Bataille Academie of the Danse. Where to begin? From the inside it looks great. The business has…read morebeen there a long time, Dee Dee knows how to run things, and it's a big studio with many girls. The studio itself: The facility is absolutely not to code and not wheelchair accessible. The bathrooms are disgusting and besides a new paint job, nothing has been updated. The ac unit doesn't work, making the summers absolutely miserable. The teachers: Stephanie is good, but the two other good ones quit. Colleen absolutely sucks, Jill's choreography is tired and unoriginal, Lauren has terrible mood swings, Meghan is just a bad teacher, and all of the others don't have much to do with the studio but are equally as bad (except Mitchell love Mitchell). Dee Dee, the owner of the studio, isn't a bad teacher, but she is a raging narcissist and is more interested in the Athena's, a dance team she works with, than her own business. In the past 5 years especially, she has lost focus of what's important in her business and is just a mean person. (Also Risa, one of the women who works the office is a miserable human being and is very unkind to the customers, but since she kisses DeeDee's booty all of the time, she hasn't been fired.) The dancing: There are a few solid dancers at the studio, but none of them will go very far in the world of dance. If your child wants to be a ballerina, this is not the place to go. Basically none of the teachers have had any form of professional dance training outside of Bataille, and it really shows. Bataille's strongest style is Jazz, and even there, it needs a ton of improvement. All dances are taught very slowly, so quick pickup is not something found commonly in Bataille dancers. Everyone here is extremely mislead into thinking that Bataille is great because DeeDee has made it so that they sweep every competition they go to, and if it isn't swept, it is either blamed on the dancers or the competition, never the teachers, or God forbid DeeDee and her neglect of the studio. Finances: The deeper into the studio you go, the worse it gets. At Bataille, it's basically necessary to compete. The first competition team is Jazz, then you can get invited to Ballet, Tap, Contemporary, Acro, or IDP. The catch is this: to do Jazz competition, you must be enrolled in Ballet, Tap, and Jazz. To do contemporary comp, you must be in Jazz company+ it's requirements and contemporary, the same goes for the other classes. Everyone acts like the Companies are exclusive, but in reality, DeeDee will do whatever she can in order to get more money. Honestly, that's got to be her main reason for continuing the business. She's a greedy narcissist who takes pride in breaking dancers, watching them crumble, and then acting as if it's all their fault. Favoritism: Bataille has many flaws, but this has got to be one of the worst. The favoritism at this studio is the most severe I've ever seen. The teachers very clearly put people front and centre, give them extra attention, and DeeDee loves to point out exactly why they're perfect, even if others are doing stuff at the same level or even better. If you have a child who just wants to dance for fun and won't fall to deeply into the rabbit hole, Bataille is fine, but if you believe in #batamily or hope to become a professional in the craft, Bataille is not the place for you. After years of being dedicated to this studio, I would 100% not recommend.

Absolutely the finest teachers and the owner so committed to her students…read more My daughter studied there from 5 to 14 and continues to guest teach at their summer camp! Her heart will always be here :-) Lessons learned some much more than dance (which training is superb) but lessons that last a lifetime; such as discipline, respect for others and themselves. Highly recommend! Thank you Miss DeeDee and Miss Jill!

The best thing we ever did with our son Xander. He's performing now and studying music business and…read moreaudio engineering in college.

They have offered virtual lessons for my son during COVID. We absolutely love it! We thought it…read morewouldn't be the same as in person but I feel like it gives my son even more confidence. Hopefully he'll have the nerves out when he starts in person. They always respond quickly to emails and voicemails. I can't say enough good things about this place. They clearly care about the families as a whole!

Absolutely Love this studio! Very professional from the Instructors to Owner. The love of dance is…read morefelt throughout the dance family! Top Instructors are brought in to teach not just dance, but how to do it correctly & safely while using correct dance language & etiquette! If your dancer is looking to expand their training intensity, there is plenty to choose from! Between a Competitive Youth Dance Team, 2 PreProfessional Companies, Hip Hop Squads your dancer will definitely find their niche!! The Summer Intensives are packed with Highly Sought after Instructors to enrich a dancers training and expose them to new styles! As soon as my daughter switched to Talent Forum she knew this was where she belonged!

My daughter did a Hip Hop class here and also did the show at the end of term…read more They made her feel so welcome and she had a blast. It was really nice to have a local business that cares about the children they teach. The performance was awesome and my daughter looked forward to going to class and learning new choreo. The confidence gained here was simply the best!

