What can I say about Academy 831?! Oh.. that they are super amazing. It feels like home every time…read morewe walk in. They are organized, dynamic, supportive, and fun. The studio is always clean and up to date. The families there are friendly and inviting, and the coaches are great! We have been there for just about a year now and it has been a great experience for us and our two daughters. 6 and 4. We have been enfolded in the winter performance and now summer. We have made some great friends. Plus our daughters have built some amazing skills from the teachers. I would 10/10 recommend this place to anyone who wants to bring their kids and help them enjoy dancing.

Wow, it has been years since I've written a review, yet I feel strongly enough to do so today…read more My daughter has been going to Academy 831 for the past year or so, and she started when she was around 4 years old. In the beginning, I enjoyed having my daughter here because there are big windows where I can see how she is doing, and the place is clean and spacious enough to not feel crowded. That is still the case, and the front staff is very friendly, accommodating, and informative with everything that goes on at this studio. I have had very little interaction with the owner so I can't speak to that, but overall this place seemed like a good fit for the past year or so. However, over the past 6 months or so, I've noticed a change in my child's behavior when it comes to participating in dance class. I believe that difficult situations can make my kid stronger in most regards, so I chose to observe rather than pull her out of dance as soon as she wanted. I am able to take my daughter to dance class every other Wednesday, and what I've observed is a complete lack of empathy, compassion, and kindness from Miss Megan, one of the dance teachers that teaches on Wednesday's from 5-6 pm. Over the course of a few months, I noticed some instances that I kind of brushed off as structure and a part of the growth process; but now that I look back on it, I was so very wrong. Some instances include: when my kid was having a bloody nose before dance class and she wanted to come out to blow her nose during class, Miss Megan did not allow her to. When my kid said she needed to use the restroom, Miss Megan did not allow her to. I have heard Miss Megan say, "you're fine, you don't need your Mommy" on multiple occasions. Yesterday, was my final straw. Yesterday, my kid was having a rough day. She fell during class, and she had a noticeable cry out. She looked like it hurt her to continue. I opened the class door to say "what happened?" Miss Megan said "oh she just fell, she's fine." Did Miss Megan physically walk over to check on her? No. Later on towards the class, my kid got her finger slammed by the door while going into the classroom after changing into her tap shoes. She immediately fell to the floor. While I'm holding my 2 year old, I yell out to my husband to go help my child who is on the floor in tears from the pain. Where is Miss Megan? Sitting on her bottom. The only thing she moved were her eyes. Not even a single intent to move her body to check on an injured child. This speaks volumes to how much she cares about the children she "teaches." Thank you to the owner, Christa (I'm gathering from yelp review replies), for offering an ice pack, as I'm fumbling to try to get a cold water bottle from the vending machine, and a bandaid for my inconsolable child. My kid's finger has a huge cut and her nail is black and blue, I wouldn't be surprised if the nail falls off during the healing process. I'd like this to serve as a reminder. These "dance teachers" are teaching CHILDREN. Children have immature brains and cannot process situations easily. They need to feel safe and nurtured and they need to feel like their basic needs can be met easily, such as having the freedom to use the bathroom when they need to or find their Mommy to blow their nose if they can't breathe through it. We will be finishing up this "season" of dance because my kid likes to perform, and we will be looking for a new studio that has a little more compassion and passion for teaching children. I'm a pediatric provider, and this is 100% NOT the way we should be treating our kids. As long as Miss Megan is a teacher at this school, there is no place for my children here.

look no further, this is it for R&B. I took the R&B class here for months and it was pure fire. I…read morewould take a two hour drive all the way from Malibu to get here, the only conflict recently is that I now work closing hours . As a dude that is whiter then sour cream and can't dance to anything this helped me become a much better dancer. I wanted to try R&B since I have found it fascinating on social media the attention it gets and it's a great way to impress the ladies without saying a word. It's like a combination of slow hip hop and breakdancing. It feels daunting in the beginning but Rey walks you through all the steps and explains the technique behind each individual complex move. He takes a move that looks impossible to do and he makes it possible to do for an average guy like me. I would without a doubt call Alejandro Rey the Royce Gracie of R&B since he truly has a deep love for the music and you can clearly see that through his teaching. He doesn't only instruct but he travels and performs R&B consistently around the country so there is no better teacher you could ask for since he is always sharpening his skills. Never had a mundane class, each one is unique and you will always learn something new to add onto your dance tool belt. One thing I like about Rey is that he will change a move on the spot to fit the music. You will learn a complex R&B routine and if one detail is off or can be made better Rey will throw in some really cool move so there is no wasted space in the song. Also you will see professional R&B dancers taking the class with you. It's kind of a trip because you will see these guys on tiktok or instagram weeks prior and on a Wednesday night they're right next to you in class learning from the best. R&B also bleeds into other areas of dance and builds confidence within yourself because it's not easy to perform in front of others. When you consistently show up you get consistently better and slowly you consistently becoming more confident with yourself since you are doing stuff you never thought you would be able to do. For me that was the most important aspect since I started talking to people (ladies) that I was too shy to talk to before. Also I know that I can do a dance most guys have a hard time doing but Rey was able to guide me through the weeds of it. Lastly Rey has couple R&B which is the perfect date. Take your lady here and the car ride home will be much different.

