I went to opening night of SpongeBob the Musical Youth Edition, ITP did it once again. The ITP cast…read moreat Area Stage performance was spectacular. ITP supports the special needs community by showing the general public what this community CAN do. This performance exemplified this commitment given by ITP. If you want to support a non profit, family owned, and giving the special needs community the opportunity to shine visit Area Stage Company. You will not be disappointed!

Families with children and/or friends on the autism spectrum who intend to enroll in the ITP…read more(Inclusive Theatre Program, now called Inspired Theatre Program) classes at Area Stage, please read below before moving forward. Our daughter, now a 9-year-old girl on the spectrum who loves art and music in an incredible way, started her journey with Area Stage in mid-2024 by taking private lessons with Annette, an amazing instructor at Area Stage. Under Annette's guidance and patience, our daughter improved tremendously and was able to perform in three showcases where she sang and danced alongside other children. This success did not come without challenges. Raising and supporting a child on the spectrum can be very difficult. From meltdowns and lack of attention to struggles with taking turns and stimming, families connected to autism understand these behaviors can be caused by many factors such as inflexibility or sensory overload, which are often misunderstood by neurotypical people as misbehavior or poor parenting. Fortunately, everywhere we have gone to help improve our daughter's behavior and skills, we have been blessed with people who truly understand autism and know how to support autistic children, just like Annette did. That changed on May 14th, 2026, when our daughter's instructor had an emergency and could not attend class, so a substitute instructor was assigned to the ITP class. Our daughter had a rough day during class and, as we were told, she was not following directions and was being disruptive. She was repeatedly told not to do certain things because they were "not allowed," as if that alone has ever been an effective way to regulate or support a child on the spectrum. Our daughter was in deep distress, as she often becomes when something triggers a shutdown. Her behavior escalated to the point that the Director of Inspired Theatre Project, Irma Becker, stepped in and told her she was misbehaving, that wh. This is a 1 hour class. Meanwhile, I, her father, was sitting outside waiting for the class to finish. Once the time was up, I approached the door where the children exit from, but no one came out. As I got closer, I heard, "So who's coming to pick up this child today?" To my surprise, it was Irma asking who was picking up my daughter. When I explained that I was her father, Irma approached me aggressively and explained that my daughter did not want to participate and that she was a "mean girl" who pushed her multiple times while she was trying to get her to follow directions. My daughter was listening to everything Irma was saying because they were standing next to each other. While Irma discussed my daughter's behavior with me, my daughter became even more overwhelmed, yelling and completely out of control. I told Irma that I would talk to my daughter later at home, but she continued escalating the situation. In the middle of the chaos, she told me that we needed to discuss next year's enrollment because of my daughter's behavior, although she still had to commit to participating in this year's showcase. I was speechless and asked, "Do you even know that my daughter is on the spectrum?" In response, Irma began listing her titles and degrees in behavioral therapy, completely contradicting herself through her own behavior. It is truly sad that someone like this could be in charge of a program such as this one. We formally contacted ownership via email to explain the situation, hoping to schedule a meeting, discuss possible solutions, and receive an apology. Instead, we were told that after conducting an investigation with the people present, ownership concluded that Irma never said anything inappropriate about our daughter. Additionally, our daughter was removed from the inclusive program entirely only two weeks before her showcase. During a call with ownership regarding our email, the owner himself told us that he believed the problem with our daughter was that she was "not used to hearing no." Imagine saying that about a child on the autism spectrum, as if simply hearing "no" were ever a solution for autism-related behaviors. This was coming from someone who has never spent even a second with our daughter, yet still felt comfortable giving an opinion about her behavior. What I see here is a major red flag. When someone reports misconduct, unethical behavior, or unprofessional conduct and their concerns are immediately dismissed or denied, it creates an environment where that behavior can continue unchecked and potentially lead to even more serious problems. It is like calling a police department to report misconduct by the chief of police, only for the person making the complaint to be punished for speaking up. Thank you for creating a program that helps so many students with special needs. I truly hope this experience serves as an opportunity for growth and improvement so the program can become even more inclusive moving forward.

Miami's best dance studio. The setting is exciting and well-organized, the staff is courteous and…read moreattentive, and the teachers consistently go above and beyond to ensure your child is always succeeding. Fantastic location for kids of all ages. You won't regret picking Miami Dance and Music Academy, whether you're doing it alone or with others!

