24/7 Dance Studio

Horrible waiting area for parents and the instructors are rude and not understanding at all

I cannot say enough about the staff and students at 24/7. My son has been dancing there for five years and has taken classes in all genres of dance. The teachers are a very talented and nurturing group. They are fantastic role models and the atmosphere is one of encouragement and support. This is the first dance studio that I have experienced and it has been very positive. I am sure that there is competition among the students but that is not something that is evident. First and foremost, they are supportive of each other and the camaraderie is fantastic. I have been bowled over by the encouragement that the older students give to the younger ones, as well as their peers. My son spends a lot of time at the studio (as do I) and I know that he is in good hands. 24/7 is like a second family and a place where we both always feel welcomed and valued.

Our experience with 24/7 began with scheduling an and quot;evaluationand quot; with one of the instructors, to see where my daughter should be placed if she decided to attend this studio. It is my understanding that normally, a teacher does not give corrections during an evaluation; however, after observing my daughter for a few minutes, and knowing a bit of her history (I had discussed with the teacher in advance the fact that she had attended different schools in different places and that therefore there were some and quot;gapsand quot; in her dance education, as not all schools teach exactly the same thing at the same time), the dance teacher decided to see how well my daughter took corrections. Because she took the time to do this, the teacher determined my daughter could move into a higher level than she would have placed her in otherwise -- because she saw she took corrections well and applied them consistently and therefore felt she could and quot;catch up.and quot;
Next, we attended an and quot;open houseand quot; at this studio, where kids had the opportunity to take sample classes. My daughter was delighted at how friendly the instructors and the other students were. Because I myself am not a dancer, and because my daughter was about to enter her senior year in high school and *had* been dancing since she was about 3, I left the final decision of what studio to move to up to her. We had checked out 3 different studios in the area (not counting the one we were leaving because of the way things had and quot;gone southand quot;), and my daughter's and quot;gutand quot; feeling was that 24/7 was the right and quot;fitand quot; for her. PLEASE NOTE: for other people, different studios are the and quot;right fit.and quot; This isn't the same as evaluating a plumber or a roofer: your home's plumbing and roof do not have personalities that need to and quot;fitand quot; with the plumber or roofer, unlike your child and the dance instructors! I highly recommend attending open houses and listening to your child's feelings in making the decision.
My daughter started her first week of classes in the levels recommended based on the initial screening evaluation. In one class, the instructor decided that she was too advanced for that level and immediately moved her up to the next level. The other 5 classes were spot-on. According to my daughter (the person who is in the best position to know), she has learned more in one year at 24/7 than she did in several years at her previous studio. She has the type of personality where it is hard for her to feel comfortable in a new environment -- it takes her a while to feel like she 'fits in.and quot; At her previous studio, she tried out for and quot;Companyand quot;; and although one of the reasons she wanted to be and quot;in Companyand quot; was because she thought it would help her be more accepted (according to my daughter, at her previous studio, you weren't worth anyone's attention unless you were and quot;in Company), even as a Company member, she still didn't feel like she and quot;belonged.and quot; At 24/7, she felt accepted immediately. Girls who are and quot;in Companyand quot; were friendly and accepting of her right away, even though my daughter decided not to try out for and quot;Companyand quot; at 24/7. When I pick her up, students call after her to say goodbye -- something that at first startled her because at her previous studio, no one cared. People didn't ask her to join them for conversation and dinner in-between classes at her previous studio, but here, she was easily included by her peers. Her teachers are all so friendly and so willing to help -- something we didn't see at her last studio.
My daughter took both Acting (not and quot;Musical Theaterand quot;) and Pointe for the first time at 24/7. Both experiences were positive. I was impressed that the pointe instruction began with an entire month of conditioning before the girls even purchased their pointe shoes. The purchasing of the shoes involved a and quot;field tripand quot; to the dance supply store for the entire class, where the teacher also observe the fittings and made sure the girls each selected the right shoes for them.
One additional thing my daughter did beyond her regular classes was to work with her ballet teacher on a and quot;soloand quot; for a college scholarship audition. There is an additional cost for private lessons, as you can imagine; however, cost is not extreme and the teacher did a lot of work on this solo piece outside of the actual lesson times, such as cutting the music my daughter had selected down to the correct length for the piece as required in the scholarship audition. Her teacher was pleased at how quickly my daughter picked up the routine, was proud of her for trying out for a scholarship that involved a solo audition because she'd never had a solo piece before, and was also amazed that she had never been given the opportunity to perform a solo at her previous studio.
Studio policies (timely payment, consequences for missing classes or mandatory dress rehearsals) are clearly stated; as with ANY such dance studio business, parents should expect to follow these policies or deal with the stated consequences (late fees, not being permitted to be in performances, etc.). As there are NO refunds on tuition, I will pass along the suggestion made to me by the woman who registered my daughter for classes: even though there is a LARGE discount for paying for the full year in advance, go for the and quot;month to monthand quot; option -- that way, if it turns out this studio is NOT a good fit for your child, you can take your child out without worrying about not getting your money back. You can have the monthly charges automatically charged to your credit card, which will prevent late fees. If the studio's a good fit, you can take advantage of the discount in future years.
The growth that I have seen in my daughter over the last year has been so heartening. After the way she was treated at her previous studio, she was ready to quit dance entirely, despite having loved dance from the time she was able to walk. Her confidence has risen again to a level where she would not even look at a college that did not have a dance program, and she plans now to minor in dance when she heads off to college in a few months -- something she had given up on because of the way she had been treated by her old studio. The caring attitude of her teachers has really brought her back up emotionally from the dark depths she'd been pushed down to by her previous studio. We are thrilled we found 24/7; our only regret is that we didn't find it sooner.

My daughters danced at this studio for 4 years (classes and company). It was okay at first, but with each year and growth of the studio, everything went downhill. The owner, instructors and staff are very much into themselves and do not care about the thoughts of the parents or students. When my older daughters entire class worked up the courage to go to the Directors to voice their concerns about a prop that was being used in their number (it was for 2-3 year olds and they were all 8 and 9), they said that they are the Directors and the kids will do what they are told. The girls told them that these tiny shopping carts were hurting their backs because they are so small and girls were pushing them over and falling. But they did not care. The girls were humiliated at their performances.
My oldest daughter was taking 6 classes and never missed one class all year. During rehearsals before the recital we were late, due to a medical emergency, and they would NOT let her perform in the 2 dances she had been working so hard to perfect and we had spent over $200 on the costumes. I went to the Director, teachers, office manager, but they all said it's not their problem and she will not perform. My daughter cried herself to sleep and was very, very sad. She then had to sit through these 2 performances and watch her friends and not one person came to console her, only rubbed it in her face that she was not able to perform. They said they are setting the tone for other kids to never miss a rehearsal. BUT AT THE EXPENSE OF AN 8-YEAR OLD WHO HAD NO CONTROL OVER THE SITUATION!? It's inexcusable. This dance studio only cares about the money they make and themselves. They definitely do not have a care for the kids. I now know of several families leaving this studio to find a happier, more caring environment, not one where kids are made to cry and be embarrassed.
On a last note, if your child does dance in company, you are required to volunteer 25 hours a dance year of your time to events that RAISE MONEY FOR THE DANCE COMPANY. All of the hours you volunteer for that don't raise money, are not counted towards these required hours. If you are even 25 minutes short of these 25 hours, they withdraw $300 from your checking account.
This is a studio that is very much into cliques. It is a very uncomfortable environment. I am looking into 2 other dance studios right now and will send out a review of the one we pick and hopefully love.