This amazing troupe has been in existence for over sixty years, over thirty in their present…read morelocation in Rolling Meadows. A labor of love that is felt in every seat of the comfortable, cozy theater. The performances are a short combination of classical opera arias and a collection of popular musical selections. The backstage tour after the performance is the icing on the cake. Thank you Justin and crew for a fabulous experience. One I hope to repeat soon and often.

Hands down a MUST-see experience! I reached out to Opera in Focus months ago to plan a group outing…read morefor my wedding party. Justin, who was our main contact with Opera in Focus, helped me plan a completely custom experience. They let us schedule a private performance just for my group, on a date and time that they aren't normally open to the public. Having a performance only for my group made it extra special to me. We saw Phantom of the Opera and we loved every moment! The puppets, the music, the lighting and set design, were all works of art. Justin and the whole troupe were so talented and kind. This was the first activity my group did on our wedding day (Oct 18, 2025) and it will be something we will never forget. If we didn't live 5 hours away, I'd make this a monthly activity! They switch up their performances year-round. Don't hesitate, get your tickets to Opera in Focus and keep their magic alive for generations to come!

Teachers are really nice and it's an overall wholesome community. They offer many opportunity's to…read moreadvance your skill. Very great studio!

I have been going here almost my whole life. I cannot express the family I have made in my time…read morehere! The instructors make an effort to connect with you on a personal level and I have become close to many of them. They really care about technique here and, as I have visited other studios, I have noticed that DMA does a really spectacular job. Not only this, but they are really well-rounded. You can get a quality education in ballet, jazz, modern, musical theater, tap, and hip hop with teachers that are great in their field. They are home to even some professionally-affiliated companies like the Chicago Repertory Ballet Youth Ensemble which I was a part of for 2 years, and the Trifecta Youth Ensemble which I have been a part of for a while. No matter what style you're interested in, they have something for you. They have a musical theater program that brings in agents and gives help with self taps from working actors, they have a ballet conservatory, they have hip hop companies, a tap company, jazz company, and a modern company, as well as a mini Glenbrook South poms "prep" company and an Edgebrook All-Stars poms "prep" company. If you just want to take classes with no companies, they have that, too. Don't be fooled, just because they have many different styles doesn't mean they are lesser quality, because DMA puts care into every style they have. As a mainly ballet-lover, I am able to do a variation (dance) en pointe as well as be in the modern company. It's great because even though I did not like ballet as a kid, I grew to love it in the classes I took and was able to decide to take more of them because of the opportunities here. I was even able to go to the YAGP National FInals in Tampa because of the fantastic ballet company. Needless to say, please consider DMA. I am close to being a senior in high school and will cherish the time I had here. I really feel well-prepared as a dancer and a person because of my time here. They really instill in you that a dancer is worth more than their body, the titles they won, or what style they do. To us, dance is an art form and a sport. I have loved it here and feel like a part of a family. Please consider coming here! (also I know there are some negative reviews from a while ago but the place has come under new management)

A nice way for young kids to get first experiences with performing. Kids get a chance to sing and…read moreact as part of a production complete with costumes, sets, and music. Cute performances. Downsides are that when they do multiple casts for the same show (which has happened in every show we've been part of), you pay the same amount and get two hours less of practice each week than if there was one cast. Huh?! Also, they tell you that you get lessons as part of the play. Not really. You are instructed on how to do your part, but there are no actual lessons outside of this.

My daughter has been dancing here since she was 4 years old and has loved every minute of it. The…read moreowners are former principal dancers/artistic director at The Milwaukee Ballet. Couldn't ask for a more supportive environment or better instruction. Highly highly recommend.

My daughter has been here since she was 18 months old and is now a level 3, as a six year old. I…read moreeven tried my son there and they were patience and understanding during his transition from at home all Covid to being a part of class with other children. They are patient and kind. They care about your child regardless of her level or talent. They give back to the community by holding a performance once a year where all profits go toward the chosen charity. The amount of dedication they show is incredible. Bashing small businesses on Yelp and Google because you didn't get what you want is classless and immature. Please stop ruining amazing people who have dedicated their lives to shaping our children. We are blessed to have our daughter in that studio with teachers that support, love and laugh with our daughter.

Attended a fundraiser here for this remarkable organization. Wonderful that they offer…read moreopportunities for our young musicians especially in this age of fine arts cut backs in our schools. A truly important asset to our community. Had the opportunity to hear some of their musicians play for us and I can honestly say that they are a truly talented bunch.

Going through a huge amount of turmoil and turnover internally. Staff turnover is exceptionally…read morehigh. What does this say about an organization when they can't keep consistent staff? I would question if this is a safe place for young musicians. There are other programs in the area who do a better job. All parent concerns are swept under the rug.