Love this place. Kathy and Joe are excellent instructors and fun to be with. We began taking…read morelessons when my husband gave me a gift certificate about 5 years ago and continue to take lessons because it has been such a great time. It is nice to have a night out with dance and dinner. I highly recommend DeMaira Dance.

My daughter started dance class and after about a month, 3 out of 5 children quit…read more The studio is pretty small, they only have two dance rooms and there is a waiting area in the front by the desk. I would say that this place is kind of dirty and needs a good vacuuming and dusting. There is also a room in the back with a rod to hang jackets and some cubby holes and some chairs. There is a paid parking lot a few stores down. I don't know what's going on that all of your students quit and you're left with one student, but now my daughter doesn't want to go anymore with only one other child in the class. I would also say that the music is not age appropriate , maybe you should stick to music with no lyrics? Teacher played songs with lyrics about sex and mental illnesses: Sweet But A Psycho, Despacito and Call Me Senorita: All about sex, whether or not it's in English or Spanish. Mr. and Mrs. Demaira are certainly nice enough people but you guys need to watch your teachers better. But it does make me wonder why everyone is quitting your class all of a sudden.

Love the philosophy of Intuit ! The many ways they encourage self- expression and feelings through…read moredance!!! Thank you Intuit, for providing this safe place and environment for so many different ways to show self-expression!

This newish dance studio is a nice addition to the artsy atmosphere on Harrison Street. If you…read morewant traditional ballet or jazz, head over to the Academy of Movement and Music, this has a more "alternative" feel to it. My daughter takes a Jazz/Hip-Hop class that she really enjoys. I was a ballet girl, so I feel like her instruction is better preparation for the high school drill team than the concert stage, but that is just me being an old fuddy-duddy. You can drop in and pay for one class, or sign up for a series. A nice variety of classes for children, teens and adults -- In addition to jazz/hip-hop there is also ballet, tap, yoga and even belly dance (try it, it's fun). The space is small, but well-lit and airy. The mirrors are spaced panels and not the wall-to-wall type, so watching yourself and the instructor can be tricky if you aren't properly situated in the room.

This dance studio is for all ages and most styles. I signed my 4 yr old cousin up for ballet/tap…read moreclasses and couldn't be happier with the teachers, studio space, and costs!!! If you have any kids looking for lessons......this is the place to do it!

From the owner: Specializing in Dance classes for pre-school thru pre-professionals.read more

WOW! I'M speechless. My daughter signed up for Matilda this Spring 2023. She was so impressed at…read morethe dancing and singing instruction that she recieved. The teachers are amazing, patient and fun! Now my daughter has signed up for James and the Giant Peach. She is thrilled to be able to work with Ovation. The practices are convenient and it's not too far for us. I'm glad we found Ovation. It's a great oulet for my daughter's creative love of theater, singing and dancing.

It's a real shame that the favoritism is so rampant in a children's theater camp/program like this…read more Theater is supposed to be for everyone and in the 3 years we've attended, the woman running this has chosen her favorites while being so rude to so many parents and kids here who were not. I kept thinking it was a fluke or a bad day, but it's not, it's constant. It's not cheap, the productions and decent, but again, inclusion isn't what it should be. Forget it if your kid isn't a particularly strong reader. I won't be paying $$ for that woman's ego again. Hilarious that it's located in Oak Park, home of the "hate has no home here" signs

Nice medium sized theater located in Oak Park. I was really close to giving them five stars, it's…read moreclean, the staff is polite, the actors are great, and the seats are comfy. The only problems are that the seats aren't pitched enough and that something is off with their audio. I couldn't hear most of the performance. Lucky enough the actors were good enough for me to follow the story. Also I had the change seats a few times before and during the performance. Get one tall person in front of you and you can't see anything, hence the seating needing to be pitched more or maybe make the stage higher. Even with these major issues I still really enjoyed the show and the theater. I know this sounds sick and or weird but the play was called "Urinetown" -it's a musical about pee only it's so much more then that. About the right to pee. It's a hilarious tale of greed, corruption, love, and revolution in a time when water is worth its weight in gold. Still strange I know, but it's something for you to see for yourself. Enjoy! P.S. The actors are excellent, dancing, singing, and my favorite... they still perform even when they aren't the center of attention. I love that! P.S.S. This is my 50th theater review!! Holy crap there are a lot of play house in Illinois!

