Our daughter has been part of steps in motion for six years, and we have nothing but great things…read moreto say about it. She and all of the other girls in her classes love the studio. Most of the children in the studio have been there for many years, so that says something about the quality of the program. Highly recommended.

We just did a three week "camp" of two back to back classes once a week for our daughter. BE WARNED…read morethat this business has two locations, one on either side of a large surface parking lot in a strip mall. Our young daughter had one class in each building, and had to walk from one building to another - that is, walk through a couple busy streets and a large surface lot - on her own between classes. The business did not tell us that she would have to do this walk between classes, and (more troublingly) did not have her accompanied by a counselor or staff member. For that reason alone, I would never recommend this business. As for the classes, my daughter (who is not yet a particularly advanced dancer) found her ballet class to be very remedial. I would stick with dance at the Y or some place that has a more safe and professional approach.

My daughter has danced at Miss Donna's since was 3 years old. She transitioned to competition at 5…read moreand has enjoyed learning all genres of dance. She takes tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, technique, and ballet classes. When she was younger she also took tumbling courses. The teachers have been great, from her recreational teachers to all of her competition teachers. I've met friends that have become family and will always be a part of our life. We love this studio!

I appreciate the energetic dance teachers who teach at the Sardis Rd and Harrisburg locations. I…read morehave two kiddos with polar personalities and if one entered classes crying or nervous they always left happy and fulfilled. My kiddos absolutely love the tap/ballet combo classes. I highly recommend either of these schools due to the excellent and engaging teaching staff!

So my niece takes a combo dance class of ballet and tap for age 4/5 yr olds at Carolina Dance…read moreAcademy. The studio is the closest to our home. I haven't been able to attend a class with her but she hasn't been wanting to go and since I was able to make a recent visit I can totally see why. My niece loves to dance and she has rhythm. This class is her appropriate age group but she catches on quickly and the things they do in this class are not benefiting her. The dance room is ice cold. My nieces hands were freezing when the class was over. The instructor was in a sweatshirt and these small kids were in leotards and tights freezing. The instructor is young and very apathetic. The kids don't have good behavior and it's a big distraction. Her reward system is a sticker and she harps on earning a sticker. She spends most of the time on behavior and not instructing the students. After that visit I unenrolled my niece in the class. One due to my niece not being challenged and two because it's too far for my mother to take her in the evening. I know it's not far from our home but mother doesn't drive in the dark and the academy is off South Tryon which gets very busy at the time of the class and she can't see. You have to give them a written letter to unenrolled. I would not recommend this class if your child is advance, loves to dance or picks up steps quickly. This class is a waste of time. Carolina Dance Academy 13902 S Tryon St Charlotte, NC 28278

My gut reaction is to offer 1 star, but my daughter has learned and improved somewhat over the year…read moreshe has been enrolled. That's the only real good part of CDA, and some of the learning I attribute to my daughter actually practicing after class, so that may also be inflated. The studio owner seems nonchalant about everything (to a fault), just wants the tuition money, and is absent nearly all the time. Even at big competitions like Inspire and DMI when the announcers call for Studio Owners to come up on stage and accept their "award" she's not even present! The owner's daughter accepted this year's awards. Lame. On more than one occasion the office manager/instructor Chelsea text messages the dancers (not the parents driving the dancers) class will be cut short by 30-45 minutes with no real reason. Occasionally and more inconveniently this occurs mid-class with little time for parents to react and shift gears. Instructors in general can't seem to regulate the student behaviors, and many evenings I hear how the "inmates were running the asylum". And while teenage girls are generally drama filled, instructors must be able to connect the girls so their friendships and bonds are evident when they are on the stage. Simply ignoring the drama and letting infighting occur, and it shows onstage at performances to the dancers detriment. Pricing is pretty straight forward at this studio, with a flat rate fee each of the 12 months in a calendar year(even though there are not really any "consistent learning classes" and are only held every other week in June or July). This is supposed to cover "everything"; Instruction, costumes, entry fees, and makeup kits. However there have been multiple occasions, some last minute, where parents have to buy $60 shoes, or a dress for a recital, or leggings or whatever. While some people may again be okay with it, if you say everything is included it should be included. Otherwise drop a disclaimer; doesn't include shoes, makeup, etc. Nobody likes having to buy things last minute. Solos, duets, etc are $500 additional should you be interested in having your child accept one. Lastly, dance competitions should be fun and a time to celebrate accomplishments and the time on "the big stage". Do you think CDA has any sort of "after competition" dinner banquets, ice cream parties, bowling events etc. post competition events where all the dancers are in one place celebrating? NOPE. Nothing. Nada. Again, the owner is only interested in getting your money and putting in as little effort as possible. In my opinion, if your dancer truly wants to learn and grow as a person and as a dancer, CDA may not be the right place for your dancer. There are some good things here at CDA, but the good doesn't outweigh all of the negatives for us, and the primary reason we left CDA