Since 2013, my daughter has had the opportunity to dance at Miami Dance & Music Academy. She has…read morehad exposure to: Ballet, jazz, tap, acro, and lyrical. All the classes are phenomenal. The staff is very friendly. I feel comfortable leaving the studio. The parents are also great. They look out for each other's kids. The best part of this studio is the end of year show. It is honestly great. The school puts on such a great production. The owners of the studio are so kind hearted. They great you with a friendly smile all the time. They offer an abundance of classes. There is opportunity to grow as a dancer. There is a large parking lot.

This studio is extremely professional and produces such beautiful dancers. I danced at this studio…read morefrom 2006-2012; I did tap, ballet, pointe and piano. I learned so much in every single class I took. In university at USF I took a semester of ballet and the teacher complimented my technique as being the best one in the class, all thanks to the wonderful education I received at academy of arts. Now in 2025 my 3 year old daughter is taking classes and is enjoying every class. My mother, daughter and I recently went to the Christmas show and we were so proud to experience the show. It was such a great show, still professional and beautiful. 13 years later and Academy of Arts is still producing wonderful dancers. I highly recommend this studio to all dancers and artists who are eager to learn and perfect their craft.

Located in a warehouse area near U.S. 27 and Johnson Street in West Pines, Academy of Arts is under…read morethe ownership and direction of Rebeca Russo-Columbo, a Cuban-American former dancer. This is a full dance school that offers: Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Pas De Deux, Lyrical, Tap, Hip-Hop, Flamenco, Modern Dance, Contemporary, Musical Theatre, Drama, Piano, Guitar, Violin, and Voice. The faculty is certified and have led professional careers in their respective areas of creative expertise. They begin laying a foundation from the preschool years all the way to young adulthood. And they have both female and male students. They also offer an AfterSchool program and work your child's classes at a mutually suitable schedule. The cost of the classes is comparable to other dance academies. I have enjoyed closely watching the development in my niece, as well as in many of her close friends. I also look forward to their professionally-mounted recitals every year.

Amazing music academy! Great staff! Best in Miamiread more

Definitely the Best Music & Arts Academy in Miami!…read more Coming from another school in CG with a very high teacher rotation and a "cold" atmosphere, a friend of mine recommended Encore Academy of the arts to me. This academy has exceptional, experienced teachers who love to teach and foster the talent of their students. The owner Debora, who is truly one of the most passionate and dedicated women I ever met, is the heart of this academy: light-hearted, funny, energetic, always in a good mood and striving for perfection. She gives so much LOVE and you feel being part of the family. She is also my piano teacher - I am 39 and started to play piano around 4,5 yrs ago! :) They have several recitals and concerts per year in big locations here in Miami and everything is very professional and well organized. The new location in South Miami is spacious and modern, lots of rooms w pianos (even a grand piano) and other instruments, two ballet halls with special ballet floor and of course a band room. The academy covers literally EVERYTHING in arts, from learning instruments like piano, guitar, violin, drums, singing classes or musical production, sound recording, band etc to ballet, flamenco, cuban dance and more as well as visual arts painting, drawing, mummy and me courses and much much more.... Parking is right in front or behind of the building (always available). They also have a well equipped waiting room for parents w a TV and toys and homework desks for siblings. I highly recommend this place!

Used my ClassPass to try one of their adult ballet classes and had such a fun experience! I…read moreaccidentally signed up for an intermediate-level class even though I'm a total beginner, so keeping up was definitely a challenge, but I still had a great time trying my best and learning along the way. The instructor and atmosphere made it really enjoyable, and I'd love to come back.

I was looking for a ballet studio for my 6 year old granddaughter and was referred to Armour Dance…read moreTheatre. I went with my granddaughter to see the studio and met with Janice who was very welcoming and informative; a real pleasure to deal with. I then followed up with a phone call to start my granddaughter in their Saturday summer program and was blessed to deal with Ruth. She helped me set up an account to pay and enroll my granddaughter and welcomed us to the Armour Dance family. This past Saturday my daughter took my granddaughter for the first class with Ms. Rachel, the teacher for that age group, and was extremely pleased with her and her manner of teaching. I was able to view some videos my daughter took, and as a previous ballet student and teacher, was extremely impressed with her teaching and her interactions with the students. I have enrolled my granddaughter for their upcoming school year ballet classes, highly recommend this studio and feel fortunate to have found them.

An amazing dance group. It's a great place to learn salsa. They teach all levels and one needs…read moreto test before going to the next level

The way they teach is well organized and the classes are fun. There are various levels of…read morebeginning, intermediate and advanced. Once you learn the moves in one level, you progress to the next.