My 10 year old absolutely loved it!! She was there for a week for summer camp and thrived! We loved…read moreit and 100% recommend!!

TLDR: If you're an aspiring actor and you live in the area, you want to try this school. They…read moreknow Hollywood and can advise you how to get roles. Yes, they will improve your acting, but they go into the business of Hollywood and sounds like they'll save you a lot of time, money, and headaches by giving you sound advice. If you're just doing it for fun (like me), they'll absolutely increase your acting range. I got a lot of good tips from my acting teacher, Jonathan Tysor (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7240096/?ref_=fn_all_nme_1). I'm a middle-aged man who wanted to take acting lessons for fun. On a whim, I reached out to Orange County Acting Academy (OCAA) because I was listening to a few audio books and really left impressed with the voice actors. I took a complimentary adult class on Tuesday. The class lasted an hour and I left thinking this would be fun to do. I spoke with Ron (one of the owners) and told him I'd like to take voice acting lessons rather than adult acting lessons and he said if they have the classes again, he'd accommodate. I decided to take the adult classes. I had taken acting classes before at Segerstrom around 2013 - it was very structured and formal to almost prepare you for plays as they also tackled blocking, improv, and foundational acting skills. The classes at OCAA - based on conversations I've had, are more akin to what you'll find in Los Angeles acting classes with another benefit, they really try to tell you how Hollywood works. I do not think any other types of classes like this exists in South Orange County. For example, Ron tells you when you may need an agent or when you can do without one. He'll tell you roles that are happening and how to prepare for it. He has firsthand experience since his son is a working actor. Further, they'll have workshops with casting directors and actors. I almost feel that if you are going into the industry and need a consultant to help you navigate that world, this school will help you - it'll save you time, money, and headaches in the long run. The classes at OCAA are less structured and you don't cover blocking on a nightly basis, but you do acting lessons, scene reads with other students, and the teachers try to get you out of your comfort zone. They are trying to increase your range first and foremost. I took about two adult acting classes before Ron told me they have enough students for voice acting lessons. The voice acting lessons were taught by Jonathan Tysor. I switched over since that was my main reason for joining the academy and I loved every minute of it. The class doesn't tell you how to mimic voices or do funny voices, it teaches you how to act. If you incorporrate mimicry or different voices, he'll help you make it natural to fit within a scene. Jonathan really increased my acting range because he encouraged me to make bold choices. Yes it's a voice acting class, but we went over acting skills. When the choices didn't work, he'd gently nudge me the right way - you can tell he was being nice as to not discourage me. He had different scenes I could select from, which included voice over for commercials, audio book monologues, and voice acting scripts. If you have roles you are working on because you booked a gig (some people did that), they'd help you work on it. For example, I did a monologue of Vas from Far Cry 3 (a villain), a scene (with a partner) from the Incredibles, and then some random small roles. The random small roles were cartoony characters, but it was probably my favorite exercise. The reason is because every student had to tackle the same character, but we all put our unique spin to it. For example, one of my classmates tackled one scene with intense anger, another with disgust, and I was trying arrogance. You're able to compare your acting and get new ideas from other students. Jonathan would also give you directions on the scenes so you'd do it multiple times. This was important because what he was doing was being a director and he wanted to see if you could follow instructions. He went over what both actors on set and actors in the voice over booth would be going over and gave tips on how to navigate the business. Hands down amazing experience. Only reason why I couldn't continue is because I'm working full time. Ron worked with me on when I could take classes or not - at times I'd be missing for weeks. Now that my schedule has intensified, I couldn't continue, but I hope to in the future especially with Jonathan - I found him to be really good at his craft.

Although we have great appreciation for the arts, I want to start by saying, we have never…read moreexperienced musical theater/performing arts camps or schools before this. We were recommended by someone we know that went through their summer camps and spoke very highly of AAFK. I was definitely nervous in the beginning because we didn't know what to expect and we're also protective as well (as many are too). All of my questions were answered when I texted them and as we got closer to the start date, a detailed and waiver were also sent out outlining all of the information. Signed up for Wicked Part 2 and K-Pop Demon Hunters. I can't express enough on what a positive experience it was. We were in awe what the students were able to do in less than a week! Incredible!!!! The lighting, the sound, the stage, the props, and costumes brought everything life! How exciting it was for students to see the inner workings of theater and all of the magic and hard work behind the scene. To top it off, it took place at an actual theater, which made it official and exciting. Mr. David, his assistants, and the theater staff were all wonderful. Mr. David is charismatic, fun, silly, and knowledgeable, yet can also be serious with the students when needed as well. We loved how he added life lessons and teachings where he could in a way that came across as a casual conversation. It really stuck with my student; we appreciate it. Love how he can switch to a different voice when interacting with the students and adults. He knows how to communicate effectively, yet also encouraging and motivates the students as well. Yes, if you go to the Newport Beach location, there is a tree and rolling hill in the front. As much as it's the staff's responsibility to keep your students safe, it's also your responsibility as parents to talk and explain to your children what you expect of them and decorum when you are not there. The same goes for what parts they get in the show. Before attending, we had a conversation about not getting certain roles we may want and how to process and deal with that. It doesn't take away from the experience if you prepare your students ahead of time. Skills my student learned after two weeks: Following through and not giving up even when things get challenging, believing in yourself, be and do your best no matter what, being a team player--by helping others, taking ownership and responsibility for the role you get, and understand that things can happen on and off stage--dust yourselves off, but the show must go on!!! Most importantly, TO HAVE FUN! Will definitely back!!!! We hope they will offer Hamilton and Wicked Part 1 later on in the summer next year!

