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    FOCUS Dance Center for the Performing Arts

    3.5 (70 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 2:00 pm

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    Services - FOCUS Dance Center for the Performing Arts

    Group fitness

    Virtual fitness classes

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    Recommended Reviews - FOCUS Dance Center for the Performing Arts

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    8 years ago

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    5 months ago

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    Monie A.

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    1 year ago

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    Monie A.

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    1 year ago

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    Monie A.

    Helpful 0
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    2 years ago

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    Monie A.

    Helpful 4
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    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
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    3 years ago

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    Monie A.

    Helpful 5
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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    Monie A.

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    2 years ago

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    Monie A.

    Thank you so much Thomas for your review! We appreciate it!

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    1 year ago

    this place is a scam! was told it was $130 per child then ended up $350 dont go there

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    Monie A.

    Helpful 3
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    3 years ago

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    Monie A.

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    4 years ago

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    Monie A.

    Helpful 5
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    4 years ago

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    Monie A.

    Helpful 5
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    4 years ago

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    Monie A.

    Helpful 4
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    7 years ago

    Helpful 7
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    6 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    Monie A.

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    9 years ago

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    6 years ago

    My niece loves the center. Teachers are perfect, the environment is perfect, the classes are prefect...everything is just perfect.

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    4 years ago

    What an amazing dance studio! The facility and faculty are both great! I'm so glad I found Focus for my kids.

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    5 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    Monie A.

    Helpful 5
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    4 years ago

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    Monie A.

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    7 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    14 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    Monie A.

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    17 years ago

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    Monie A.

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    5 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - FOCUS Dance Center for the Performing Arts

    Review Highlights - FOCUS Dance Center for the Performing Arts

    I grew up learning tap from Monie, the owner, for 10+ years and I know the quality she expects from all of her teachers.

    Mentioned in 4 reviews

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    AfterHours Dance Studio

    AfterHours Dance Studio

    4.8
    (51 reviews)
    6.4 mi

    AfterHours is an uplifting community environment for adult dancers. With a range of levels from…read moreintroductory basics to advanced, and many styles and instructors to choose from, you will find a teacher for you. As with any group class, give yourself some space to try a few different teachers until you find the one(s) you enjoy the most! The owner, Shawn, and desk staff are friendly and helpful; always happy to answer questions about levels, styles, and instructors. My go to is Arianna Hyatt. She teaches well rounded true to level classes (read the class description and know thyself). She motivates and encourages dancers to meet their goals, whether that is fun, fitness, training for an audition, getting back to dance after a hiatus, or perhaps all of the above. She provides a supportive environment while offering technique, structure, and a little challenge - if that is what you're after. The community she's cultivated within every class is palpable. If you're a beginning/intermediate or advanced level dancer, looking for ballet, broadway, or tap, definitely check the schedule for her. (Double check the level as she teaches a variety.) If you're on the fence, I'd say find any class that interests you at the studio and give it a try!

    Long story short: I had an indescribably unpleasant and discouraging experience at the beg/int tap…read moreclass with Arianna. She was not welcoming, was late to the class, and did not give me the chance to even try tapping before she completely ignored me for the entire class session. Long story long: I've had dance training with Broadway choreographers and performers (just not in tap), and never would they be so unprofessional and rude to a newer dancer. This was my first time trying Afterhours, I had gone with a friend (with prior tap experience and classes taken at this studio) and we booked two classes, back to back. Beg/int Broadway Jazz class straight into beg/int tap. Arianna, who instructed both classes this night, arrived late and complained about the studio space we were in. Yikes. Not a great first impression as a new dancer at this studio. After this class, I put my tap shoes on and my friend quickly walked me through some basics of tap. Just with a side-eye from the corner of the room, she came up to me and said "this is not the space for you, I will go get you your money back before you take this class. I will let you stay, but this is not the class for you." Understandable, but after SO GRACIOUSLY!!!! allowing me be in the room with only 5 other dancers, she ignored me the entire class, despite me catching onto and being able to pick up what she was teaching. She had condescendingly recommended another instructor at the studio, but with a tone as if the instructor was subordinate to her. The most frustrating part was that she was very slowly and deliberately helping another dancer in the room, who was also a beginner. It was rude to me and not conducive to a welcoming environment for growing artistry, whether I was refunded or not. I spoke with Shawn after the class and she mentioned knowing that Arianna is short with her words and they had a similar situation with another dancer last week. If you knew this hostile behavior is happening at your studio, how could you let that continue? She also gave an excuse of a disclaimer being on the description of the class. 1) it was hard to find 2) even if someone has/hasn't "mastered" a certain level of dance, why are you fully shutting someone out of your learning space? It is apparent in the class attendance the success, or lack of, rather, at this studio. I truly hope that no other dancer experiences what I did at Afterhours, and that this behavior from any instructor is corrected. I was given my money back and a free pass for another class at the studio, but I honestly do not trust either of those ladies that I dealt with at the establishment to recommend me any other class there.

