The International Dance Academy Nutcracker 2025 show was simply spectacular! Every performance was amazing, the costumes beautiful and dancers magical. read more

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My daughter absolutely loves dancing at IDA. It is her home away from home. She has been dancing there for about 5 years. The technical training is very good and I like that they do shows instead of dance competitions. read more

The Fairy Tale Classics show of May 2024 will go down in history as one of the many amazing shows put on by IDA! My family enjoyed the stories of Little Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty and the beautiful dancing of all the dancers. The costumes and the music were out of this world. And after watching Red Riding saved from the big bad wolf, and Sleeping Beauty falling victim to the Evil Fairy, we found ourselves in the middle of Africa, where we heard the sounds of the wild and watched the kingdom come alive. The movements of the dancers for the next 20 minutes or so kept us mesmerized. The music was outstanding, the choreograph was out of this world and the costumes were amazing. I'm so very proud of all the girls who I know worked so very hard to make this classic a masterpiece! Can't wait for the 2025 Fairy Tale Classic show! read more

Wonderful Ballet school! My daughter just started at IDA this past year and so far she loves it (especially her teacher Ms Shaina)! We did the nutcracker show despite being brand new (it was optional) and the performance was outstanding! I had never seen the nutcracker before and honestly it brought tears to my eyes. In reference to the 2 negative reviews below, I'd say just bear in mind they are several years apart, and for every couple negative experiences there are many positive, happy, experiences that just aren't reported as often. There are so many styles of dance (and dance studios), I think it's more just finding what works best for you, your goals, and your family's needs. Speaking from my own experience, I can say I that I have not experienced any "clicky-ness" thus far. In fact, I volunteered backstage with differing age groups and all of the girls were all very supportive of each other, some of course by nature are just more outgoing and some are more focused and reserved (which is normal) but all of them were very respectful and humble and generally just a sweet group of girls. Show schedule (and the rehearsal schedule prior) was maybe a little bit intense but since I'm new, I'm not sure if this is unique to this school or something you'd experience at any dance studio. As we got closer to the shows we would typically receive schedules on Saturday or Sunday the week before (in preparation for the week ahead) but other times we got the schedules 2 weeks ahead. On the upside for this school, there are only 1 or 2 times out of the year when you would experience this more intense schedule (perhaps even only once since nutcracker was optional); because unlike many other schools, they don't do multiple competitions throughout the year (which can be costly, time intensive and require travel), instead they do the 2 full scale performances -which we felt like we preferred more. We are still in our first year here but we have loved being here so far. The owner (and her mom) are both very nice, skilled, genuine people (and all of the staff are very passionate about their craft). They also utilize the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus which I thought was wonderful to find in our area. I'll cut it here (to not make this too long). I will update if anything changes but so far we are loving IDA Ballet. I would definitely give them a try if you are looking for a quality ballet education for your child. I would also suggest checking out google and their website/ social media/ instagram pages for more insight into the studio etc. as it's a bit limited on here. (insta search: IDABalletWeston and sneakpeek_ida). read more

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I had heard many good things about the performances of the International Dance Academy but never had the pleasure of attending one until recently. I was in for a real treat. I attended IDA's May 10th performance at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts and was surprised to see nearly every one of the 1500 seats in the theatre filled. The young women and girls who graced the stage were elegant and graceful as they reveled in every moment on the stage. There were numerous stand-out performances but the one that moved me most was the young woman who danced the role of red riding hood. The classical training she has received at IDA was evident in her graceful movements and lines. I was truly impressed by the choreography of Artistic Director Deborah Buttner and Co-founder/Director Mary Buttner, keeping in mind the dancers were of a wide range in ages, choreographing for all of them must have been a real challenge. The second half of the performance saw the savannahs of Africa come to life with dancing gazelle, tigers, giraffes, elephants, zebras, water buffalo and other animals. The dancers mimicked the movements of the animals to a lovely backdrop of lively percussive music. I was surprised to learn all of the animal headpieces were designed and handmade at IDA. The night was truly a feast for the senses and I'm really looking forward to the next performance. Job well done! read more

My daughter has been going here for a few years. Reason I haven't taken her out to find a new ballet studio is during the pandemic, this was just terrible and not easy. This place has gotten worst every year and this will be her last year. They are so disorganized when it comes to recitals that happen twice a year. They come out with the week schedule on the same day they have to be there that evening, and this for 2 months of disorganization prior to the recital and expect for you to get out of work and drop off your kid, 3pm, 4pm. On top of that, the cost of the recitals is over $1000, for you to see your kid in the show for about 2 minutes. I know also someone that posted a bad review with them, and they met with the parent to beg them to take off the review. Reviews are here to help other parents understand what they are getting into. I understand this is small business but parents have to work and make schedules and they do not allow for you to do that. As your kids gets older, the ballet practices can be mid day while your work at 3:30 pm. If the organization is looking at this, this areas of improvement needed: * Schedule - more flexible to allow for evening options for parents who need to finish work prior to taking kids to school * Recitals - More information as to what to expect * Recitals - Schedule is provided a few days if not a week ahead prior to the next week to allow for planning * Recitals - do not force parents to purchase x amount of tickets or ads. If you want to make money off the show, then I think it your responsibility to reach out to places to advertise or get ticket purchases. read more

If you live in Weston and have a little girl who dreams of becoming a ballerina, there is NO other ballet academy better than this. My daughter has been going to this school for a year and both she and I love this place. It is run by a mother and daughter from South Africa, both of whom studied under the Royal Academy of Dance. There are girls from 3 - 18 years old studying at this academy and they all interact with one another beautifully. The older girls help with the little ones and the little ones look up to the older ones. It is a wonderful community where the girls learn much more than just the art of ballet. Also, this school doesn't put on recitals, they actually choreograph two, almost professional, shows - the Nutcracker during the Winter season and a Spring show. If you are ever inclined to watch a ballet show or enroll your child in ballet, you should definitely visit this school or see one of its shows! read more

My daughter had been studying dance for several years at other dance academies when she transferred to this academy. We thought she would take it to a higher level in learning. It was the worst experience she had in dance. If you don't like favoritism and clicks, you won't like it here. A waste of a year. We left and went to another dance school that was wonderful! She learned so much more and flourished! Now she dances at college. I would not consider this school the best in the area. Ugh! read more