My daughter started with pre- ballet at this school. She has loved it from the beginning. They take…read moreskilled learning and make it fun for the kids. The environment is very inclusive and welcoming to everyone based on sex and race and body. Will continue to have my daughter take classes from here and she's more than excited!

Such I a nice studio! My daughter just started classes and I was so impressed with the instruction…read morehere. They are very age appropriate and work hard to make sure everyone is engaged and having fun!

The Adult Ballet class taught by Rita Ockrim is absolutely wonderful!…read more The class is essentially all about you, about really warming up and strengthening all of your muscles, and you will leave having worked your entire body! Since Rita generally does the class with you, she can tell which muscles have been properly warmed up for subsequent combinations, ensuring that you feel safe and comfortable as you progress through the class. Rita has an immense knowledge and passion for ballet that she would like to share with you. She will take time to explain and to help you feel how to properly execute different movements - which muscles to engage, how to position your head, where to apply pressure to the floor, etc. - all of the details that are generally left out of adult ballet classes, but that make the class much more interesting and valuable whether this information is just a refresher, or if you are hearing these insights for the first time. It shows that Rita genuinely cares about her students and strives to provide whatever it is you are looking to get out of the class. She makes the class as fun and enjoyable as possible, and definitely puts a lot of thought into her music selection. Anyone that has taken ballet knows that there is quite a plethora of cut and dry ballet music out there, or that it can become that way when it's played repeatedly. Rita makes sure to play new music essentially every class, and only recycles the best pieces that you probably wouldn't mind hearing again. If nothing else, you could come to class just for the beautiful and varied music selection! If you haven't danced in a while, don't be intimidated that the class is taught at an intermediate level. Rita will go over and do the combinations with you, so there is no stress in memorizing combinations, instead, you can really focus on what your body is doing. If need be, you can always simplify the combinations, but it is nice to have the option of a more advanced alternative, and to see how it looks when executed properly. This may seem like a lot of praise, but all of it is well deserved. I have been quite frustrated with many of the adult ballet classes I have taken, and I have finally stumbled on a gem that I believe deserves more attention!

Rita Okrim is a superb ballet instructor! Her technique at the barre is outstanding with so much…read morevariety. Her center is so creative and original. A wonderful workout. The studio is enchanting, making you feel like you are on stage dancing. Very inspiring- I highly recommend classes from Rita! - Susan Wright

Tapping was my absolute favorite thing to do as a child and I even continued taking classes thru my…read moreearly adulthood. Then my children and work got in the way and my tap shoes spent a decade collecting dust in my closet. Months ago one of my Pilates instructor was raving about her adult tap class at SNAP and a fellow tap lover and I decided to check it out. They have 2 classes during the week - Fridays at 1230pm and Tuesdays at 715pm. Both aren't ideal with my work and carpool schedule, but I was able to make it to the class twice. We had 2 different instructors and both were great. There were a handful of other adults in the class who were clearly regulars, but very welcoming to use newbies. We warmed up and learned a routine (even broke out the jazz hands). While I can't quite move my feet like i used to, I did my best to keep up. To be honest the hard part was remembering all the steps. My memory isn't quite what it used to be! They do always do the same routine 2 weeks in a row so if you can swing 2 weeks in a row you should have no issues nailing a routine. Drop in classes are only $18 possibly making this the most affordable workout in the north shore. And based on my Apple health app I certainly got my steps in that day. I keep meaning to go back and even bought brand new tap shoes. The scheduling times are tough, especially during the school year, but I hope to make it back soon!

My daughter has danced at SNAP since she was 2 years old. At 9, she still calls it her "happy…read moreplace." They create a great community for the children. The teachers are wonderful, and Mr Mike at the front desk is beyond delightful!

Wonderful dance studio and teachers. As a super bonus- the kids get to have their dance recital at…read moreThe Skokie Performing Arts Center. Also, Miss Kate is the best!

My almost 4 year old has been taking ballet (& recently hip hop) for a few years now at Starland*,…read moreBaby Take a Bow**, etc. However, this year I wanted her to find a "real" dance studio where she could continue to dance her heart out for many years to come (if she happens to love dance as much as I did/do). There's not many local studios that offer tap for 3-4 year olds so that was one of my deciding factors for DancED. When researching I also stayed up way too late one night watching video clips of their performances (like I said...I LOVE dance) and was hooked. It reminded me so much of my dance studio from South Florida. My daughter has been in Miss Erin's Creative Dance class since September now and DancED has proven to be everything (and more) I was looking for in a dance studio. At first I worried that one teacher couldn't handle a rowdy group of 10ish pre-schoolers, but after attending this week's parent watch week was in awe with the way Erin has them all under control. I really like that Erin (and it appears most of the other teachers) have a lot of experience teaching little ones. At Baby Take a Bow my daughter mostly had really young ballerinas teaching her who had absolutely no experience dealing with 2 & 3 year olds. And it's a lot more difficult to control a group of pre-schoolers than it is to do a pirouette. The class consists of 20 minutes of tap followed by 20 minutes of ballet. They are working on all the basic tap (shuffles) and ballet (first, second position) moves. My daughter seems to really enjoy it, especially the tap portion of the class. Anything really noisy makes her happy. There are typically 3 consecutive classes going on at the same time and I think she loves checking out the "big girl classes" even more than taking class herself. We're just about to order their costumes for the June recital, which I have to admit I"m excited for. I was a bit bummed to hear that the little ones have their own 45 minute version of the recital, although my husband and I'm sure other parents were thrilled to hear that news. I may just have to go on my own to watch those big kids dance. DancED also have a very busy calendar of events going on all year long. Everything from father/daughter fun nights to princess camps to circus weeks. The owner does a great job showing off pics of their fabulous dancers throughout the studio and on facebook. Speaking of which I'm a bit surprised that the owner (I believe Nancy?) hasn't come by the class to introduce herself to her newest group of dancers, but I'm sure we'll meet her in due time since I hope my daughter will be dancing her way thru DancED for many years to come. * http://www.yelp.com/biz/starland-deerfield **http://www.yelp.com/biz/baby-take-a-bow-winnetka

