My two girls have been dancing here since they were two (in Mommy & Me class). I was careful about…read morechoosing a studio, as I come from a performance background and I know how cutthroat the dance world can be. I was looking for a few things in particular and have been extremely pleased with HDA. Specifically, I was looking for: 1) Choreography and costumes that are age-appropriate. I have a huge problem with the sexualization of young children and I'm happy to say that I have never seen a child at HDA in anything that made me uncomfortable. (So, no five-year-olds twerking in bikinis.) 2) Promoting healthy body image. The dance world (ballet in particular) notoriously pushes dancers to be unhealthily thin. I have never heard of a dancer at HDA being told that they needed to look a certain way in order to dance and I've been happy to see dancers of all sizes and shapes in lead roles over the past several years. 3) Camaraderie among dancers. I have no patience for petty, backstabbing meanness. Dance does have a competitive element to it when it comes to coveted roles and I know how ugly behavior can stem from jealousy. I'm not quite sure how she's done it, but Jennifer has managed to create an environment where the students all genuinely cheer for each other, the older students nurture the younger students, and the younger students admire their leaders. 4) Performance opportunities. I think that publicly putting yourself out there -- in any way, on stage or in a business presentation -- is one of the most terrifyingly vulnerable things someone can do, which is why it's a skill that is good to develop at a young age. HDA finds a way to include even their youngest dancers in their productions (e.g., Reindeer in "The Nutcracker," mice in "Cinderella," guppies in "The Little Mermaid," etc.), which is not true of some other studios in the area. 5) Excellent training. Finding a studio that emphasizes good technique is extremely important, as ballet is the foundation for so many other kinds of dance. My oldest daughter (11) started en pointe this year and I will say that the evaluation to see if she was physically ready was excellent. The studio also encouraged us to see a doctor if we were hesitant, who also gave the green light. And quick note: starting en pointe doesn't mean immediately doing pirouettes in the center. The class moves slowly to properly develop the technique. On the other side of this, both of my girls have repeated dance levels in the past because the instructors didn't feel that they were physically ready to move up. I appreciated that they were looking out for their development and, while my daughters were disappointed, it gave them extra incentive to work toward improving in certain areas so that they would be ready to move up the following year. 6) Nurturing teachers. The fastest way to burn out is to hate going to class. That's never been the case for my daughters at HDA. Starting in the Young Children's Program, the classes are so much fun and so joyful. It really did instill a love of dance early on. Moving into the upper level classes, I see the instructors correcting and challenging the dancers, but never with a hardened rigidity that I've observed elsewhere. Each instructor has their own style, but the constant is the care that they show each dancer as a human being -- and how much they love to teach. I found one studio that had everything on my list: Hinsdale Dance Academy. I haven't been disappointed. Dance at HDA has given my girls confidence, a strong work ethic, opportunities for leadership, and a spirit of sisterhood. They have learned to overcome obstacles, to deal with disappointment gracefully, and the exhilaration that comes with obtaining a long-term goal. I highly recommend it.

Wow this is an AMAZING dance school! My child started taking classes at a very young age and loves…read moreit so much. My daughter comes home from dance and always has a joyful smile on her face. The studio is VERY clean and sanitized. Faculty is great, understanding, and kind. Everyone treats each other with respect and no judgment is made. I have taken my daughter to previous dance studios and she did not love it as much. Hinsdale Dance Academy is amazing. 1000% recommend taking your kid here. Also, I saw a couple of boys taking the class as well and they were treated the same way. Love HDA!

Perfect place for kids to learn to play and compete . Very professional coaches and excellent…read moretraining

All of the staff is extremely kind and they give kids individual attention as much as possible. If…read moreyour kid is really wanting to learn new things the coaches do a great job at teaching them. The coaches are very diligent with safety and making sure all kids are safe and comfortable, many are saying that it is not a clean enviroment. The gym is clean, its simply just an old building. Theres so many different areas in the gym including rope swings, and a rockwall in the foam pit. I went here when I was younger and I absolutely loved it. Theres large viewing areas in the lobby for the parents to watch their kids throuhg windows on the first and second floors. Kurt was very diligent with giving me corrections and taught me so much about gymnastics. I am forever greatful for American Academy and all that they taught me!

Great teachers for the most part, but very little focus on technique. My girls had fun but didn't…read morelearn very much.

Fun class with Julia. Signed up for last minute Cardio +Tone class on Wed morning. I found street…read moreparking nearby. Studio is super clean, colorful and groovy. Once inside you have to walk up to the second floor. Dance studio for class was big and spacious. It was one of three different studios. This space is huge. Class started with warm-up which got your blood flowing. Warmup included pushups so grab floor mat if not keen on doing them on hard wooden floor. Dance class was tough. Prior dance experience is needed. You don't have to be a professional but need to be able to pick-up choreography quick. Sometimes you will learn (2) 8 counts together and then move on very quickly. The style of dance seemed like Jazz, Theater and Pop. I liked it but I usually dance hip-hop, latin or African. It was a change of pace but Julia made it super fun. With this particular routine there was a plank portion, I skipped it because I just didn feel like it. Julia prepared me that the routine did include this in an 8 count. I just added some bodyrolls and called it a day. Most of the people in class seemed to be regulars. Everyone was friendly. After 44 mins of dancing, we finished with some toning that included an arm song. After putting light weights down, Julia stretched us to the max. THANK GOODNESS I would come back and groove some more. I honestly just wanted to delay working on a memo so thats why I signed up on Class Pass at last minute.