I have tried the Thursday Beginner Ballet and Strength and Stretch classes here. Both are taught by…read moreMacKenzie and she is incredibly patient, kind, and sweet! I do think the Beginner Ballet sessions are on the short side (they are only 45 mins) and as a result are better suited for people looking to refine their technique than complete beginners who need to build foundations. Strength and Stretch is also probably best suited to experienced dancers, as the class has students doing crunches for consecutive minutes with no breaks and going into straddles, side splits, and advanced yoga poses with very little preparation and no modifications (this class is also only 45 mins, so warm up and cool down are quite brief). I would rate my experience as a novice to dance as 3 stars, but more experienced dancers may get more benefit from these particular classes, and it seems the ballroom classes are much more popular and well reviewed. This is a convenient location right off Foothill Expressway with ample parking in the back. There are classes in other dance styles (especially ballroom) almost every day of the week, so I may try those another time.

About 8 months ago, I resumed ballroom dancing after a long hiatus and started taking group classes…read moreat Arete Dance Center. This place is great! Not only are the teachers very good, but they also create a very welcoming environment. Most of the group classes are small enough that students can get some individual attention. At the outset, I had no intention of taking private lessons, but one thing led to another and now I'm also taking a weekly private lesson.

I am a regular at this studio for years now. I am not sure how I missed leaving a review for you…read moreYelpers! I can promise you there is something for everyone - from non dancers to professional dancers. I personally have grown so much here and I love all my instructors. They offer dance classes in many styles. I've tried a bunch of their classes like hip-hop, bolly-hop, Jazz, salsa and contemporary. Oh! they offer fitness classes as well, you won't regret it. Check out their Instagram for videos! :) @danceid, @difitwithshaira

*Rediscovering Myself Through Dance: A Journey for New Moms*…read more As a child, I found joy in Bharatnatyam and Hindustani classical vocals, with performance feeling like second nature. But as a new mother, I realized how much I missed that creative outlet--something just for me. Stepping into Dance Identity in Sunnyvale reignited that passion. It's not just about learning new dance styles; it's about reconnecting with myself, embracing movement as an expression of joy, and finding a supportive community along the way. Some of my fellow dancers have become dear friends, making this journey even more rewarding. To all the new moms (and anyone else seeking to be part of a community while learning to dance) out there looking for an energizing escape, a space to move, express, and connect--come dance with us. You deserve this!

My son is taking Devin's hip hop class with Showstoppers 4 Kids through his school's enrichment…read moreprogram after school. He was really disappointed at first not to get into the Lego class which was his first choice but I have to give Devin and his teaching staff SO MUCH credit for motivating my 8 year old boy to get into hip hop dance after 2 years of not taking any dance classes. He even showed us his dance moves this past Monday after we got home (the hip hop class is on Monday afternoons). I can't wait for their performance next week. It's amazing to see how far he's come from whining about not wanting to do hip hop the first week to showing off his moves this week in December. Thanks Devin and team for working your magic with my son. I'll be sure to remind him in his middle and high school years when he can show off some moves on the dance floor

Devin of Showstoppers 4 Kids comes to my kid's school every Thursday to do hip hop dance class. My…read more6 year-old loves it! Devin is so committed to these kids, he truly goes above and beyond to make dancing accessible and fun for everyone. I am so incredibly grateful for Devin! We hope he will be back every year to do afterschool dance at our school!

2 daughters have danced here since age 3. One danced more recreationally and focused on sports and…read moreone joined the dance company. What I have loved is that Dance Connection supports kids and families at whatever level they are in their dance journey. The studio has been part of Palo Alto for 40 years. I know parents of dancers who danced here! My dancer has tuned her area of deepest interest but loves all genres - tap, musical theatre, lyrical, jazz and hip hop. While she does not focus on ballet, the studio has an amazing program for ballerinas at the most senior level. My daughter builds a strong foundation and body through ballet classes, which supports all of her dancing. She has grown in confidence, discipline, and teamwork.

