I visit NYC often and have tried several classes here. The classes are very challenging. I found the beginner class with Richard Marsden to one of the most foundational classes I've taken in a long time, and it's a workout! The advanced beginner classes with Noriko Hara and Yumiko Niimi were very challenging, but they are both excellent and kind teachers. I look forward to learning more from this wonderful studio! The owner Stephen and the staff have always been so friendly and made me feel welcome. read more

The conducive learning environment at Ballet Arts is exceptional! Very excited to find two sophisticated ballet teachers there, Anna Fateeva and Simon Kazantsev, specializing in Vaganova technique. They have an eye for detail and are keen on helping students build on strengths, technique, artistry, and musicality. They both emphasize on individual progress. Also, being in class with professional dancers is mind blowing! With such a spectacular studio (2,666 sqft) in Midtown, live music, phenomenal instructors and peers, surprisingly the class price is unbeatable in NYC. Love my dance journey at Ballet Art! read more

As a professional dancer who has been dancing in her studio apartment for the past 10 months, I was so excited to see that Ballet Arts is offering in-person classes! The in-person classes are also streamed live on zoom for people not comfortable with dancing in-person. Class sizes are very limited and masks are required at all times. I took Kate Loh's class this week and it was amazing! It felt so good to dance in a studio again. Ballet Arts has a nice sized studio, which makes it easy to stay 6 feet apart at all times. I can't wait to come back for more classes here! Thanks Ballet Arts for creating a safe space for in-person ballet classes! read more

This is by far my favorite studio to take class at. Of all the studios in New York, this place oddly has such a family feel. The staff are always so welcoming and accommodating. I don't think they do this now, but they used to have snacks out for the dancers. They really try to make you feel comfortable In terms of classes this is by far the best. The teachers will try to give corrections, which many studios forgo. They have a beautiful space and its such a great place to take class. read more

Some of my very best times in New York have been with Stephen Reed at Ballet Arts. The studio is absolutely enormous and the classes I take are nothing short of pure joy!!! I cannot rate this highly enough. I'd give it 100 stars if I could! read more

After dancing here for one year I just found a hidden treasure-Kate Loh's class!!! She's so passionate and elegant and patient. I learned all my bad habits and had them fixed one by one in her first class. This is amazing!!!!!!! Hope she can open regular class here read more

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Love Ballet Arts! Best Dance Studio in Nyc. Clean studio with bright airy high ceilings. Nice kind staff and wonderful teachers. The best

A nicely maintained, spacious studio (yes, just one!). The common area with new-looking wooden floor is clean and colorful, a little tight for stretching before or after class since the class before/after you are also there :) Equipped w/ moderate # of facilities and a modest dressing room (with a wt scale *gasp!*) for convenience. The occasional fruit and snacks on the table is very cute and welcoming, perfect for when your blood sugar starts running low! Great faculty (amazing to take from Natalya Stavro, Jack Hertzog, Lonné Moretton, Kenny Larson!!! and they were more than intermediate, my leg and backside muscles can attest!), ballet classes have been accompanied by pianists. Classes offered throughout the entire day. Conveniently located near a bunch of subway stops. $140 for a 10-class card (non-union) with 3 months to expire! Payment is cash or check. Single drop-in at most is currently $15 (http://www.balart.com/Fees_Office.htm), cash only. Probably the best deal in the city. read more

Antoinette Peloso is a condescending bitch. Her class is disjointed and doesn't prepare your body for anything except stumbling around in center. BUT, Natalya Stavro is wonderful and gives a great class that warms you up and gets you on your leg. Avoid Antoinette like the plague!! Peloso=BAD The space is nice and large with no pillars, but also doesn't have many windows so it feels like dancing in a dungeon. read more

Five Stars for Richard Marsden - I keep coming here only because of Richard Marsden. He is an amazing teacher - very encouraging, attentive to students, and comes around making corrections. If he moved to another studio, I'd likely follow him there. Much more attentive than the open-class feeling of Steps (it's very impersonal there). The studio is huge and, for some reason, I don't think it's terribly hot. Maybe because it's such a large space and the ceilings are incredibly high. That said - the front desk management is a bit odd. I give it three stars. The school has lots of foreign students - mostly from Asia, it seems. I called once asking about the schedule - not sure why, but the gal seemed to think I was speaking in Chinese or Japanese (not sure) and she started speaking to me in that language. Please - take no offense at all - I'm just saying that, at the front reception area, I feel like I've walked into another part of the world. The atmosphere is very laid back compared to the super-madness of Steps. But, make no mistake, the instruction is excellent and serious. They also put out fruits and cookies for the dancers. read more

