My daughter has been dancing and performing on stage a total of 7yrs and at EDC for 3+yrs...she…read morestarted on the recreational dance team, and now dances on the competitive company team. EDC is a great environment for those who are passionate about dance at any age! Its not about being the most technical, having the perfect look, or the most money - it IS about love of dance, being able to take instruction, show respect, and want to work and grow! EDC has found such a great mix of being a warm/welcoming studio for all levels AND providing top notch instruction and opportunities for the most ambitious/experienced ones! We have been with 4 total studios in North County and all have been wonderful (except for one - which I will not name, but we stayed less than 1 year, as we did not feel welcomed at all - after almost a full year of attending classes every week twice a week, the same check in lady had no clue who my daughter was). If I could give myself advice when starting this dance journey...find and stick with the studio that supports the vision/future you and your dancer are working towards...my daughter and I are pretty grounded when it comes to our expectations from all of this, but everyone is in it for different reasons and because of that one of the challenges as a parent is managing feelings of inequality/jealousy, or being left out/left behind - its helped me grow as a mom! It starts at home - work can be done on teaching your child to be an attentive student, set attainable goals, but dream big, and to compare themselves not to one another but to their last performance. Lastly, the EDC staff is involved in the industry professionally and is well connected for unique opportunities! They are bringing in top notch master instructors and choreographers, they attend a great mix of competitions and conventions - building confidence while keeping them humble!

My daughter loves to dance and will choose this studio as her dance family every day all day! She…read moreloves that she gets to compete on a team, all styles of dance, and even perform the nutcracker every Christmas! She has big dreams and feels everyone around is as invested in her success as her family is! It makes us so happy knowing she loves going to dance and she gets to really manage and drive her own little journey with the EDC team!

A flawless hiphop performance of the non competitive groups seems more important than being kind to…read moredisabled participants, who furthermore are hidden in the back of the group for 1-2 performances a year, that are supposed to be just for fun.

The programs they have here are amazing. My daughters enrolled in a few of the things, and had a…read moreblast. And when you've done things over the years that you regretted signing your kids up for -- and have the kind of wonderful experience you've had here -- it makes you just wish every business was run this way. Everyone, from the front desk to the dance instructors, are nice and do their jobs well.

Oh my gosh!!!! This was the best decision we made for our wedding!!!!…read more My husband and I just had our wedding this past Saturday and it was truly magical but one of the best parts of the day was our choreographed dance! Neither of us had any dance experience besides dropping it low at the club back in the day ( elder millennials ) so this was nerve wracking for us at first. We found McCann dance via another yelp review and booked the intro lesson on a whim. We ended up with Elisa McCann who happens to be an INCREDIBLE professional dancer and a fantastic teacher!! We had 7 weeks to get a dance locked in. Well, that we did. We met with her once a week up until our wedding and she customized choreography for us, pushed us out of our comfort zone just enough to WOW the crowd, but made sure the moves were things we were physically capable of doing. Every week we showed up to our lesson happy to share that we'd been practicing. I want to shout from the rooftop that this studio is incredible and I LOVED our custom wedding dance!!! Do it. Do it. Do it. Seriously, if you're debating doing it. DO IT!!!! Best decision ever!!!!

Super nice instructors !!! We learn something new every class and have a great time learning!read more

My daughter loves this dance school. They have a friendly and caring team there. Had nothing but…read moregreat experiences with A Step Above.

We absolutely love this studio! Both of my daughters have been dancing here since they were 18…read moremonths old--now they're 7 and 5--and it's been such a positive experience every step of the way. The classes are always age-appropriate, with just the right balance of fun and challenge as they've progressed. The recital costumes are adorable and thoughtfully chosen for each age group. We've had the chance to work with many of the teachers over the years, and every one of them has been wonderful. The office staff is also incredibly supportive and welcoming. This studio has truly nurtured and grown my girls' love for dance!

I've been taking classes at MBDY+be Studio for almost two years now, and I absolutely love…read moreeverything about it--the studio, the instructors, and most importantly, the incredible community. They create such a supportive and empowering environment where women are truly celebrated at every stage of life and ability. After dedicating myself to motherhood for the last few years, I started taking dance classes again for the first time in ages, and it was amazing to reconnect with that part of myself. It made me feel like a woman and a person again, not just a mom. The energy, encouragement, and positivity in this space are unmatched. I highly recommend checking out their classes--you won't regret it!