A terrible first dance class experience for my child, and a waste of time / money for us…read more We signed up for a trial class for the 3-5 combination dance. First of all, we weren't told the regular teacher would be replaced by a substitute. The substitute was inexperienced and didn't engage my child, who was attending for the first time. We walked up to the teacher before the class and told her that we are here for a trial so she knew that we are new. Yet, the teacher ignored my child the entire time, even when it was clear that my child was struggling to understand what was going on. She made 0 efforts to help her fit in; my child was left alone standing at the corner the entire time. Zero teaching, zero caring. Will definitely not come back.

I've been dancing at Western Ballet for more than 10 years, and it really feels like my second…read morehome. I started from Absolute Beginner 1 with literally zero ballet experience. I still remember learning the most basic tendu, and over the years I've worked my way up to more challenging classes, workshops, and variations. Pretty much everything I know about ballet, I learned here! What I love most about Western Ballet is how welcoming and supportive everyone is. The teachers are wonderful -- very patient, encouraging, and never judgmental. They're also always willing to stay after class and answer my many questions. :) The community here is also really special. The students come from all different backgrounds, ages, and experience levels, which I really appreciate. I've made some of my best friends here, and our friendships have grown way beyond the classroom. After all these years, Western Ballet has become so much more than just a place where I take ballet classes. If you've always wanted to try ballet but never had the chance, or you danced when you were younger and want to come back to it, I'd definitely recommend giving Western Ballet a try. You might end up staying for 10+ years like me!

I am forever grateful to Western Ballet's caring faculty and staff for giving my daughter a solid…read morefoundation in classical ballet from the ages of 9 until almost 16. When you begin your training at Western, you can go anywhere. This past summer, she was accepted to summer intensives at San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet, and the Royal Ballet in London. We moved out of the county recently, which is why she is unable to continue her studies at Western this year, but she made lifelong friends and amazing memories there. If you live in or near Mountain View, there is no better for children to study ballet. Western Ballet truly cares about the wellbeing of each student, and it shows. Thank you for being such an integral part of my daughter's childhood.

A great way to introduce your budding little dancer to ballet. There's time for fun when the kids…read morecan express themselves and their individuality. And time for serious learning about positions, movements and their proper names. Our instructor, Miss Alana, is very sweet while communicating attention to technique and respect for the rules when doing bar work. There are plenty of options if you'd like to purchase ballet attire/slippers. **My only gripe is no fault of the school, but if they could send a message to parents reminding them to use common sense and to be respectful during classes, that would be helpful.... unfortunately, there is a mother in my child's class who repeatedly causes distractions, such as taking FaceTime calls, and bringing her smaller unruly child to class. So instead of keeping an eye on her child that is taking the class, she is busy talking on the phone and caring for her smaller child who is small, so naturally difficult for him to stay quiet for the 45 minutes of class. Common sense would dictate that if you feel the need to participate in a FaceTime call, you would stand outside so as not to disrupt the class, because it is a quiet environment, and nobody needs to be listening to somebody's FaceTime call, or their child who is not in the class, making noise. It's disruptive and our instructor is there to teach the children, not instruct the adults who are viewing on how to be respectful of class time. Other than the one disruptive mother, it's a great fun little school. And my child looks forward to her sessions every week.

My 3 year old daughter loves this class! Teachers are patient, kind and engaging. We come every…read moreweek, and if we have to miss a class it's really easy to make up classes.

Dina was a great dance instructor and very friendly. My fiancé and I took private dance lessons for…read moreour first dance. My fiancé had very little dance practice but she helped both of us perfect our skills for our big day. We didn't feel pressured nor judged of our skills. Highly recommend any couples seeking lessons. We looked forward to our weekend lessons. Thanks!!

Dina is a terrific insturctor. I really enjoy her dance and salsa workouts. They are fun,…read morechallenging, energetic and I have a blast every time! Seems like everybody else are having fun too as people keep coming and smiling. I love her choreography it's interesting, not too easy not too hard (well sometimes it is challenging for me) and I love to watch her demonstrate. she has a great sense of humor and tells interesting anecdotes during class. I wish she'd teach more classes during the week.

