I dance here, but I wish I didn't. The only reason I'm still at this studio is because of the ballet teacher, Denise. Let me explain:
First, some of the receptionists are nice, but there are others who are rude. When I say rude I mean hateful and vulgar. There was a recent incident about dress code and when the dancer in question said good night to the receptionist the response she got was "f*ck off." Very professional. The owner of the studio, while claiming to value professionalism, is rude to customers as well. She is, at times, completely lacking tact.
And there's a dress code. It has been on paper for years but never enforced for adult dancers. It's a silly thing, really; only black leotards and no ballet skirts. The scary part is how rigid and unyielding the owner is about it. She tries to kick people out and she disciplines them in public. These are adults, who in many cases pay a ton of money to dance there! What harm is a red leotard?
The actual studio space is just ok. The owner does not allow rosin on the floors. This has created a hazard for pointe class, and many people have fallen, both in pointe and technique, including me. I will say though that after years she has finally begun putting liquid rosin on the ballet floor once a week which helps. The ballet barres are too close to the wall to properly stretch, and if you're doing turns at the barre you can pretty much guarantee that you'll be hitting the mirrors at some point.
For me, the worst parts are the people. The owner is straightforward, but often crosses the line from straightforward to mean, in my opinion. Some of the front desk people are icy at best and hateful and vulgar at worst.
Honestly, I'll keep dancing here at least until the end of April when the session is up because I don't want to lose the money. And I may consider remaining simply because I love the teacher, even though I am loathe to give my money to this establishment, but I cannot recommend this studio to others even if it is the only place in town to get such a wide variety of dance styles under one roof.
UPDATE: Approximately one week after I posted this review, the owner of the studio met me at the door with a check refunding me the balance of my tuition for the session. Her stated reason was that I was rude to her employees and I was no longer welcome there. She even had her boyfriend who, in his words, was acting as security, stand outside and verify that I had left the parking lot. read more