Circle Theatre does not equal Broadway. In fact, I get the distinct impression that they are not…read moreTRYING to compete with the Les Miserables and Wicked blockbusters. With that in the forefront of your mind, imagine a local (non-touring) group of professionals who act in these plays because they love it. This is their passion and it shows. Consider Circle Theatre the Hilary Swank of the acting world. They are talented, uber smart, and they choose productions that are somehow meaningful to them (not necessarily with the intention of making money). Are they capable of producing popular, money making productions that would make Andrew Lloyd Webber proud? Absolutely! True to the pervasive value of the Village of Oak Park, Circle Theatre strives for independent excellence. Circle Theatre itself is pretty small. There is an atrium with a ticket counter and a small concession area. The concession area has a few things including wine and beer. There are two theaters so that two shows can occur simultaneously. The theaters are divided into three sections of tiered seats, have open seating, and have great views from everywhere. The seats themselves are padded and have armrests. The floors are clean (not sticky like some movie theaters). Lastly, the employees (actors and staff) are all kind and friendly. They've been nice when it comes to finding tickets for me and have worked quickly at the concession stand when I want to get to a seat before the show begins. The actors have come out after the show and have made pleasant conversation with their fans. In conclusion, Circle Theatre is perfect at what it is. Some of the plays are funny and some are thought-provoking. They have impressive costumes and sets, but without the fireworks of something you would see in Chicago's Theatre District. The actors have theater degrees and lots of experience. You can expect to see an offbeat play performed and produced by professionals who care.

Thoroughly unimpressed with this place. I just wanted to give them my money and learn how to dance…read more I sent them an email. No response. Actually spoke with the proprietor on the phone and asked to schedule some private lessons and nobody ever got back to me. This seems like the status quo over with them according to the other comments here. I guess I'll be finding another choreographer/instructor elsewhere. 2 thumbs down.

THIS PLACE DESERVES TO BE OUT OF BUSINESS ! I would have loved to give this place the most NEGATIVE…read morestars if I could, even zero. PLEASE DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY HERE ! My family unfortunately had finished paying the so called "choreographer" JESUS ESTRADA, to not only leave us hanging two weeks before my sister's quince, but always cancelling, making excuses, never replying, etc. JESUS ESTRADA is LAZY, UNPROFESSIONAL, INCONSIDERATE, AND A LIAR. Please DO NOT be fooled by "good" choreography that has been done by him REPEATEDLY ! Avoid this place at all costs. THEY WILL SCAM YOU ! This place only cares about money and has total disregard for customer service. On another note, he says that he will provide suits for the chambelanes, but at the end he either makes up excuses as to why he "did not" get the suits or tells the family last minute to provide the suits themselves. Yet again, he had chambelanes work for him and never ended up paying them for their part as promised. Even if he ends up providing suits for your chambelanes, it always ends up being black and nothing to match the color of the quince. With our experience, he always ended up showing up late, never finishes the dances (which follows up with repeats of other dances that have been "choreograph" by him). The amount of times we tried to contact him through texts and calls, he never ended up answering and if he did it was to notify that the practice has been cancelled HOURS when it should have started. Or simply because "SUPPOSEDLY" he FORGOT. JESUS ESTRADA overbooks himself and never provides his part of the contract. At the end of the day they will simply IGNORE you on PURPOSE because they know how to fool their customers. The staff could care less if you are wasting your time waiting on them to show up. In addition, if you are one of the lucky people he texted back it was only to request for an additional payment prior to the "contract." As always DO NOT get fooled by this message, it always benefits HIM for the MONEY. This is his ways of gaining trust for his "customers." Again, if you are looking for a professional choreographer PLEASE DO NOT HIRE JESUS ESTRADA FOR YOUR EVENTS! YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED ! If for whatever reason you ended up paying a deposit or more, please STOP WASTING YOUR MONEY BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT GET IT BACK ! The staff will either not answer you or will keep delaying time for a "refund." THIS "BUSINESS" IS A FRAUD !!!

