In reference to Juliana C.........Hey there, my name is Kareem Hills, co-director of TKO Dance Academy. First off let me say thank you for your prior interest in our dance academy. I was made aware of your post by one of the parents who was in the class your daughter tried out for. If I recall correctly, your daughter tried out for our classes 3-4 times. Each of which she cried hysterically. I truly hope you understand that we pride ourselves in making the environment for each dancer, regardless of age, comfortable, fun, and most important suitable to learning. This is more significant in children ages 3-5 as they can become easily distracted by any outside distraction, e.g. other dancers crying hysterically. In the case of your daughter, she came to the class hysterically crying and my staff had asked if she could sit out and as soon as she collected herself, was more than welcome to come back in. In fact, each of the 3 times before, you sat in the class with your daughter because she was a bit distraught and on the final day of her being at our studio, she was accompanied by a older child (possibly her sister) to see if this strategy would work. I am very understanding when it comes to our dancers whom are 3-5 years of age because I'm aware that this might be the first time they are detached from their parent for a substantial amount of time. However, behavior still matters. And I must be respectable to the other dancers who are in the class as well as the parents who paid for a learning environment. My staff is more than professional, in fact most of whom have their degrees in dance education and student education. Therefore, they too, know how to handle delicate situations. I am truly sorry you had a distasteful experience at our studio. Hopefully as your daughter becomes older you will realize that TKO is the best place for her to start her dance education, as we pride ourselves on developing young dancers into professional adults. Our doors will always be open to you and your family. If you ever have any questions feel free to contact me. read more