Our family was part of Dance Revue for four years, beginning when my daughter was 3. She had…read moreteachers she loved and many positive experiences.
Unfortunately, the way our relationship with the studio ended completely changed my opinion of the studio.
At age 6, Dance Revue invited my daughter to try Minis, its younger competition team and both Dawn and Terri expressed confidence she could handle it. We chose to wait a year because we believed another year of training would better prepare her. Competition remained her goal and the studio knew it.
This summer she worked incredibly hard: 17+ dance classes, 10 hours of private dance lessons and weekly private acro lessons. We paid $325 for intensive week at Dance Revue including auditions, approximately $425 for additional summer technique classes, plus $20 per half-hour private lessons. After researching other studios, I have also found Dance Revue very expensive in comparison.
Immediately before audition results, we had a lengthy conversation with Dawn (owner) as well as Terri and Meghan about possible competition schedules and team configurations, such as one comp, the restt rec, a few comp, hip hop rec, etc. Nothing in that conversation communicated that Vivian might not be considered ready for ANY competition placement.
The night before, Dawn sent an email to all dancers telling them the only thing that mattered was dancing from their hearts, she loved them all, and any changes do not affect their worth on a team.
The next day, Vivian was rejected from competition entirely.
I understand that auditions don't guarantee placement. What I do not accept is the lack of communication surrounding it. We received no specific audition feedback and no actionable explanation of what she needed to improve.
When I tried to understand what had happened and asked whether Minis had been considered, the response eventually became that the decision was final, another meeting would not be productive, and Vivian should pursue her dance education elsewhere.
Then came something I found even more disturbing.
I wrote about our experience on my personal Facebook page. I acknowledged that studios have to make difficult placement decisions and explained that I was heartbroken and confused. In the comments, I discussed the money we had spent preparing for auditions.
Dawn responded by telling me that discussing Dance Revue's costs publicly was "completely unnecessary," said my posts had been offensive, and asked me to "refrain from discussing Dance Revue and anything related to the studio publicly."
No.
I strongly object to a business owner telling a paying customer not to publicly discuss her experience with that business. Parents have every right to talk honestly about what they paid and how they were treated.
I was also accused of making another dancer feel ashamed about receiving an award during auditions. Dawn was in the room during the incident. My daughter came out crying and confused after another child received an award. While I was comforting her, I asked what the award meant. Dawn explained that awards are part of competition and that not everyone receives one. We accepted the explanation, congratulated the other child, gathered our belongings and left. We did not criticize that child or her accomplishment.
I was therefore stunned to later receive an email saying a parent claimed my handling of the situation made another dancer feel ashamed and "took the joy away" from her--and that I should have handled it privately. Dawn witnessed the interaction herself. I know what I said and did, and I completely reject the characterization that I shamed a child for receiving an award.
My advice to parents considering Dance Revue, especially those enrolling a 3- or 4-year-old and assuming they've found their dance home until graduation is to ask difficult questions now. How is advancement handled? How and when are concerns communicated? What happens when a child isn't ready for competition? Are there developmental options? What feedback follows an unsuccessful audition? And what happens when a parent disagrees with or questions a decision?
There were good years here. That's precisely why the ending hurt so much.
We didn't leave because Vivian lost an audition. We were told to find another studio after I asked questions about an outcome I didn't understand. Then I was asked not to publicly discuss our experience with Dance Revue.
After four years, that is not an ending I ever imagined for my seven-year-old's first dance home.
