My daughter has been dancing and performing on stage a total of 7yrs and at EDC for 3+yrs...she…read morestarted on the recreational dance team, and now dances on the competitive company team. EDC is a great environment for those who are passionate about dance at any age! Its not about being the most technical, having the perfect look, or the most money - it IS about love of dance, being able to take instruction, show respect, and want to work and grow! EDC has found such a great mix of being a warm/welcoming studio for all levels AND providing top notch instruction and opportunities for the most ambitious/experienced ones! We have been with 4 total studios in North County and all have been wonderful (except for one - which I will not name, but we stayed less than 1 year, as we did not feel welcomed at all - after almost a full year of attending classes every week twice a week, the same check in lady had no clue who my daughter was). If I could give myself advice when starting this dance journey...find and stick with the studio that supports the vision/future you and your dancer are working towards...my daughter and I are pretty grounded when it comes to our expectations from all of this, but everyone is in it for different reasons and because of that one of the challenges as a parent is managing feelings of inequality/jealousy, or being left out/left behind - its helped me grow as a mom! It starts at home - work can be done on teaching your child to be an attentive student, set attainable goals, but dream big, and to compare themselves not to one another but to their last performance. Lastly, the EDC staff is involved in the industry professionally and is well connected for unique opportunities! They are bringing in top notch master instructors and choreographers, they attend a great mix of competitions and conventions - building confidence while keeping them humble!

My daughter loves to dance and will choose this studio as her dance family every day all day! She…read moreloves that she gets to compete on a team, all styles of dance, and even perform the nutcracker every Christmas! She has big dreams and feels everyone around is as invested in her success as her family is! It makes us so happy knowing she loves going to dance and she gets to really manage and drive her own little journey with the EDC team!

A flawless hiphop performance of the non competitive groups seems more important than being kind to…read moredisabled participants, who furthermore are hidden in the back of the group for 1-2 performances a year, that are supposed to be just for fun.

The programs they have here are amazing. My daughters enrolled in a few of the things, and had a…read moreblast. And when you've done things over the years that you regretted signing your kids up for -- and have the kind of wonderful experience you've had here -- it makes you just wish every business was run this way. Everyone, from the front desk to the dance instructors, are nice and do their jobs well.

My daughter loves this dance school. They have a friendly and caring team there. Had nothing but…read moregreat experiences with A Step Above.

We absolutely love this studio! Both of my daughters have been dancing here since they were 18…read moremonths old--now they're 7 and 5--and it's been such a positive experience every step of the way. The classes are always age-appropriate, with just the right balance of fun and challenge as they've progressed. The recital costumes are adorable and thoughtfully chosen for each age group. We've had the chance to work with many of the teachers over the years, and every one of them has been wonderful. The office staff is also incredibly supportive and welcoming. This studio has truly nurtured and grown my girls' love for dance!

What an amazing find. Nikki Tavares is simply amazing and really cares. My daughter has danced for…read moremany years but wanted to go from good to amazing. This is the place to be. Seems like she has been on the verge of greatness for a long time. Love how Nikki believes in her and is helping her reach her dreams. Beautiful studio and environment.

Quality one on one private training to include unlimited classes with Nikki was the best decision I…read morecould have made this year after deciding not to compete on teams. It is a great feeling to have the freedom to train with whoever you want to grow with as a dancer without all of the politics involved. For me, it's hard to be told that I cannot work with a choreographer that gets my child's abilities. Nikki is an amazing choreographer with strong technique who brings something different to the table and encourages training with other choreographers. She's confident in knowing that it will only improve her dancers and wants to support them entirely. She keeps up with the trends of this industry and knows how to get the judges attention. She pushes you hard and expects you to give your all and will not accept anything less. Her ability to teach the musicality of a routine is like watching a heart beat to the sound of the rhythm. Very talented! It surprises me how well she knows her dancers strengths and weaknesses. She stays correcting her dancers with a compassion and attention they require along with a dose of tough love so that they get exactly what they need to work on to reach their goal. She knows exactly how to clean them up with grace, humility and confidence. If your looking for quality results that will really help your dancer improve without wasting your time and money then get ready to train hard at NOTION Dance Concepts. A drama-free zone where quality is everyone's priority. NDC has Good vibes and is a friendly warm welcoming atmosphere that is flexible with each individual dancer. I look forward to the workshops and intensives she holds at her studio introducing all new types of genre and choreography. And I especially look forward to Aerial Achievements workshops coming soon to teach Acro on special occasion.