The owner of this studio only cares about money. She doesn't care about her dancers or the fact…read morethey are children. If you want a place where your daughter will thrive and grow as a dancer this is not the place. She belittles the kids and humiliates them in front of the class. Clearly this lady has never taken a class in child development. She stuck in her ways of tearing down girls to build her own ego.

Both my sister and I have taken classes here when we were kids at their old location. I was a…read morechubby kid in the 90s, so it was somewhat embarrassing for me to wear a leotard and tights to prance around as a child. However, the dance teacher (and owner) Jennifer never made me feel out of the ordinary or left out from any of the dance recitals or classes. She always made sure I participated and had a role, no matter how slight. Slowly but surely, I gained confidence over time and was able to dance my heart out in front of strangers despite my size. For plus-sized children, I would highly recommend taking dance classes here at The Little Dance World and to find community in the dance world. I remember making a lot of friends here as a kid and even though we don't keep in touch anymore, I recall a lot of fun times here at The Little Dance World. Whether it be learning how to dance Chinese folklore or hip-hop, I would entrust Jennifer and company to teach your children several things, such as how to be kind to each other, maintaining a code of conduct and professionalism, and learning how to do some fun exercises via dance. Even though I don't dance anymore, I loved dancing when I was a kid and would recommend others to check this place out. Dance is such an incredible mode of self-expression and what better way to get your kids to dance early on in their childhood. They'll be able to retain some of the skills I mentioned above and apply it to their education and even the workforce. Thanks Jennifer (and shout out to her daughter Melody)!! I'll always have fond memories of this place.

Thank you Ms Jennifer for letting us know in advance when classes are canceled due to competition…read moreschedule! This helps us very much for managing our busy schedules.

When I start dancing here, I feel like I have seen the world of dance. Thank you to the teaching…read morestaff who have the ability to teach accurately and in an easy-to-understand manner.

Great hall for an event..clean facilities, amazing lights and sounds and wonderful owner to deal…read morewith...will definitely be back in this place for another event..

We trust this studio with three of our girls. It's family friendly environment that has SO many…read moredifferent opportunities for dancers to grow and challenge themselves.

I 100% recommend Uptown School of Dance!! If your looking to…read moreput your child into dance this is definitely the place to be. My daughter & two nieces dance here. This will be our 2nd dance season with Uptown. My daughter is in cheer & hip hop. The teachers and staff always make the kids feel super comfortable. I love how when my daughter could be having a hard day, they are able to encourage & uplift her to participate and join in on the fun. Super grateful for all the amazing staff. Miss Alanna is so sweet! You definitely feel like part of the dance family here :) can't wait for more season/events with Uptown.

Our daughter's first time doing dance classes was full of lots of FUN. The teacher, Nicole, was…read morevery patient, encouraging, and helpful for our daughter. During the class they play princess songs which is fun for our toddler. Our daughter really enjoyed the trampoline and tap dance skills the most. Classes are affordable as well!

The dance room for the younger girls is great. There is a large sitting area for parents which is…read morebig enough to bring siblings if they need to tag along. In addition, the Rapunzel tower mural and the cloud paintings give the room a great fairy tale vibe for the little ballerinas. Another reason why this studio is unique is bc they provide a tumbling component at the end of ballet and tap. My daughter looks forward to the trampoline and learning tumbling tricks every time. I can't give 5 stars bc of an instructor. I agree w the parents- she tends to use a screaming voice and belittles the girls. She always starts late and rushes at the end to finish in time for the next class. What I find bothersome is her son interrupts her in the middle of class and they tend to argue about whatever. I wonder if she even enjoys teaching the little ones... what made it all better is going to a makeup on Thursday and seeing how incredible the instructors is, therefore we immediately switched. Also, a suggestion- replace the flooring so the kids' tap shoes actually tap.

Our dance teacher Sheri is absolutely wonderful! ！We worked with her to prepare our wedding's first…read moredance. She's super energetic and passionate that made every lesson so much fun!! She's incredible at choreography and patient and encouraging, which really helped us feel confident! Thanks to her, we went from nervous beginners to genuinely enjoying dancing together. I would highly recommend Sheri to anyone looking for a dance teacher whose warmth, passionate, and encouraging!

Miss Sheri is the best !!! She is my Granddaughters first…read moreteacher. My granddaughter has come so far in the class. She loves miss Sheri and can't wait for class each week. Sheri is so good with all the babies. They learn so much in the class. Thank you for Miss Sheri, she has the biggest heart

This is one the rudest dancing professor that I ever seen. She is totally disrespectful and she…read moredoesn't have any teaching ethic to student. I will never ever let me child or even refer to anyone.

This is a very professional dance school. There is a strong faculty here. At the same time they…read moreprovide the most professional dance performance opportunities for students. If you want to choose a place for dance learning for your child or yourself, Yaya Dance Academy is the best choice.