I cannot say enough good things about this studio. My son and daughter have been dancing here for…read moreyears. We moved out of the area a while ago and but still drive the distance to continue at this studio. My son (14) and daughter (9) will not even consider going anywhere else. They love it here. The new owner is one of the kindest people I have met. All the teachers have a true love for dance, and it shows in their teaching. This studio focuses on proper technique to avoid injury and create beautiful dancers. The spring recital is the cherry on top. Instead of watching a million individual dances by class level, NWBA puts on an actual ballet. The costumes, sets and lighting is top notch. My kids love feeling part of a show and dancing with other levels. They get a taste of what a professional ballet dancer gets to do. For family and friends in the audience following a ballet story is way more enjoyable than a traditional recital.

Northwest Ballet Academy offers an unparalleled dance experience for a suburban studio. You can…read moreenroll with complete confidence due to NWBA's impressive professional teachers, high quality dance productions, and many dance art forms (Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Tap, Character, Cecchetti, & Yoga). NWBA is a family run, caring studio where teachers and students support and encourage thoughtful development and solid ballet technique. My family has been dancing with NWBA since the doors opened in 1985 when I started my ballet journey, I've recommended friends, and now my daughter studies at NWBA from an early age. Of course their children/young adult programs are great, but they also have fantastic Adult Ballet classes where the teachers will actually teach and support you at whatever level you desire. I highly recommend this 5+ star dance studio!

So sad I heard no dance this year. Beautiful place and beautiful people. We will miss you all.read more

I never before experienced such a lack of care for students and such a disrespectful attitude on a…read moreservice company like I had with this studio. Especially considering that it caters to very young children. Last year we enrolled both our daughters in ballet and dance classes. We thought that the owner, Ms Leslie, was strict but otherwise a good teacher and enrolled them again this year in multiple classes. This time the classes seemed different, the teachers were very young (one I believe was Ms. Leslie's daughter) and didn't seem to have the right experience to make the classes interesting to very young kids (my daughters are 6 and 3). Still we remained in class believing it was still a good activity for them. That was until a few weeks ago... it was a very cold day and the studio was not nearly warm enough for little girls in short sleeved leotards. I was wearing a coat, as well as almost every dad or mom in the waiting room with me. In the middle of my daughter's class, she came out asking to go to the bathroom. I took her to pee and she told me she was very cold. Her skin was indeed cold and she was trembling a bit, so I (as a concerned dad) put her jacket on her (it was a fitted fleece jacket with a zipper an no hood or anything loose) and sent her back into the classroom. A few minutes later a hear a loud voice from the teacher telling my daughter to take her coat out. I go back and, as the door of the classroom opens, I hear my daughter say "but I'm cold" and see the teacher push her out of the door saying "No, you are NOT! Now go take out your coat or you won't be allowed back in class" I took my daughter out of the class and (trying not to create a scene) went to talk to Ms. Leslie's husband who was at the desk (Ms. Leslie had been absent at that point for several weeks). There I told him that I understood thta the teacher was trying to uphold the rules of the studio and, independent of if I agreed with them or not, I didn't think a teacher should act in such a manner, contradicting my daughter's feeling and assuming what she was or not feeling (specially because it was indeed cold and all the teachers were wearing long sleeved shirts and warmers while the students were in thin short sleeved leotards). Instead of showing understanding, apologizing or at least showing some empathy to the situation, he started telling me that those were the rules of the studio and that most students would fake cold to get out of class and that he saw my daughter do this many times. I decided at that point not to push the subject and, after getting home, we wrote an email to Ms. Leslie to explain the situation and see what could be done to prevent this from happening again. A week later, before the next class, we received a reply saying that we got all fact wrong, that my daughter was using a hooded coat, that it wasn't cold and that she was disrupting the class. It ended reinforcing that those were the rules of the studio and they would not allow any exceptions. Since we were both there and Ms. Leslie was back, my wife tried to talk to her to clarify, but she started complaining to my wife of the misbehavior of our OTHER daughter. She was clearly emotionally unbalanced and was taking her frustration with us or the situation on my other daughter, which was not even part of the initial problem. My wife kept saying that she didn't want to have that kind of discussion in front of all the other parents there (her clients) but Ms. Leslie kept raising her voice and saying that nobody would listen to them there. Well, I was sitting with the other parents in the waiting room and I DID hear, so i went there and tried to move the discussion back to the original issue (the teachers behavior with my older daughter). Ms. Leslie looked at me with hate and said that if we wanted to have our kids in class we should follow protocol and then turned back and close the door in my face. We left then to never come back to that place. Don't care if they issue a refund or not or if we lose the rest of the season and deposit on clothes and recital. There no way I'm exposing my daughters to this kind of environment and will make sure I warn as many parents I can so they don't fall in the same situation I did.

