For me, the only relevant question in assessing the value of a ballet school is this: what is the level of ballet instruction. The answer to that is ... It's the best in Orange County. Salwa and her staff routinely turn out young dancers who are very capable, and some of whom have professional careers. If you're looking for a place based on the level of instruction, this is the place to be. The summer intensive attracts people from the Mariinsky Ballet, The Princess Grace Academy in Monaco and the Royal Ballet School, as well as the Directors of Youth America Grand Prix. I can guarantee you, those people would not be coming here unless the instruction, and the quality of the young dancers was very, very high read more

We've been coming to this ballet studio for many years, and while the instruction, teachers, and curriculum are absolutely amazing, the parking and drop-off situation is a nightmare. During peak hours--especially between 4 to 6pm on weekdays--the area around the studio becomes chaotic. Parents frequently block the red zone in front of the building to drop off or pick up their children, causing serious traffic congestion. To make matters worse, vendors are selling prepackaged food, fruit boxes, and other perishables directly from their vehicles--both in front of and behind the studio. This draws long lines of customers who often stand in the middle of the road, blocking parking spaces and making it difficult and unsafe for cars to get through. Even more concerning is the lack of supervision for children in the parking lot. Kids often dart out into traffic without looking, and drivers are forced to slam on their brakes to avoid hitting them. Many parents appear distracted and are not paying attention to their children's whereabouts. This situation has persisted for years and only continues to get worse. As much as we love the studio, the surrounding chaos and safety risks are making us seriously question how much longer we can continue coming here. read more

Southland Ballet Academy - Illegal vendors in parking lot. - Dance Studios Near Me - Irvine, California

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My daughter has attended a few ballet classes before but wasn't satisfied. She is very eager and excited to go to this ballet class.

My daughters have been attending this studio for over eight years, and they have developed a deep appreciation for this ballet school. The instructors make a concerted effort to focus on each student individually, maintain high standards, and show genuine care for their students. The school fosters a very welcoming environment and offers numerous opportunities for performance. read more

Our daughter has studied ballet at Southland ballet for a few years now. She has grown into a committed, passionate dancer and made numerous friends. The studio is for serious dancers. The Nutcracker performance is incredible. This is a great studio for budding ballerinas. read more

Amazing Ballet Academy. From pre-ballet 2 class start getting more serious. I am very happy that I found this place.

We took our 4 year old boy to a trial class and we were shocked to see how strict they are with this age group and how rudely they dismissed our child for not listening to instructions, by the way little guy showed his best effort, kept pleading he wanted to stay in the class, but he is a very active 4 years old and that is why we wanted him to take dance classes by the way. They did not communicate to us that our child might be kicked out of the trial class in advance, if so we wouldn't come, and if maintaining a class structure was so important, they could have offered private classes for new comers instead of accepting them in the group class at their first try. It is okay if a child doesn't fit a class, this is what trial classes are for, but the way this trial class was arranged and the way our child was dismissed had nothing to do with educating a child, there was no concern about his emotional development and well being, it more felt like pensive which they had no business in doing so. My child left feeling very sad and rejected in the end. His daddy and I felt terrible for taking him there. We never had such an experience anywhere else. I wouldn't take my little child there for a trial class if I wasn't sure he would be pleasing to the instructors and personally I wouldn't entrust my child to any institution with such approach to child education. read more

It doesn't even inform us parents ahead that it's closed for Easter not even an email. when we already prepared kids already super excited to their Saturday ballet classes read more

First impression matters. We were scheduled for a trial today only to find out that they are closed. I guess our business does not matter to them. Just one little kid really excited to attend ballet class only to end up being so disappointed. read more

Southland Ballet Academy - Dance Studios Near Me - Irvine, California

Summer Ballet intensive (Jr.)camp #2021Amazing/Jamie ballet took her further & harder it's exactly what she needed,Thanku Southland the live pianist was beautifully hear everyone read more

Southland Ballet Academy - Southland ballet academy Junior summer intensive 2021#Amazing - Dance Studios Near Me - Irvine, California

My daughter is so pleased with this studio. She used to go to American Ballet Theatre and she likes southland much better. The teachers are nice but strict, which I think is perfect. And they really focus on strength and technique. My daughter is in ballet 4 now and she's been going there for 2 years. The summer intensive is wonderful and I recommend signing up for it to help your child get better in ballet, contemporary, and conditioning. The teachers are so sweet to the parents and have answers for everything you ask. They really push the kids to be their best. I really recommend southland for everybody who wants to advance in ballet. read more