Such a fun, positive dance studio! Staff was very welcoming and friendly, and made me feel right at…read morehome for my first class. I will keep coming back!

My husband and I had a private lesson with Carolina tonight. She was a wonderful teacher and the…read moretime flew by so fast. We had a great time and want to come back. I recommend highly.

Great instruction and fun people. We learned Swing Dance and will add Salsa next! Location is…read moreconvenient and Dave makes learning to dance so much fun!

I felt so lucky when I found this studio for my daughter who is age seven. She had been to many…read moreother studios in North County SD taking ballet over the passed few years, and at all the rest of the studios - it felt like she was just a number, and like the classes were more recreational than real instruction. The classes everywhere are so over sized with 12- 13 kids because most businesses are focused on maximizing their profit. So, her progress was very slow being in those over sized classes of kids where the teachers are so outnumbered that they don't have the time to notice little things that need improvement. It just felt like a waste of time and money everywhere. And most studio's have recitals that are so cheesy too which I didn't like, presenting the dancers like they are in a pageant show with excessive make-up and cheap looking outfits. But then, we found this little gem hidden in Carlsbad. Mr. Valeri who is the owner and sole teacher there, was a world famous Russian ballet performer traveling through Europe and other parts of the world starring in famous ballets. He has trained side by side with some of the most well known ballet famous dancers in the world. He is in late 60's and has over 30 years of experience teaching Vaganova ballet which is one of the oldest, purest, and most beautiful forms of ballet. He teaches ages 3 and up, and truly loves his students. He is fun and sweet with the kids, but still making sure they are doing everything correctly and safely, and you can tell he has real faith in his students. His classes are small and personalized, and he keeps the dance floor and ballet barre very clean which I think is also rare. He's extremely knowledgeable and passes on his expertise to all his students with a lot of care and attention. And one of the best parts of taking classes there, is that he puts on gorgeous recital performances with his students twice a year, and they wear high quality beautiful costumes, and soft tasteful make up. The sets are also high quality from the back drops to the props which really showcases the dancers hard work in a special way. And he even give's the very young dancers important roles. There are many photos here to see what Im talking about. If you are looking for a studio where you or your kids will be taught very well, and actually make noticeable progress in less time, then this is the place for you. And it's nice that it's close to the 5 freeway so it's easy to get to. It's a very small operation so to get set up trying a class, you email the point of contact on their site, and do it that way. If you end up wanting to go there, sometimes it can take a couple weeks to get your account going so I just kept track of the days you go until then. But then when it all gets set up, there no problem and it's SO worth it. Anyways, we feel so lucky to be able to have both of our daughters ages 5 and 7 be taught by Mr. Valeri, and if you are someone who really wants to learn classical ballet, this is the best place in San Diego to do it. Some parents drive 45 minutes to come to his studio, it's THAT worth it. : )

My four-year-old daughter has been to about 5 dance classes here and I am so happy that we decided…read moreto go with this ballet school! It is a rare and wonderful thing to see kids this age be given structure in a dance class, while still being able to enjoy themselves. I appreciate that they are learning an art and not just how to shake it. The parents are allowed to leave during class, which is the only way I could do it because I have a 2 year old which terrorizes the small waiting space and is constantly trying to bother the curtain that separates the waiting area from the studio. The quality of the classes are worth this minor inconvenience. Also to note: parents are not supposed to watch the classes as it distracts to the kids, but there's no window or camera set up, so you actually never really see the classes unless it's your first class or a special family day. Also, as other reviewers have mentioned, the communication between the studio and the parents is not very good. Again, to me, it is still very much worth it, regardless of this small inconvenience.

Our daughter has been taking classes here since she was 18months old. When Covid happened, we were…read moreable to continue because the team here does such an amazing job with safe options. Our daughter is high risk and this was the only activity we were able to continue with her amid Covid. The team here works so hard to keep it safe and have options for dance classes available. We love Stage Door and teach Patti is just the best. A wonderful dance studio full of so much love. Thank you Stage Door!!

On Monday Oct 19th @ 9:30am was Allison's first twinkle tots class.She was shy at first and didn't…read morewant to join the class. Miss Patti was so nice and understanding, she allowed us to watch on the dance floor. 20 minutes into the class, Allison jumped right in when the kid switched from tap to ballet. I am so happy to have found this place, I encourage everyone who is thinking about starting their kids in dance to start their search her. Take a FREE trial class and see your kids eyes light up. Susan