We came for the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee in May 2015. I'd wanted tp see it for years,…read moresince it was playing in New York (in the plaza across from Wicked). So I can't compare the Oak Park production to any other, but it was, uncompared very good. There were certainly some notable differences -- for instance, they asked for 4 volunteers from the audience to join the cast to fill up some seats. They picked really well, and the volunteers when I saw it hammed it up, and stuck around for a few rounds of the Bee. As for the paid performers, the singing and acting was good, the set was minimalistic, but didn't feel like it needed anything more, and the lighting and sound were overall good. There was one microphone issue. The lights also seemed like they were a little bit low, and didn't quite hit the actors' faces, although maybe that was deliberate so they could see. It was fun that the theater was so small, every seat was a good one, and we could actually see everything, down to the facial expressions. The cast had a sense of humor when things came up (like the microphone issue, or the audience volunteers indicating a willingness to jump in for a number). Overall it was a very well put together production. The show was a fun one, although it got wayyyy darker than I expected. The ending was cheesy, but hey, it's a musical. I had no idea Oak Park had such a theater scene! There was plenty of street parking. There's a small concession area with basic offerings. The bathroom is small, only a couple per sex, but the intermission was long enough for everyone who needed the break. I think there were at least 2 venues in the playhouse because there seemed to be another show going at the same time as ours.

Came to see los monologos de la vagina" I Like it great…read moreshow Nice theatre ,great place

This review is only for the space as I experienced it as someone who was invited to participate in…read morea dance-themed birthday party for an adult, which took place on the second floor in the dance space. Beautiful sound system, high ceilings, ideal floor for barefoot dance. I didn't see a changing space and it was much too hot for the people in our class (mostly 50 year old women) as it looked like the space is kept at 76 degrees for the benefit of the folks who usually take dance class there. That makes sense that you would need to keep students warm; however, for our crew, it was just too hot and I had to keep taking breaks to cool off. Parking was very limited and confusing, and I accidentally parked in a non-approved spot; however, thankfully, was not towed in the hour I was in the building. I think I'd rent out to space myself for a birthday dance, if there was a way to lower the temperature to 68 degrees for the hour we were using the space.

This is a wonderful dance school. My child has danced there for 11 years and loves it. The teachers…read moreand staff are excellent, the director Stephanie Clemmons is phenomenal. For the students being at "The Academy" is like being part of a family. This is a real dance school of very high quality, it is an Oak Park treasure as is it's dance company Momenta. Momenta's evening performances are exceptional for anyone who likes dance. Treat yourself.

I started taking classes at Halau i Ka Pono to 'escape' an especially bitter cold winter -…read moresomething fun and creative to try out and a way to make friends as an adult. It was a slow start for me, but eventually I integrated into the classes and the community surrounding Halau i Ka Pono and wouldn't trade it for the world. She offers a plethora of classes - from kids all the way to 'chair' hula (for those that can't be on their feet)!! This isn't your average exercise class, either. June teaches the far depth of the Aloha and Hula spirit; bringing culture, dance, history and language into one sacred space. It feels like a secret treasure trove hiding in plain sight on the edge of Oak Park.

I purchased a Groupon to take four classes at the Hula School of Chicago. I thought this would be…read morea wonderful way to learn about Hula dancing and perhaps find a new hobby. The first class was very enjoyable and I left feeling relaxed and in a good mood. The instructor, June, has a wonderful personality and her peaceful energy is contagious. The only problem I had with the class is that at the beginner's level, the classes are drop-in. Every week that I went, there was someone new in the class and so we always started from the beginning, with the same explanations and reviewing the same dance moves. Week after week-this eventually diminished my enthusiasm over the class. It felt a little like Groundhog Day. My suggestion would be more structure and perhaps a syllabus of some sort. I've taken other dance classes and for example, you sign up for six weeks of classes where there is a progression of training. I would've been willing to pay more for a class with more dancing and less repetitiveness.

Definitely dance mom, mean girl vibe. Not at all welcoming and our child, who used to love dance…read moremore than anything, no longer loves moving. Doesn't seem like there is any joy there. Also, not a place for diversity.

I absolutely dislike this company. They are very cunning and deceptive. I registered my daughter in…read moreJune but it was only one class for the whole month. She did not attend any classes that month. I thought she could use this money towards July. I called to discuss this with someone who worked there, and nobody returned my phone call. I did not hear from someone until 2 weeks later demanding my card be on file, and stating my daughter will be dropped from the class after attending 2 classes. I even offered to pay the 17 dollars since they prorated June. So basically they wanted me to pay 51 dollars for one class in June. Also they advertise giving one free complimentary class, to see if your child loves it or not. That was honestly a whole fairytale as well. I don't know where on God's green earth they do business like this. My daughter will be going back to her old dance school, where they are parent friendly and welcoming to their dancers. I guarantee you will not receive it at Transcendance.