I love Ballet Arts! They offer so many classes that are wonderful for both professionals and for those who just want to take class for body conditioning. The teachers I have studied with there are amazing and very nice. I mostly study with Richard Marsden and I highly recommend his classes! The studio is very large and can accommodate many people. There is also a live pianist in most classes! At $15 per class for 1.5 hours, this is a great deal and it is right across the street from Carnegie Hall and City Center. read more

I started my classes at ballet arts a week ago, and I totally like it. I take beginner ballet classes with Richard. I like his energy and teaching methods. I found ballerina workout the best. Especially when live piano is playing, you gain extra energy and strength! The studio is huge and beautiful. I feel cozy in the studio. They always have cookies and fruits on the table. Perfect to snack on in between classes. I also take night capoeira classes. It's physically challenging but Fun... I'm excited about my journey with this school. read more

I cannot say enough good things about this dance studio. I have taken classes at a few different places and no one can compare with the atmosphere at Ballet Arts. Whether you are a professional dancer or someone who knows they never will be, you will feel comfortable there and you will learn. All the teachers I have experienced here really try to help all their students and don't just give attention to a few favorites. They have also been very available after class for advice. The people here, both staff and students, are friendly, respectful and encouraging rather than competitive. Also, don't let the name fool you. It's not just great ballet that is offered. There's a great theater dance class where you will learn combinations from Broadway shows past and present. Also offered are jazz, contemporary, samba, yoga and others. The prices are good, the dance studio is spacious, the teachers are great and the atmosphere can't be beat. What more do you want? read more

I had a negative enough experience with two teachers here to make me never want to come back here. Some of the people that teach here actually do a good job, they also teach elsewhere. No one that I have taken classes with at Broadway Dance Center, Alvin Ailey or Ballet Academy East is this terrible in my opinion, some of the teacher there are also good.. I requested refund, they wont give me one. I will discuss the reasons that I want a refund below. Dawn Hillen, pointe class-I have a hypermobile knee joint and have previously had knee problems. I discussed this with Dawn Hillen before class, she repeatedly told me to lock my knees and hyperextend them. She also instructs an ankle stretch every week that is probably a terrible idea for most people, in my opinion. She also seems to be bad at ballet dancing when I have watched her do standard ballet steps like arabesque, basic jumps, balances, I have never seen her do turns in class. The majority of instructors in new York seem to be more qualified based on the training they received, performing experience, choreography work. Richard marsden-he can do one circus pony trick really well (en dehors pirouette). On the other hand, he does some stuff that I think is really dangerous and bad for people. In his beginner, not pas de deux class, I was standing at the barre, in arabesque, and he snuck up behind me and tried to lift me up by my thighbone. The lift he is trying to do is similar to the one in this youtube video, about 2:10 minutes in, with Paloma Herrera and Jose Manuel Carreno. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G-eq2WPT6k You can see that her thighbone is placed differently than standard arabesque, no lift, also he did not sneak up behind her and surprise her, I feel that this extremely dangerous thing to do contributes to the fact that I can dislocate that thighbone a small amount doing stuff like handstanding, plie. He has also adjusted other students in ways that I feel might be injurious and one person in his pas de deux workshop seriously injured his arm. He never seems to jump that well, claims retired. I want to see a video of him skipping, sauting ( jump from 1 leg, not 2), or doing a grande jete (pseu de chat, en avant, or bournville, good form), or skip in class. He occasionally can do a grande battement and leave the floor. ask him to do any 1 footed no grande battement jump, probably the simplest one is skipping. If he is unable to skip, ask yourself whether this is someone you would want to ever take classes with. Or you can ask him some questions about physics, anatomy and consult with a competent PT or dr based on his answers to your questions whether you want to ever work with him. read more

studied jazz here in the 1960,s. teacher was retta dell & mother on piano. just terrific--the best. studied for three yrs. in eve. for $5.oo per hr. what a steal, for the time. studio was in carnegie hall..i was in such shape for my mid 30,s. now i,m 80 yrs. young & taking zumba..not bad. thanks retta & all for happy memories. rosalie alvarez read more