeks overall in preparation for the event. A couple days before the performance date, I receive an email from someone named, Janell McFarland stating how "small changes can really confuse the kids" and "thank you for your offer." First of all, we didn't offer, we were specifically asked to help the Stapleton School in their "time of need." Second, is this how you conduct business on a regular basis? What a shame! You could have used this as an opportunity to build relations within your community. Instead, your flippant disregard for a young man's commitment and dedication has left us disenchanted. I'd like the Stapleton School to know that I share this experience with everyone who mentions your name.

Recently saw Stapleton's Swan Lake ballet at the San Anselmo Playhouse. I was blown away by the…read moreprofessionalism and poise of the dancers. They all seemed to love to dance and obviously have really great teachers. The costumes were lovely, the music beautiful and all in all a thoroughly enjoyable performance! Thank you!

I was one of the older students in the open division adult classes for the last 2 years or so. I…read morehad never taken ballet at an early age so while I lacked the proper body training and preparation and attempted to start ballet at age 60 (15 years ago) I nonetheless had redeeming qualities, that being grace and good musicality and sometimes good form in certain movements. I could keep up with the speed pretty well, am fairly intelligent and enjoyed the rigorousness of the classes and the excellent teaching, as hard as it was for me at times to "keep up" because of my aging memory. At one point, 2 other women in my class (at least 50+ years of age) ganged together to bully and intimidate me because I wasn't dancing "in form" across the floor. One of them accused me of never having been in a performance before, and she was wrong--I performed at the College of Marin Dance Concerts as a student there. They had no right to gang up on me like that, and the teacher had never said anything about it. I was insulted and angry. I took the matter up in a private meeting with the teacher and executive director of Marin Ballet. I didn't expect much results but at least the offending party stopped going to that class for awhile. The bad news is, the instructor became suddenly very unfriendly towards me afterwards like he was angry at me for "rocking the boat" or something. I was very sad about that, and took classes until the end of my 20-class card that I purchased earlier and then left for good. When I told the office manager that I wasn't coming back and why, basically all she said was "have a nice day". In my book, there is absolutely no excuse why anyone should be bullied in a dance class, especially an older person. We should all feel welcome in dance classes, and I certainly never had this problem in any other dance classes I attended at other Marin dance studios and College of Marin. In fact, I was often complimented by the teachers. So I think the students that bullied me were completely out of line, and I had no support around that. I'm surprised that Marin Ballet wasn't more understanding around this issue, even though I know it does happen more on the professional level. But we were not all professionals in that class!

A very special place. A Marin institution. My daughter studied ballet here for many years. She…read morelearned so much more than just dance. She developed lifelong friends. (She graduated over 10 years ago but still gets together with her ballet class mates) The facility is amazing. And I just love going to the Marin Ballet Nutcracker each holiday season even though I no longer have a child in the program. This place is magic.

Tika Morgan's World, Latin and Samba fusion classes are the highlights of my week. Tika's teaching…read morestyle is fiery and intense and as a student you cannot help but feel her deep respect for the history of the diasporic music and movements. Tika's playlists and choreography are brilliant and she challenges each of her students, whether we are soccer moms or CEO's, to challenge ourselves as we learn this "new language of dance together." The highest compliment I am ever paid is when people, after seeing me move to music, ask if I am Brazilian or Cuban, to which I reply, "Nope! I'm just a Black girl from Mississippi, Tika taught me everything I know."

I've only taken Mary Sherman's Sculpt and Pilates Mat classes, but they've been exceptional. Mary…read moreis probably the most experienced and knowledgeable Pilates instructor in Mill Valley. You can attend her classes in person or live-stream online, which is great if you're traveling or want to save a little money. I've yet to try any of the dance classes, but they all look and sound amazing and are always packed. I wish they had printed class schedules, as I prefer them over online schedules.

My 10 year-old has been at Splitz for about 10 years and it has been such a life-changing…read moreexperience. She has learned so much about dance and performing. She is so strong and confident from her time at Splitz!