I realize that most people have enough common sense to do their own research and not believe…read morebaseless bad reviews. Nevertheless please be sure to read this one in response to the completely dishonest one posted before it. I have been a CDC VIP parent for 5 years and on staff for 2 years. Not only is this disheartening to read, it's also simply untrue. It's fine for a family to share their experience but it is absolutely unacceptable to lie about it to gain sympathy and fire people up. It's not ok to twist the truth and bash the studio when this family did not properly communicate their need. Each summer before auditions our competition parents have a meeting with the studio owner and director and are given an information packet with all rules and guidelines and a full year calendar from August of that year through August of the following year. We know that we are committing to the team for the full season when we make the decision to allow our students to audition. Before allowing a child to audition, parents are to read through the information, rules, dates etc and then we have to sign that we read it and agree to adhere to the rules. Scheduling updates which include hours needed to rehearse and prepare are given throughout the season with plenty of notice. The rehearsal was absolutely not planned at the last minute. CDC is proud to be family oriented and while commitments are expected, the studio always schedules around commitments if given proper notice. Our director always works with people who have schedule conflicts as long as it's prior to schedules being released. The studio has always worked around everyone's schedule to make sure each family is able to be accommodated. This parent did not contact the studio or the director about this wedding until after the rehearsal schedule was released. When schedules are released they come with a forewarning about rehearsals being mandatory and it is communicated very clearly that no exceptions will be made at that point. Multiple parents contacted the studio well ahead of the same schedule being released and as a result of following the rules, the schedule was adjusted to allow those students to participate in whatever they needed to do. A wedding is not planned in a day. There should have been plenty of time to notify the studio and had the studio been notified before the schedule was released there would have been no problem at all and they wouldn't have had to choose. The parent had a conversation with the director after the schedule was released. During the conversation, they agreed that they failed to contact the studio when they should have and that they would " figure it out." The director made it clear to this parent that the student would have to be in rehearsal to be in the routines at recital and nationals. So whichever rehearsals they were in, they would have been able to participate in those dances at recital and nationals. The student was at rehearsal earlier in the day and then left with their parent without telling anyone they were leaving. The student missed about 3 hours of rehearsal. I know this because my children were at those same rehearsals that this student missed. The student was allowed to participate in our annual recital and our nationals competition for any of the routines that they were at rehearsal for. The parent decided to break the commitment they made and withdraw the student from the program. I must say that I was absolutely shocked, saddened, and genuinely grieved when this parent decided to send some of the most vicious, hateful,and dishonest emails to the studio that I've ever seen in my life and I had always assumed that this parent was one of integrity. The bottom line is that this never had to happen. The parent should have just communicated their conflict to the studio in a timely manner and I can say with all certainty that the schedule would have been adjusted to allow the student to be in the wedding. This student was and still is very much loved and cared for. We would have loved to have them participate in the recital and nationals. It breaks my heart that this family is now bashing our studio when this all could have been prevented with proper communication in advance so that the schedule could have been set up to work around this event. It's really that simple.

This is the best dance school in the area. My two daughters have received excellent instruction in…read morea nurturing family environment They gained, besides exceptional dance instruction, self confidence as well as help in personal development in a structured, but fun, environment. Love this place!

I've been dancing at this studio for 12 years and it's been like a second home. The teachers are…read moresupportive the environment is positive and I've grown so much as a dancer. I'm on the competition team and it's given me some of my best memories. If you're looking for a place where your child can learn feel confident and have fun this is the perfect studio.If you're looking for a place that feels welcoming and lets dancers grow and enjoy themselves this studio is such a good choice.

My kids love it , that love all the stuff and the staff is super cool and friendly and niceread more

This studio is very rude at competitions. One of the parents got into an arguement with one of our…read moreparents because they left trash all over the dance floors that the kida were practicing on. Also, the seat saving was INCREDIBLY excessive. Food, blankets, towels, and even purses being left pn chairs for long periods of time. Can't believe this.

Best dance studio in the area!! Amazing owner. They offer a large variety of classes.read more

Awesome dance studio located in the heart of Indian Land, and is absolutely part of Indian Land's…read moreheart. Miss Chaunette, the owner, coached he first dance tea at ILMS and built the dance program from nothing. When she opened Dance U, dancers flooded her doors to be trained professionally. These talented dancers win competitions under her leadership. Dance U is a vital part of the community and the heart and soul behind this business is an inspiration.

Amazing Dance Studio. My girls are 4 and 7 and are loving every minute. Lots of class options!read more

My three daughters have been dancing here for years. We adore the staff here, and the girls have…read moregrown so much in their dance ability. Highly recommend!