When you take that leap and allow your child to join a dance studio, you feel like you might have…read moreto drink the Kool-Aid and become a "dance mom" and that the dances will be too mature (putting it politely) for your child. This is the third year that my daughter has taken part in this program and I have to say that I am extremely impressed with the attitude and skills of all involved. Miss Pam knows her stuff and have a great knack for talking to "kids". This year my daughter did not know if she wanted to continue mostly because her friend moved away. Miss Pam called us up (something a busy study director does not need to do) and asked my girls was coming back and I explained this issue to her. She had me bring her in and she talked to her and listened to her. She found her a class and so far, she is enjoying the group. The whole recital thing at the end of the year is still too much for this humble introvert but it is not nearly as bad as I have seen at other studios.

I danced at Step-By-Step as a teenager at the original Newtonville location. Miss Pam was energetic…read moreand inspiring! She helped build my confidence and love for dance. I've since returned for adult classes at their Waltham studios, which are gorgeous! The sign on the door says dance school but this place feels more like a community. I'm looking forward to getting back into their adult classes this year!

Primo bellydancing teacher and performer! Melina teaches me to move parts otherwise thought…read moreunknown with humor, taste, wisdom and tons of fun. These classes are one of the highlights of my week and I have made friends with my hips as a result of them. She teaches in Newton on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. Her performances are sublime and she performs at the Karoun and for private functions too. www.daughtersofrhea.com

I guess I can't keep Melina's classes a secret any more! She's the BEST, ever. A great teacher…read moreand amazing dancer, she has taught me more than I thought I could achieve, and continues to inspire. Her style might be described as Greco-Turkish-gypsy fusion. Try a class, or check out one of her workshops. If you're more interested in watching her perform, this is well worth your time. She travels around the world as a belly dancer/circus performer and enchants audiences everywhere. Locally, make a reservation at Karoun Restaurant when she's scheduled to perform. Also check out her circus, Cirque Passion, which she founded with her husband, circus star Sacha Pavlata. World-class performances.

JL dance center is absolutely amazing. Words can't describe how wonderful the teachers, the…read morecurriculum and the overall atmosphere is. I have 3 children in dance and we have always felt loved and supported by staff. My kids adore their talented dance teachers. JLDC is truly one of a kind. And the performances are mind blowing. Boston Ballet doesn't come close. I am so happy we enrolled our children and have continued over the years. Thank you Joanne for this amazing dance center!!

Our five-year-old daughter loves her classes at Joanne Langione Dance Center, where she has been…read moretaking introductory classes for the last two years and is now taking three classes per week. We've only had positive experiences with teachers and management, and the new facility is beautiful and modern. It's a very popular dance school, so the parking lot can get a bit crowded, with many kids inside getting ready for or coming out of classes, but we would recommend JLDC to anyone.

My little dancer LOVES Creative Steps!!! Season after season she asks to come back…read more Miss Michelle is always taking care of every single detail and she does a great job communicating and even though she has lot of students she manages to know each of them and be sure they are in the proper class! Strongly recommended!!!

Really grateful that they have a camp with a daily program and availability, and they start at 3…read moreyears old! Miss Jess helped my almost-4-year-old feel immediately at ease, and I feel confident that I left her in very competent hands. There was plenty of supervision (2 adults + a CIT) for ~6 kids in the younger age group. I am sure she will be asking to go back!

It has taken me a few months to write this because I've been going back and forth on how much…read moredetail to divulge. I will start by saying that Miss Maria threatened to sue me for sharing my experiences with others. She said she was planning to sue me for liable - I can only assume she means libel. Anyway. Her threats won't stop me from sharing. After 3 years of being part of this dance school, it has become blatantly obvious to me how appalling Maria's behavior is, and what a horrible business person she truly is. While at first Maria comes across as friendly and helpful, you'll notice that if there is any conflict, for which there will be many, she will flip and she won't know how to approach the situation. The most recent exchange we had started as a fairly simple one and could have been easily diffused. Instead, she became defensive, heated, accusatory, and spewed disgusting insults at me. If she had responded like a professional, she pretty much could have guaranteed that my three children remain enrolled from age 2 until age 18. She severed that, unfortunately to her. Over the three years my children were enrolled, there were many instances in which communication was handled poorly. Of these, the most concerning was a pattern I saw in which it seemed like she completely forgot previous conversations and did something entirely different than she said she would. This happened with assigning teachers (switching last minute after I requested a certain one), changing dance class time to accommodate another class that she never added, allowing my son to join prior to turning 3 and then accusing me of lying), and then becoming defensive and flustered when confronted. There was also an instance when my daughter was enrolled in a 2/3 class where a child's nanny brought her boyfriend to class, and he would take photos and videos of children unrelated to him (including my daughter). I wrote to miss Maria expressing my concern and told her it made me feel uncomfortable. You'd think she'd show up to the next class - she didn't, and instead, I was greeted by a passive aggressive nanny who proceeded to live stream FaceTime the class to her boyfriend who was waiting in the car. I should have pulled my daughter out then, and looking back, I wish I had. Maria should have absolutely asked them to leave, but alas, she wasn't there, and the teacher of the class seemed to be oblivious. Her approach towards handling conflict makes me wonder how on earth she has a successful dance school. Based on the other reviews on this page, I can see I'm not the only one she has done this too. I am saddened that I wasted so much time, energy, and money on this school. I even continued to pay her through covid, after she quite literally begged. There are many other dance schools out there -- trust the reviews.