Just finished taking an adult hip hop class with my friends and had an awesome time! It was such a…read morefun experience and can't wait until we can sign up for another class. We learned a whole routine and got to perform onstage which was scary and fun. Not only was it a great physical and mental release, the customer service is above and beyond. Stefanie was communicative, supportive, and just a down to earth person. It was not about the turn and burn of clientele. She really cares and is so sweet. I'm hoping to sign my girls up now :)

Let me start off by saying Love2Dance has it all. Looking for a ballet class? Check! Looking for a…read morehip hop class? Check! Looking for tap class? Check! Looking for rhythms class? Check! Broadway? Check! Lyrical? Check! Contemporary? Check! Jazz? Check! Stretch? Check! Acrobats? Check! You get my drift, they have it all! They even have a class called little feet for 2 and 3 year old beginners as well as my son's favorite, Hip Hop Ninja. This fantastic studio was started by Novato local, Tara Caprice Broadwater, who is absolutely spectacular. To say she is a pillar of the community would be an understatement of gigantic proportions. She is high energy, super friendly, animated and dedicated to her craft and her kiddos. She always goes above and beyond to ensure that everyone is getting the moves and is included. No boy or girl left behind. Even better she is super active in our Novato community. If our town is having a block party, school activity and/or celebration Love2dance is always front and center participating. They are fabulous performers. They perform At the Marin civic center for their mid year performance as well as the all star team who travels to compete far and wide. But hold your horses, I haven't even gotten to the best part! They host birthday parties! Yes, you heard me. Let me shout it from the rooftops. THEY HOST BIRTHDAY PARTIES! Let me first to vouch that they host the most spectacular parties. They offer a wide variety of themes. Whether you have a princess lover, Jojo Siwa super fan, trolls the movie, Moana singer, cars fanatic, they have about 12 different themes to choose from. And if they don't have a specific need, they also can host with a Happy Birthday theme so that you can custom it as needed. Whether you are inviting ten of your closest friends or family or 30, they have different size studios. You can opt to have a bounce obstacle course or not. Let me say that I've attended at least twenty birthday parties at love2dance over the past four years, and not one has been the same. I wouldn't even say they were similar. The theme, teachers and different activities they offer make each party it's very own celebration. We even attended two love2dance parties in one day, and we were thrilled that they felt completely different. The teachers they have host the parties are kind, talented, engaging and just amazing at keep the kiddos entertained. They take the time to learn all the children's names, which to me is unbelievable. They play fun games like freeze dance, stop on the colored dot (think musical chairs), limbo, Duck, Duck goose and four corners. They often learn a fun little dance routine and really take care of every detail. They make the parties stress free for the parents. They decorate the space, provide plates, napkins and utensils and clean up after the party. Words cannot begin to tell you how much we loved hosting our party at Love2dance. Thank you Tara and our two helpers from the very bottom of our heart for making this 5th birthday party Epic!!!! Much love for Love2Dance!!!!

Had a great birthday party for our 4 yo. It was well organized, the staff helped set up and kept…read morethe kids entertained through dances, bounce house, and games. Highly recommend.

Highly recommend this gorgeous, huge studio for a date night idea! Specifically, I suggest doing…read morethe complimentary intro course then stay for the group class and dance party. They paired incredible music with various types of dances, which made the lesson more approachable and familiar. The instructors are loads of fun, patient and highly skilled. They will help to make everyone comfortable whether you are a beginner or advanced. I've taken lessons in SF in the past, but this venue and instructors make the experience very special. We're hooked, and will go back!!

They have a passion for upselling and a high turn over rate for teachers. They don't introduce the…read moreteam on the website because the team is ever changing. But give them your money if you'd like or find a smaller business that cares more about their clients and and their teachers. The owners are more interested in a profit than a pirouette.

Amazing gathering of conscious dancers! Ecstatic Dance is…read morewhat you make of it... a freeform movement space where: dance expands spirit activates boredom ceases creativity breaks out hope happens beauty flows communities collaborate ritual is reinvented harmony resonates The beat deepens as an electronic tapestry of world rhythms weave us together as individuals within a greater family. Dancing as manifestations of Light

Fantastic venue--accommodates the crowd very well. Great warm-up songs that slowly get faster…read more Wonderful community of people attending. There's even an outdoor courtyard to get dive fresh air during your dance breaks. No alcohol provides a lovely container for dancing your intentions for the weekend.

We worked with Annica at Marin Dancesport to put together a first dance for our wedding and were…read moreamazed by the experience! She helped us put together the perfect choreography for our skill level and the song we chose and coached us for several months leading up to the wedding. The end result was a dream come true and we are both so grateful to Annica for helping make our big day the best day of both of our lives.