My daughter started taking classes with Origin 6mos ago and has loved every minute of it! She has…read morehad the opportunity to learn new skills, experience performing in shows and competitions, and make invaluable friendships. The teachers, coaches and fellow dancers have helped unlocked a passion for dance and performing for my daughter that I hope will continue for many years to come! We are so grateful for the opportunity and community that we have found with the Origin family.

We are so grateful to Origin Hip Hop Academy. From the very beginning, everyone has been incredibly…read moresupportive, encouraging, and genuinely invested in helping the dancers grow both on and off the floor. As a family, we really believe in supporting the businesses and organizations that invest in our community, and Origin is exactly the kind of place we are happy to support. If you're looking for a dance studio that combines talent, teamwork, discipline, and a true sense of community, we highly recommend Origin Hip Hop Academy!

I felt so lucky when I found this studio for my daughter who is age seven. She had been to many…read moreother studios in North County SD taking ballet over the passed few years, and at all the rest of the studios - it felt like she was just a number, and like the classes were more recreational than real instruction. The classes everywhere are so over sized with 12- 13 kids because most businesses are focused on maximizing their profit. So, her progress was very slow being in those over sized classes of kids where the teachers are so outnumbered that they don't have the time to notice little things that need improvement. It just felt like a waste of time and money everywhere. And most studio's have recitals that are so cheesy too which I didn't like, presenting the dancers like they are in a pageant show with excessive make-up and cheap looking outfits. But then, we found this little gem hidden in Carlsbad. Mr. Valeri who is the owner and sole teacher there, was a world famous Russian ballet performer traveling through Europe and other parts of the world starring in famous ballets. He has trained side by side with some of the most well known ballet famous dancers in the world. He is in late 60's and has over 30 years of experience teaching Vaganova ballet which is one of the oldest, purest, and most beautiful forms of ballet. He teaches ages 3 and up, and truly loves his students. He is fun and sweet with the kids, but still making sure they are doing everything correctly and safely, and you can tell he has real faith in his students. His classes are small and personalized, and he keeps the dance floor and ballet barre very clean which I think is also rare. He's extremely knowledgeable and passes on his expertise to all his students with a lot of care and attention. And one of the best parts of taking classes there, is that he puts on gorgeous recital performances with his students twice a year, and they wear high quality beautiful costumes, and soft tasteful make up. The sets are also high quality from the back drops to the props which really showcases the dancers hard work in a special way. And he even give's the very young dancers important roles. There are many photos here to see what Im talking about. If you are looking for a studio where you or your kids will be taught very well, and actually make noticeable progress in less time, then this is the place for you. And it's nice that it's close to the 5 freeway so it's easy to get to. It's a very small operation so to get set up trying a class, you email the point of contact on their site, and do it that way. If you end up wanting to go there, sometimes it can take a couple weeks to get your account going so I just kept track of the days you go until then. But then when it all gets set up, there no problem and it's SO worth it. Anyways, we feel so lucky to be able to have both of our daughters ages 5 and 7 be taught by Mr. Valeri, and if you are someone who really wants to learn classical ballet, this is the best place in San Diego to do it. Some parents drive 45 minutes to come to his studio, it's THAT worth it. : )

My four-year-old daughter has been to about 5 dance classes here and I am so happy that we decided…read moreto go with this ballet school! It is a rare and wonderful thing to see kids this age be given structure in a dance class, while still being able to enjoy themselves. I appreciate that they are learning an art and not just how to shake it. The parents are allowed to leave during class, which is the only way I could do it because I have a 2 year old which terrorizes the small waiting space and is constantly trying to bother the curtain that separates the waiting area from the studio. The quality of the classes are worth this minor inconvenience. Also to note: parents are not supposed to watch the classes as it distracts to the kids, but there's no window or camera set up, so you actually never really see the classes unless it's your first class or a special family day. Also, as other reviewers have mentioned, the communication between the studio and the parents is not very good. Again, to me, it is still very much worth it, regardless of this small inconvenience.

We had such a great experience taking private lessons at Fred Astaire Dance Studio for our wedding…read moredance. Our instructor, Kage Hart, was incredibly encouraging, patient, and helpful throughout the entire process. He made us feel comfortable right away and broke everything down in a way that made learning easy and fun. Kage really took the time to make sure the dance fit us as a couple and helped build our confidence so we could enjoy the moment on our wedding day. If you're preparing for your first dance, I highly recommend working with Kage and the team at Fred Astaire. It was such a fun part of our wedding journey and made our first dance feel so special!