Update: After almost a year of reflecting and being less angry than in "the moment", I've come to…read morerealize that this was not some random "she had a bad day" and forgiveness is for everyone. I'll have all of you know that 3, yes 3 different families contacted me regarding the studio owners disgusting behavior AFTER I had been gone for some time. Not to mention the countless people who have approached me asking to see the email she sent. So lets just say we won't let the sleeping dog lie. Tact, professionalism, and courtesy are still not be used.... How sad. My daughters new dance school is amazing! Shes been engaged and loves going every week because its fun and entertaining!! Please reach out if you'd like to find out more.

My daughter had her fifth birthday party here. We had gone to a birthday here several months ago…read moreand she had her heart set on this place for hers. The two young women who led the event were absolutely wonderful managing several 4 and 5 year olds. Everyone had the best time, and I had parents telling me how much their kid loved it. Some said they would be signing their kid up for lessons! My one criticism is that it is pretty hard to reach someone about birthdays. I had left several messages and it took a few days for someone to return my car. It was much better once we were emailing, although I did have to email a few days before the event to confirm and ask when we could get in to decorate.

Both my daughter and son were enrolled in weekend classes for a while and it was fine. They…read moreenjoyed it most of the time so we kept at it. The instructors were just okay. My daughter had a hard time doing kartwheels and got no help at all while practicing, and felt defeated a few weeks in a row with a specific instructor who paid no attention to help her. Other instructor were better, but not all were created equal. I found the facility dirty and smelly, but tolerated it because the kids enjoyed it. We decided to try out the summer camp the following summer and I enrolled my daughter, who was 5 at the time, in for a few weeks. It was going fine until the third day I dropped her off. She was having a hard time with me leaving, and the young instructor was not particularly helpful. She gave her some coloring pages and was sitting with her talking to other instructors as I walked out of the building. I got in my car and a few minutes later started to drive away. I looked in my rearview mirror and saw my daughter had run out of the building alone into the parking lot looking for me. I jumped out of my car in a panic and grabbed her. When I walked back into the building, there was ZERO concern that they had not supervised my child and had not even noticed she had run out of the building. They looked at me like I was overreacting when I explained my concern. I was horrified by the lack of professionalism and disregard for my child. I will never return or recommend anyone to this facility.

My daughter is wrapping up her 2nd year in dance here and she has loved it. I've seen her embrace…read morethis new skill, and she really enjoys performing. I wonder if she is just naturally like this or if I should attribute this to All that Jazz- either way, I think it's great and they've been able to support her confidence in herself. Miss Deb is wonderful and enthusiastic- upon our first conversation with her, she was so helpful in making a class recommendation based on age and her ability. I love that she's also passionate about supporting their learning, development, and building that confidence not just for the stage but in LIFE. The instructors are also wonderful. Miss Ellen and the assistants are just great with the little kids and really ensure a positive experience in the studio. Can't say enough great things, and are happy to have made this decision to participate.

I really enjoyed the recital and appreciated the mood set by Miss Deb. I could tell how nurturing…read morean environment it was, from the very littlest dancers to the graduating seniors. With such a relaxed atmosphere, it was actually the first time I've ever not felt nervous while watching my daughter perform!

Amazing little studio in Waltham. I took the blue barre bounce class with Grace and loved all the…read morejumping that was involved. It was a small class with 6 people in it. Grace helped me set up the barre on the trampoline, which is around your waist area. This is a cardio-centered class with lots of jumping up and down and side to side. We used weights for as part of an arm workout and barre section after each cardio portion of the class. Grace was great at keeping the energy up and the playlist was very upbeat and bouncy to go along with the class. The only thing I found weird was that you're facing the back wall and not the mirrors. The studio itself is in great shape. There are two rooms and they offer a variety of classes from barre, to spin, to a surf class. There are lots of different options for purchasing packages from a 5 or 10 pack class as well as membership options. I will definitely be back to try their surf class in the near future. The bathroom has lockers and showers (with towels and amenities). If you check in on Yelp, you can purchase 3 pairs of barre socks for $20!

I recently started to go to classes at this studio and have taken Barre + Cardio, Pound, Piloxing…read moreand my favorite Barre TRX. I love TRX and haven't found a lot of places that offer it. Combining it with barre is such an interesting concept and adds some extra intensity to the workout. I love that the classes are challenging, but not intimidating. I've wanted to try Piloxing (pilates and boxing) for a few years now and was super excited to see this being offered. All I can say is "Wow." I was dripping in sweat and my upper body was sore for days (in the best way possible.) All the instructors have been great, but Grace in particular, who is also the owner, is funny, approachable and has a great teaching style. At my very first class, even though she wasn't the one teaching it, took a minute to notice that I was a new face she didn't recognize and introduced herself. I'd definitely recommend this studio for some interesting and different classes to mix up your normal routine. There's also plenty of parking, which is a plus!