In October, 2023, I called Northshore Squares to find a 'caller" to host a square dance party at…read moremy home. I spoke with the host and he assisted me in finding someone willing to come to my home for an hour of backyard fun. He brought his own music & speaker equipment. He played the type of music we wanted. The cost was very fair, our caller was terrific and fun was had by all. Would highly recommend this as 'a fun time in the old house '.

This group offers a free introductory class/party to teach some of the basics and give you a taste…read moreof Square Dancing. I had so much fun trying square dancing that I signed up for the class. It has been such a great time. Forget about your visions of country music in a barn. It is fun, fast and the people in the group are so friendly and helpful. Bruce is a great teacher. Very patient and accommodating and usually pretty funny. Don't worry about needing to be able to "dance". Square Dancing is choreographed walking to the music. Bruce mixes in the Pop with the country. Last night we danced to "Call Me Maybe, Hit Me With Your Best Shot and Penny Lane". I highly recommend this as a great way to have fun, meet people and get some exercise.

The first week we all were quarantined for Covid-19 my kids were bummed to miss their favorite…read moreclasses. Then the realization hit that we would be stuck at home for weeks (maybe even months...fingers crossed not the case) local businesses got creative. Since then I've been a bit overwhelmed with my kids virtual schedules and would do anything to drop off one of my kids somewhere...and even drive a carpool. Some virtual classes have been better than others. Yesterday we had a music teacher (not at Rootz) send out the wrong zoom passcode and teach the entire class without realizing any kids were on there. But today we had my one of son's favorite classes, Super Hero Boot Camp, here at Rootz take place on zoom and it was the best virtual class I saw yet. Mr. David was well prepared by sending us parents some worksheets (scavenger hunt and coloring page) ahead of time. He had a fun superhero background on zoom and engaged the kids for 40 minutes with super hero activities. Since they are so young it did require a parent to be present and think my husband had so much fun that I may have to sign him up for the class in the future. Are 43 year olds allowed? My son did get distracted a few times, which probably also happens in class, but overall he had so much fun. While he wishes he could see all his fellow superheroes in person, this is a great plan b.

So fortunate to find Ninja class for my two sons. Maidson leads their class and she is simply life…read morechanging and cares deeply about the kids in the class. My oldest son is Autistic and Madison is wonderfully focused on inclusion which leaves us looking forward to every Saturday morning. We are raving fans!

Since day 1 almost 5 years ago we have been given a super warm welcome. The studio has really grown…read morebut each teacher takes the time to make sure every student excels. Brittany has been nothing but accommodating with any change that has come up for us. I love watching my daughter dance and she always has a big smile. We will be adding more classes come fall. Great atmosphere, tasteful dances and costumes. Love seeing the progress from year to year.

Not only have I watched my niece for the past five years flourish as a dancer, I have also watched…read morethe studio flourish also!!! It has been a joy year after year watching their performances, and each year it gets better and better!! Taking a dream and turning it into reality is not always easy, but Brittany has managed this with tremendous success and it is reflected in her dancers! I am thrilled I suggested my niece sign up for her classes, the love and the passion for dance is in abundance and is glowing in my niece! Thank you and keep on dancing!!!!!

We had such a great time with Shirley! We had several sessions with her leading up to our wedding,…read moreand it was so much fun to learn to dance with Shirley's instructions. My wife and I had so many compliments during the wedding on how well we danced, and we really enjoyed the entire process being taught by Shirley. Highly recommend Shirley to any couple learning to dance together!!

From the very first phone call I had with Shirley to set up some lessons, she was extremely…read moreprofessional and put me at ease. We had our first appointment with Shirley a few months ahead of our wedding. We had picked out "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous Brothers as our first dance song and wanted to have an elegant, classy dance. Shirley listened very carefully to our goals from the dance and taught us a very nice dance with classic moves, but also incorporated a few moves that that "felt right" to us as couple :). We did three 1-hour classes and one shorter "tune-up" class two weeks before the wedding. My husband had no experience with dancing, so I was nervous at first on how this would go. Shirley is a GREAT teacher and worked with us so well on the steps, coordination and timing. She was always patient and helpful. In the end, we were very comfortable performing the dance at our wedding. We heard compliments from everyone, including the venue management who watches first dances basically every weekend, and of course our guests. They couldn't believe that we only took a few dance lessons! We highly recommend Shirley to any couple looking for excellent instruction and someone who truly cares what you want as a couple and ensures both of you are comfortable with all of the steps!