One of the first studios I found when moving to the area. The studio is really on Miller though it's by the Safeway shopping center on Miller and Bollinger. It's a nicely built studio, one building with three studios. They have many instructors that teach kids, ballet, hip hop, a little modern, etc. They have a lot of classes but seem to focus on the lyrical/hip hop/dance team styles. If that's what you want, go for it.
My background, I grew up with ballet, and little modern, which I focused on (the pioneer styles especially, and a little contemporary) in college (got a BA in dance) and am passionate about.
I signed up my daughter, 3 1/2 at the time, for the jr combo class (ballet and tap). She liked it well enough, but I felt it focused too much on trying to get them to copy positions. My home studio did more creative movement for little ones but the kids here, my girl included, did ok mimicking. It was the first class of the day and not infrequently was the office employee and/or the teacher late, now and then, without keys to the studio rooms themselves. The teacher (Lindsey O.) was very nice, and also good at keeping the kids in line.
There is one bathroom available and any changing must be done in there, even for the little ones. I was halfway through putting on tights or something, and the owner asked me (nicely enough) to take her in the bathroom. She began in the summer and i signed her up again for fall but we are stopping this month. I've gotten quite frustrated, mostly with the office, because of confusion with monthly payment and with the class potentially canceling or combining with another.
I tried to choose a class for myself (28 yrs old) but wasn't ready to try the modern because the teacher taught so many other styles as well and no one could describe it for me. I also had a hard time fitting anything into my evening schedule. I bought a 10-class punch card, so I could try classes without committing, but have barely used it. In the fall, they began offering Fitness Dance at the same time as my daughter's. It was really an exercise class but utilized a few dance-like positions or exercises. It was ok but no one was actually committed to the class, I guess we all had punch cards, and the attendance was constantly changing so they canceled it. I was never informed (though I had been a consistent participant) of the cancellation until I showed up dressed and ready. I ended up sitting around during my daughter's class, not unusual, but I was ready to exercise. The teacher (Karen) was young and very nice. We're leaving the studio and I still have many punches left but I don't have much intention on trying to use it up. Maybe will ballet, but we'll see (I'm pregnant now, and it's hard to get started somewhere new, especially now).
Monthly payments are due (or automatically withdrawn) on the first of the month but somehow it doesn't apply only to that month. I **think** it pays for part of the previous month and part of the that month. When dropping a class, you have to give 4-weeks notice. We decided to leave at least a month ago but when I called on Dec 1st to give notice, it was too late to just finish with December and we had to go into January and pay for it too. grr.
For some reason I also had problems using their phone number, the call wouldn't go through. They weren't any help. And I'm not crazy about the website. The main thing I'd go see is the schedule but it's something you have to download. Online registration was not very clear and there are no class descriptions.
I'm glad to be leaving. read more