We took lessons here for our wedding and it was spectacular. My wife and I had no dancing…read moreexperience individually, nor did we dance together often prior to our lessons with Kailyn. She choreographed an amazing dance for us and we left feeling confident and prepared to dance in front of all our family and friends. She worked with us each lesson to tailor the dance of our dreams. I highly recommend this studio and Kailyn as an instructor!

Oh my gosh!!!! This was the best decision we made for our wedding!!!!…read more My husband and I just had our wedding this past Saturday and it was truly magical but one of the best parts of the day was our choreographed dance! Neither of us had any dance experience besides dropping it low at the club back in the day ( elder millennials ) so this was nerve wracking for us at first. We found McCann dance via another yelp review and booked the intro lesson on a whim. We ended up with Elisa McCann who happens to be an INCREDIBLE professional dancer and a fantastic teacher!! We had 7 weeks to get a dance locked in. Well, that we did. We met with her once a week up until our wedding and she customized choreography for us, pushed us out of our comfort zone just enough to WOW the crowd, but made sure the moves were things we were physically capable of doing. Every week we showed up to our lesson happy to share that we'd been practicing. I want to shout from the rooftop that this studio is incredible and I LOVED our custom wedding dance!!! Do it. Do it. Do it. Seriously, if you're debating doing it. DO IT!!!! Best decision ever!!!!

Super nice instructors !!! We learn something new every class and have a great time learning!read more

I grew up dancing at San Elijo Dance and Music Academy (SEDMA) and now am back with my own daughter…read more15 years later! I have fantastic memories from dancing ballet, jazz, and lyrical at SEDMA. Some of my fondness memories were from the friendships, sleep overs, rehearsal, and performances. We would take class from 4-6PM on Friday, pick someone's house to sleep over, be back Saturday morning at the studio by 10AM and dance till 2PM and do it all over again. It was so fun. I still dance today as an adult and I feel that ballet especially taught me posture, stage presence, and confidence that helps me in my career any time I public speak or create content . My daughter is still new to dance but loves her classes and is so excited to be back in class this new school year. I hope she has as wonderful of an experience as I did. I recommend you try a class, build community, and watch your child develop confidence, coordinate, and poise!

I've had 3 daughters take ballet, tap, and more classes with this studio. My first two daughters…read moretook classes for 7 years, 18 years ago. My now 10 year old just started ballet a few months ago and will be able to dance in the magnificent Nutcracker that the studio puts on every year. This production is beautiful and professional. All three of my girls have not only personally benefited from the discipline of dance, but they absolutely loved this studio. Very grateful that my girls have had the opportunity to dance here.

This was my first time to this theater. It recently went under renovations. The seats are nice and…read morethe theater is intimate. Every seat is a good one. The lobby has a bar that sells themed drinks and snacks. You can purchase drinks before the performance. They have a seating area with a smaller stage. Our performance had an intermission to also make purchases. However, the restroom line is pretty long and didn't allow me to visit the restroom and make a purchase during intermission. The staff are very friendly and welcoming. They had our programs and tickets ready. The show we saw was Hairspray. It was wonderful! I love the music, dancing, costumes and and staging. The sound is great - better than the Civic Theater downtown. It was a top rate show at a smaller venue and a lower price. You can't ask for more! Parking is available on the street for three hours. If your play is going to be longer, Carlsbad offers free parking by the train station just a short walk from the theater. We will definitely be returning.

Nice Theater, "Matt and Ben" Not So Much…read more The theater has been hugely renovated since I was last there years ago -- much improved! There's a spacious lobby with a bar, although they only had one person on the bar and it was slow going. At the box office (inside) they just asked for our name and didn't bother seeing the tix on my phone. Staff were friendly. The theater itself is small. They allow drinks in that you've purchased there. (No food, although I watched one woman open a bag of crackers). The usher sent us to the wrong row, causing confusion and the letters on the end of the rows weren't obvious. There are several bathrooms, including a couple of non-gender ones. Free parking can be found at the train station behind the theater. The play we saw, 'Matt and Ben' was not great. I give it 2/5. The cast wasn't what I was expecting and it wasn't that funny, they dropped f-bombs all the time and I was ready for it to end after about 15 minutes.