My daughter had been auditioning studios for weeks, much to my dismay. None of them seemed to…read moregive her that special feeling that makes dancers light up. Until we got to Jenny's... She was able to try a class full of girls her age. We got a tour of the studios and examined the awesome (she said that) outfits that were hanging. The hip hop teacher was cool enough to make her feel swaggy (also not my word) but nice and supportive. As a mom, I loved the 'no pressure' feel of the trial and was able to discuss prices at my leisure. She even worked out a payment plan so I wasn't hammered with fees and costumes and tuitions all at once. My eternal dancer leapt into the car and exclaimed that she wanted to go here and it was perfect. I don't know about perfect but making her feel that way is perfect to me! ~Dance Mom 4 Life~

Our family LOVES this studio!! we are so thankful with how involved the staff is with everything…read moreand how amazing they are. It definitely has the family feel atmosphere 10 out of 10 recommend Odyssey!!

I cannot say enough good things about this studio! My daughter started here in January and has…read moregrown tremendously as a dancer in every class that she has taken! Our daughter went from being shy and reserved to loving every minute of being in the spotlight and it has been so amazing to watch! As a parent who sits and waits for every class in the lobby, I can say that the staff is so amazing and constantly putting forth so much effort into making strong, confident dancers. We truly feel very blessed to have found such a wonderful studio with an amazing group of kiddos and hope that they continue to grow through the years!! Thank you Odyssey for being so awesome to our sweet girl!!

This place is wonderful. The classes are professional and fun for kids. I would rate it higher but…read moreit's also quite expensive. The christmas and summer shows are fun for the kids and really create an ensemble, though in the older kid shows there is a bit of a bias toward actors in company. Has some flaws, but overall good.

This review is based on my opinion & from my observations:…read more Steps seems to only focus on the kids in "company" &/or the ones taking multiple classes. Although kids who take one class can easily become that student whose interests are to get to that level; I don't understand this. And, no my child did not try out for company & not make it. I'm not disgruntled due to anything of that nature. There's no assistance to help guide your child's interests, or to get them onto the right "track"; I know this because I asked. If your child has found their passion and you need a little guidance, "there's no help here", was the message I heard loud & clear. If you try asking a question btw, plan on a 6 week turnaround. Made me feel very unimportant and that I had my child at the wrong place. Obtaining tickets for your child's yearly performance was ridiculous (website crashes/credit card error messages/rescheduling ticket purchase dates). Even if your on the website at the exact start time, you will not get a decent seat no matter what you do. And you'll pay $16 per person to attend btw. Don't even get me started on the multiple discussions I had to have, to get a costume that fit my child before picture day. The class teacher was pleasant and my child never complained about class. But my child couldn't tell me her name until after Christmas. Substitute teacher was class participant mother (unsure if any dance teaching background - again no communication) that simply confused my child with changes to the routine; this was the one time she did complain about class. Again my opinion is from my observations; there's a feeling of a very clicky atmosphere at the studio. The kids who go to school together know each other, but that seems to be it. Kinda like a "Dance Moms" feel to the atmosphere, but I did chat with a couple of VERY nice parents a few times over the past year. And it seems like the kids all got along well in the classes. Don't plan on sitting in a seat in the studio, while waiting for your child. The kids stuff is all over the tables & chairs while the kids are in class. Why they cannot be directed to place their belongings in a cubby? They do that at school. Or maybe put up some hooks or lockers? You could definitely use some lunch tables. Plan on doing something outside the studio during class & picking them up at the door. I've been to other studios and were easily blown away by their welcoming nature...treated as WAY more important then we've felt here. Definitely shop around before settling for the local dance school. And if Steps reads this review, I honestly hope you'll take this review to heart and make some positive changes. I'm not writing this to be malicious, I writing this to help other parents make informed decisions. These things definitely bothered me, and that's what reviews are for.

Attended a fundraiser here for this remarkable organization. Wonderful that they offer…read moreopportunities for our young musicians especially in this age of fine arts cut backs in our schools. A truly important asset to our community. Had the opportunity to hear some of their musicians play for us and I can honestly say that they are a truly talented bunch.

Going through a huge amount of turmoil and turnover internally. Staff turnover is exceptionally…read morehigh. What does this say about an organization when they can't keep consistent staff? I would question if this is a safe place for young musicians. There are other programs in the area who do a better job. All parent concerns are swept under the rug.

Another fantastic dance recital Saturday ! I love watching all of Robins dancers , little, and…read morebig, shine in an evironment they love! Thanks Robin, Brad, and teachers. Pat O'Rourke

A terrific studio. Great knowledgeable instructors. Students learn a lot in a very fun positive…read moremanner.

Ignorant of most common injuries to Irish dancers or don't care. Mrs. McNulty will work dancers…read moretill they injure themselves and belittle them in the process. You can dance for her for years and years and years and never feel like she cares about you at all. Dancing dollar signs!

My son is 6 and has just begun dancing here…read more I can't say enough good things. Ms McNulty and Ms Shea (sic) are both wonderful women. They have the patience of a saint and do very well with the children. Not once has my son cried or not wanted to go. Quite the opposite actually. His self esteem has grown by leaps and bounds, he happily and eagerly practices daily, and he cannot wait to go back. He leaves each class energized, comes dancing out of the room, and not once have I been pressured to buy anything. I have recommended this to all of my friends. You won't regret coming here and you'll love watching your child grow and blossom into this energetic, confidant dancer!