This incident happened in September 2017. I had my daughters enroll in Ballet classes at Southland Ballet, Irvine. I asked the front office representative about the dress code and she told me that my girls have to wear pink leotards. My oldest daughter was 9 and she was not comfortable wearing pink with her body. We tried several leotards but non worked for her. So I asked the same lady for withdrawal before classes starts and she said I have to do the request online. I did request the withdrawal, but I got response until classes started. So I had my girls attend their classes. My first impression was negative. For some reason the teacher was unfriendly at all and never responded when I said hi or smiled. She always showed this angry mean face at me. I thought she has a problem with new faces she meet and maybe after a few classes she will be okay. However, when I think back, I see that she is a teacher and for this job one needs to be friendly with kids to make them love what they do and to parents to gain their trust! My older daughter insisted on going to class with a black leotard and the teacher got really mad and requested her 3 times in the last 3 classes to come next time with a pink leotard. I talked to the teacher and told her that my daughter has a problem because of her body shape and she is not comfortable wearing pink, and she has the passion to learn ballet. My daughter went to the 4th class with a black leotard. The teacher yelled at her in front of the other students and other parents: "You must not wear black, you have no right to choose!". The teacher did not realize that the girl's father was outside watching this. When she saw the he was standing by the door watching, she ran to the front desk lady shouting "Rules! Rules!" and complained about my daughter not following the rules in front of all people out there! It is true that my daughter did not follow the rules, but this is not a way to speak to a child. If a teacher cannot handle children, then why teach them? I have taken my girls to several places and were treated with love and care. This is the first time I see such attitude in children classes. My daughter is broken hearted and very sad and embarrassed of what happened to her. I didn't wish for my girls to stay in that place anymore and I requested withdrawal again online and provided the reasons for withdrawal. Again there was no response! So I decided to go to the main office in Fountain Valley. They lady at the front office did the withdrawal and told us that she will send our complain to the director and will refund us back for the payment we did. It's been 14 months now. I have not heard from anybody and have not got any refund back. This place is miserable by all means. I only hoped that someone will call and say that they are sorry for humiliating a child in front of people! read more

My child has been enjoying ballet training. The instructors are knowledgeable and I see how the skills have greatly improved. We look forward to watching their ballet training move forward. read more

The instructors are excellent and focused on teaching students proper technique. It is very important to learn good technique from the beginning as it is very hard to break bad habits especially when the kids are older. It is an excellent ballet school and will prepare your child to progress in the world of dance. The only downside is that as the student's level progresses the studio demands an increased number of classes in addition to longer class times which may be very difficult to balance if your child has a vast array of varied interests in addition to ballet. read more

By far the best ballet studio for training in Southern CA. This studio provides young dancers with the experience of dancing with a company as well as great training. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to train with and perform for Salwa. read more

My daughters began here at Southland Ballet this year and have absolutely loved it! They are 4 and 7 years old. Their teacher is Ms.Cristine and they look forward to coming to her class every week. Highly recommend. read more

I have the privilege of enjoying the wonderful adult classes and taking my daughter to this beautiful dance studio. I would say the children classes are very crowded ( so as most dance places in irvine ). Perhaps it can be managed better particularly the waiting area and the drop off. But I truly appreciate the instructions and the instructors have great choreography and class management for such large size. It's hard to appreciate the artistic talents in a place like this when there's a lot of customers and it seems all business. I danced for over 2 decades and I really appreciate it offers adult ballet for the local dancers to continue with our passion. read more

Great teacher. Lot of classes available during the week. Easy to arrange makeup lesson. Lot of performance opportunities. If you are looking for ballet school, this is a must choice. read more

My daughter is starting her 3rd year here, and she absolutely loves it. She is going into Ballet V. She wants to take classes every day (and nearly does)! The level of instruction is incredible, and the teachers are very caring and give good corrections and attention to the girls. Ms. Salwa is kind, compassionate, and knows every single one of her dancers, not just the ones who have aspirations of dancing professionally. We have also been very happy with the progression of pointe - they start very slowly and gradually build, to help avoid injury and to make it a more enjoyable and rewarding experience for the girls. My daughter looks forward to participating in the Nutcracker every year, and is so happy to be a part of this wonderful ballet school. read more