Oof. It's been a while since I've felt compelled to write a review.
We were so looking forward to a demo class at Park Hill Dance. My son has been into the Nutcracker for about a year now, and was excited to learn some ballet moves. When we got to the studio we weren't greeted by anyone. No biggie. We had friends there trying the demo class as well, and they were able to show us who to sign in with. We signed in with Karlyn, who was a bit cold. Slightly off putting, considering some rapport between a new student/teacher would be helpful. But oh well, no biggie. Unfortunately, the coldness just got worse as the demo went on.
Right before my son entered the classroom Karlyn asks indignantly "how old is he?" I responded, "he's three." We signed up for the 3-5 class, and Karlyn knew his age considering we filled out an enrollment form prior to the demo, so the question was strange. A couple other parents commented on the way she spoke to me, as her tone was inarguably rude.
Anyway, class proceeds and my son just isn't into it. I did see Karlyn attempt to engage him several times, but to no avail. While I wish she would've engaged him a bit more forcefully, I totally understand why she didn't. She's not a babysitter, and her time is better spent with the kids who are fully engaged in class.
After class, my son apologized to Karlyn. It was very kind of him, and necessary considering he was not participating during class. Karlyn looked past my son, ignoring his apology, and bluntly tells me "he is not ready for this class, he needs to be in one for his age range." She then went on to tell me that there was a 2-4 class that would be better suited for him.
It wasn't the content of her message that bothered me, but the way she delivered it. My son is clearly not ready for the 3-5 class. I reciprocate her opinion. But there was no need to throw the "age range" comment back in my face. We signed him up for HIS age range. 3-5. He's not ready for the class, and her suggestion to do the 2-4 class was appropriate. But she really went out of her way to make me feel bad about signing my son up for the 3-5 class, which is ridiculous considering it was a DEMO, and there was no way for me to gauge how my son would do in it prior to demoing the class!
It's too bad that our first impression of the studio was so sour. We live in the area, and would've loved to enroll our son in classes, even if that meant waiting for him to be a bit more mature and able to appropriately participate. Unfortunately, our interactions with Karlyn were too upsetting, and we will choose to go elsewhere. read more