Started with a summer camp, my daughter fell in love and we keep coming back for more! The…read moreteachers are all very kind and do a great job training the students in acting, singing and dancing. So impressed by each and every show we've done!

My 10 year old daughter asked to be signed up for an experience of acting in a play, so we chose…read morethe Broadway Arts Studio for a two week camp with the play, The Descendants. A couple of days before starting she was sent a script to practice for the audition, which she did. It turns out she was never asked to audition, instead she was give a minor, brief dance role for the play. Needless to say, she was disappointed, and I felt somewhat deceived having paid nearly $1000 for this two week training. It certainly appeared to us that they signed up way too many kids for number of parts available in this play. So in summary, I don't feel this was a good use of our time and money and I would not recommend this business.

All three of my children attend this school ballet, tap and improv Acting. It is a top-notch…read moreschool. Amazing communication if I need to change or schedule a make up class. Top-notch school I highly recommend!

We have been coming to Dmitri Kulev Classical Balet Academy for over 2 years now and absolutely…read morelove it! We knew the previous directors and now the new ones, both always upheld the high standard of training along with a super safe and friendly environment. Today, with all 4 instructors from Mariinsky Balet in St. Petersburg and the most authentic Vaganova teaching method in California, in my opinion, the training doesn't get any better than that. If your child is passionate about balet, look no further than DKCBA. Our experience has been wonderful, we felt that the teachers have a passion for what they do and truly care for every singe child's success. It also saddens me to see that some unsatisfied parents post lies to defame and smear DKCBA's reputation. One person created an instagram account tailored to talk lies about Eastern-European owned businesses including DKCBA, with exactly the same verbiage as this Yelp post from ILon O. (Obviously it's the same person) and when on instagram I asked, where they get their information from and if it's legitimate, they gave a false answer. Furthermore, when I shared the truth on their post, they blocked the comment section so people can't see it and also blocked me... and then went to yelp to spread hate and lies.. see pictures attached. It's a shame that miserable people like that exist, and because of their misinformation somebody will miss an opportunity to be a part of this amazing school! I hope it helps to someone who is looking for a good school for their child! Use critical thinking and don't believe everything you read!

I used to dismiss the negative reviews thinking they might be exaggerated. Now I regret not…read morelistening. Our experience. Here was far worse than anything I read. We chose the studio despite it being the most expensive locally, believing we were investing in top-tier training. What we got was the opposite. The new director is very arrogant constantly named, dropping the Vaganova Academy and the Mariinsky Theatre. However, this obsession with prestige does not translate into quality teaching. My child's fundamental technique showed no significant improvement over a considerable period.

If you're interested in developing your acting - this is it !…read moreIf you have fears of being in an intimidating atmosphere - lay your fears aside - Robert Gunton is so supportive and affirming of any level of experience or talent and will show you ways to access talents you didn't know you had. Highly recommended !

Robert Gunton is not only an astounding voiceover coach, but he really encourages you to think…read moreabout the craft. I had taken classes where Robert had acted as the instructor and benefited immensely from his direction and his thought process. When I had the opportunity to work with Robert individually, I immediately took the chance. Not only has Robert helped me to get my first paid booking, but he has helped and encouraged me even after the booking to grow in the craft and to understand different parts of the industry, including technical aspects. Not only that, but he is hilarious genius and makes the lessons fun and engaging. I wholeheartedly endorse him.

What an amazing studio! Apart from having a fantastic set up (welcoming lobby, a recording booth…read moreroom, multiple spaces for acting workshops, audition taping, and character work...), it has 2 incredible teachers, who are both experts on the current landscape of the film industry, and deeply care about your progress and journey as an actor. I learned more than I have about screen acting from my 6 months here, than I did in some of my university courses, for which my major was acting. Not all acting schools are always transparent about maneuvering through the business side of film, but Allie and Adrian were the best guides I could have asked for! They helped me find my agent and take leaps in my career that have been absolute game changers. I would DEFINITELY recommend, for anyone interested in acting, for all ranges of skill!

Allie was great coach for my son's voice over auditions. He enjoys working with her and produced…read moresome great tapes. We would recommend her!

We danced here for several years and they have to say the people in the office are the absolute…read moreworst the rudest weapon I've ever met everyone felt that way and the quality of the dancing is very poor. A very good friend of mine came to the recital and said that the older girls were not receiving proper training so I moved my daughter.

My granddaughter Keely has been a student for almost 16 years, since she was 2. Amazing and…read moreversatile staff and owner. She is now pursuing a degree in dance. We have enjoyed numerous high quality performances over the years at all levels. We would highly recommend them no matter your dance style preferences.

Worst communication (and by that I mean there's ZERO) . Respond to your parents calling & emailing.read more

There are many dance studios in the area but what we love about Variant Movement is you are there…read moreto train and work hard and have fun and build confidence. Our experience at other studios were, some kids took it seriously and some didn't. My daughter grew so much as a dancer at Variant Movement, training with Dani the owner. My daughter wanted to push herself and train to better herself and her teams. Her mentality shifted and watching her progress was amazing. Dani is so good at fine tuning and her choreography is exciting and showcases the kids strengths. She really cares and it shows. She auditioned and made a dance team and that had everything to do with Dani and her amazing team. My daughter felt so proud performing and representing VM and will forever be grateful for Dani.