We loved this studio and attended several days a week for MANY years and supported them as well as…read moremany BRBT events. My daughter loved it there, and upon my knowledge, they had never had any issues with her behavior. The parents are NOT allowed past a certain point in the studio. This never bothered me because I assumed that the children would be properly supervised while waiting before class. I always obeyed ALL of their rules and NEVER let my daughter into the building until the designated times she could be dropped off. Apparently, a week or so before Christmas, my daughter was not supervised before class and apparently wandered off into another room (motivated by a few of her other classmates - kids being kids). This was NEVER communicated to me so that I could discuss this inappropriate behavior with my daughter. This behavior was very out of character for her, and I would have welcomed the opportunity to address it. After Christmas, she and a few of her classmates were not being properly supervised AGAIN, and she wandered off into an area with "extremely expensive" costumes and played with them. From what I was told, some of them ended up on the floor. Upon picking her up from class, I was met with my very upset daughter in their office being interrogated and reprimanded by the older woman who was supposed to be watching the children, the receptionist (like she really needed to be involved in this), and TWO of her dance teachers (not necessary since the behavior occurred BEFORE class started). She was told she would never be allowed in the building again. She looked like she was being interrogated by the FBI. I was NEVER made aware of the situation prior to her being "expelled" from the school. My daughter was most definitely given consequences for her behavior at home because what she did was wrong. However, their inability to properly communicate and reprimand my daughter was completely unprofessional. Children are not perfect and need to be allowed to correct their actions. THIRD GRADERS ARE STILL LEARNING! We would have happily worked with them to try to remedy this as we are not the kind of parents who think that our children are perfect. My daughter was DEVASTATED that we had to leave (she obviously had no idea that she would be expelled for this). I could not believe that after all of the years we had been there with ZERO behavioral issues, they did not have the professional capacity and maturity to communicate to me that there was a problem prior to them kicking us out and keeping the tuition that I had already paid and the end-of-year informance fee. They are lucky all she was able to do was go into another room because far worse could have happened! They are obviously more worried about their precious costumes than the safety of the students! Not being properly supervised should not fall on a child. I will say that some of my daughter's teachers were amazing. She really loved Ms. Meg and will miss her.

What an awesome ballet school!! My six-year-old daughter has been taking ballet lessons here for…read moresix months now and loves every minute of it! Her teachers are so sweet and patient with the kids and do a wonderful job teaching them classic ballet while letting them still be playful, silly kids! I love that they teach them ballet technique rather than just spending the year memorizing a dance routine for a recital. They do have what they call an "Informance" or an informal performance at the end of the spring semester to showcase what they have learned in class. It's much less expensive than a traditional recital because they wear their ballet uniform that they wear to class for the performance instead of costumes. This dance school is also tied to the Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre so there are lots of opportunities for the little kids to see the hard work it takes to be a real ballet dancer one day! My daughter is always bright-eyed seeing them all in their pointe shoes!

I caution to avoid this studio, while at first on the surface there are many great offerings, the…read moreOwner/Director has created a culture of fear. All of the students, parents, and teachers are afraid, Tari truly does not want any feedback just your money and a whole lot of it. As a parent I asked questions and was yelled and screamed at and chased out of the office (not a dramatization). Families spending $30k to $50k + annually are not allowed to even question a schedule or a bill. This is the most expensive studio in Baton Rouge and while it does have a great technical dance program, there is no loyalty and no grace given. Tari will not hesitate to run off long term families and children. This culture of fear has persisted in this community for decades unfortunately.

I absolutely love everything about Tari's School of dance! It truly is a second home, and actually…read moredreading the day I graduate and have to leave it. All the staff and teachers are so supportive and welcoming to everyone, especially the owner Mrs Tari! She knows what is best and she will do her best to help us, she gives us COUNTLESS opportunities and is always there supporting you! I've been on company for about 8 years now and wouldn't wanna do anything else! It's been the best experience and decision l've ever made..... people say when you pass away you have 7 minutes of your best memories, dancing at Tari's studio will be mine!

Great experience with DeFrances! Convenient location on Coursey near Jones Creek in Baton Rouge…read more Very nice staff who work here. One of the best dance places in Baton Rouge that's been teaching girls and boys to dance and compete for years. My girls sadly only wanted to dance for a couple years, but if/when they ask to again, we'd gladly go back to DeFrances. My girls loved their teachers, and I always enjoyed the parent watch classes. DeFrances always chose beautiful costumes and were incredibly organized for the recitals. We danced with another local company before, but DeFrances definitely had it down to a science especially compared to the other place. Dance is an expensive hobby (in my opinion) but well worth it for the skills learned and confidence earned. I would bring my girls back here in a heartbeat and saw no reason to not recommend DeFrances to other parents out there looking to start their kiddos in dance.

I recently had a horrible experience with this dance studio. If you have a non caucasian child I…read morestrongly suggest you do not choose this studio and if your child already attends I suggest you seek another establishment. I am saddened that I witnessed racism amongst the children. Although I understand racism is a learned behavior and begins at home with family, a place of business should not be tolerating it. Especially with children! I am sad for the child who has learned already to discriminate but watching someone I care for deeply be subject to racism is heartbreaking. I can NOT sit quiet and let De Frances know that their refusal to even address the issue is ok. A young child has been forever effected by these interactions during an innocent dance class. No child should ever be made to feel ashamed over their skin color, ethnicity, religion, etc. I am appalled that adults in charge think this behavior is ok and claim there's nothing they can do or say because they can't control what other families believe. Really, REALLY De Frances? You want to send the message that little kids having to experience racism while in your care is a better option than addressing the issue. If you think addressing the problem is uncomfortable for you, imagine the little one whose confused about being discriminated against by fellow students over her skin color. And to learn you all just don't even care. Unacceptable.

This is a wonderful dance school for varying age groups. It has been around forever and is quite…read morethe historic prestigious dance school of Baton Rouge. My daughter attended for a couple of years and she loved it. They have a one way screen (so the kids aren't distracted) for parents who want to sit in and wait for their children to finish dance practice. These children are taught many forms of dance including ballet, tap, and tumbling. The prices are kind of high though and so are the picture packages and the dance recital costumes however that's anywhere you go if you're putting your child in dance lessons. Dance recitals are held at The B.R. River center.

I received a very comforting call from one of the employees from there who has been there for quite…read moresome time & I just want to say, that I seen the true Holy Spirit in that lady. We talked for almos 30 minutes & if it wasn't for her call, my review would have stayed the same but I am very grateful & thankful that she reached out when she did not even respond though she didn't have too. She is really the type of character I was needing to see & I am so THANKFUL for her.. She definitely made the situation feel better ‍

My daughter is 4 years old it is her 3rd year dancing at Jean Leigh. They have lots of dance class…read moreoptions. We love Jean Leigh they care about the students and want them to succeed. They make everyone feel like family. Highly recommend!!