Exceptional quality professional ballet training, If you want your child to experience real ballet…read more Highly recommended. My family has been with OBA for about three years. One of my boys trained there throughout that time (incl competitive track), while my other son attended pre-ballet summer sessions for a couple of months. Over those three years, we experienced regular academic-year training, summer drop-ins and intensives, competition team, private lessons and custom choreography, 2x year theater stage productions, and local community performances. Our experience was mostly with children under 12, so I can't speak to the experience for advanced students or adults. A few things I personally valued most: 1) TOP QUALITY CLASSICAL BALLET TRAINING. OBA teachers trained and taught at leading ballet schools in Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union, with their exceptionally strong tradition of classical ballet education. What is remarkable to me is having access here in Bay Area to that caliber and tradition of training without first having to make it through the highly selective admissions process typical of that system. For a child who has the interest and ability to take ballet seriously, there is a genuine path toward advanced and potentially professional classical ballet training. There are some character and contemporary classes as a part of curriculum, and some Jazz in repertoire - but mostly classical dance! 2) BOYS PROGRAM. As a mom of two boys who displayed strong interest in dance while in elementary school, this was particularly important to me: it feels as most dance schools do not have a lot of experience teaching boys. In contrast, OBA founder has advanced teaching degree (PhD) specifically in boys technique, and I appreciated the understanding that boys can bring different energy and learning styles into the studio. Expectations remained high, but the methods didn't assume every child is the same. 3) CULTURE AND ATMOSPHERE YOU WANT YOUR KIDS TO LEARN FROM. OBA channels certain formality and graciousness to the classical/academic arts culture: respectful communication, good manners, self-discipline, consideration for others, and an expectation that students learn how to conduct themselves appropriately and respectfully with teachers, peers, and other adults. Impressively, I never saw OBA adults raising their voice or projecting their stress onto the kids -- neither have I seen kids getting rowdy. As a parent, you can experience this magical respectful, focused and positive atmosphere while observing an "open house" class or an end of year "exam", and when volunteering backstage. Over time, I saw my kids' exposure to this environment translate into more "mature" respectful behavior, greater self-discipline and responsibility, and an understanding of how to interact appropriately and professionally in classroom and backstage. 4) PERFORMANCES WHOLE FAMILY ENJOYS. Students get meaningful stage experience through OBA productions and community performances. The OBA shows like Thumbelina have been running as full productions with beautiful costumes, sets, music, and lighting. We got tons of professional photos and videos from these to toute around family. Most classes will rehearse a piece or two throughout the year and perform in shows 2x year, and some students audition for more challenging featured roles -- beware that rehearsals then may claim many Saturdays throughout the year! Those who are ready may be invited to the competition team, with opportunities to compete at events such as YAGP and CDC -- this is also quite a commitment and training starts in the summer prior to season start. Our experience on competition team has been top notch, structured and inspiring 5) ADMINISTRATION. To me, they deserve a Momager Choice Award! Communication about schedules, rehearsals, billing have been "best in class" - responsive, well organized, warm and genuinely invested in supporting child's success. Schedules / major dates are available far in advance -- like, in May all schedules for the next year were already published, so important for me with afterschool activity & family trips planning. Note that OBA operates out of two Mountain View locations, and sometimes we had classes at different locations on different days of the week. During competition prep weeks, we occasionally even had to "shuttle" between the two locations on the same day -- pay attention to those rehearsal locations in the emails! In summary, what our family valued most about our experience at OBA was access to serious classical ballet education in the Vaganova tradition, with a path toward professional training if a child has the desire and ability to pursue it, while being part of a supportive community centered around a love of art, discipline, and growth.

took my 4yo in today for a pre-ballet trial class and I was impressed! The space is beautiful. The…read morestaff was friendly. I love how they have so much structure in terms of dress code and hair requirements for class. Parents are not able to watch the class which I am completely fine with as I find this is often a distraction, especially for littles. Highly recommend if you are looking for quality ballet training.