    Photos
    Me, feeling it
    Me, feeling it
    This 59 year old loving my ballet classes with Arianna.
    This 59 year old loving my ballet classes with Arianna.
    They got me doing moves I didn't think I could do!!

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    They got me doing moves I didn't think I could do!!
    Pacific Dance

    Pacific Dance

    3.4
    (59 reviews)
    3.3 mi

    We love PD! We have been dancing here for a few months now and all the teachers here are so…read morewelcoming and friendly. The front desk staff is very professional and helpful. We love how easy it is to schedule make-up classes via the website forms and adding a class is easy. They are really organized here! My child dances here and I also take adult ballet here and love it! Highly recommend!

    Our family has been with Pacific Dance for the past 12 years. We started when our oldest daughter…read morewas 3 years old and she took recreational classes for 5 years, and now our youngest daughter who also started at the studio at age 3, is a competitive dancer starting her 3rd year with the Performing Groups. In the decade that we have been with this amazing studio, we have always had such a wonderful experience as both a rec and a competition family. We have participated in 11 recitals and in recent years, numerous competitions. In my experience they are all run like a well-oiled machine. They have rules and processes in place primarily to keep our children safe and to ensure everything runs smoothly and to create a great experience for the hundreds (thousands?) of students and parents. If you have common sense and are a decent person, it's not hard to understand why the studio runs things the way they do. ALL of the staff and teachers are exceptional and I love having the peace of mind that my children are receiving excellent training in a loving, safe and positive environment. This studio is truly my daughter's second home and there's nowhere else we'd rather be. We are so grateful for our wonderful dance family!

    Photos
    Miss. Michelle
    Miss. Michelle
    My sassy 4 year old  bunny
    My sassy 4 year old bunny
    Pacific Dance

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    Dance Works

    Dance Works

    4.7
    (12 reviews)
    4.9 mi

    Dance Works is the cutest little dance studio in Lake Forest…read more Located in a tiny business district off a busy street, this location is made up of 2 large rooms lined with mirrors and barres lining each wall and a small lobby/waiting area. Viewing windows are allocated where possible so you can see your little princesses leap and bound across the floor with the boundless energy you wish you still had. They offer many courses in tap, ballet, hip hop & many other dance styles for ages ranging from 3-17. The little girl I nanny is 5 and she is in a tap/ballet combo class taught by the ever-patient Miss Megan. Miss Megan is very sweet and truly loves teaching the girls teaching form and routine to help them grow on their dance journeys. It is probably her sweet teaching ways and her ability to create a relationship with each girl that makes this small studio feel more like family. The monthly tuition is very reasonable for once-weekly, hour long classes and the pictures and memories will be priceless for you and your little darling for years to come.

    My daughter has been dancing at Dance Works for the last 3 years, since she was 3 years old. She…read morehas taken ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop classes and she just can't get enough! Sending a huge thank you to Lori for your support and encouragement. We appreciate your passion, hard work, dedication to the recitals, and all of the opportunities you provide for your dancers. Can't wait to see the next show in a couple of weeks!

    Photos
    Summer 2022 Recital
    Summer 2022 Recital
    Summer 2022 Recital
    Summer 2022 Recital
    January 2023 Ballet Recital: Under the Sea

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    January 2023 Ballet Recital: Under the Sea
    Southland Ballet Academy

    Southland Ballet Academy

    3.9
    (19 reviews)
    2.1 mi

    We've been coming to this ballet studio for many years, and while the instruction, teachers, and…read morecurriculum are absolutely amazing, the parking and drop-off situation is a nightmare. During peak hours--especially between 4 to 6pm on weekdays--the area around the studio becomes chaotic. Parents frequently block the red zone in front of the building to drop off or pick up their children, causing serious traffic congestion. To make matters worse, vendors are selling prepackaged food, fruit boxes, and other perishables directly from their vehicles--both in front of and behind the studio. This draws long lines of customers who often stand in the middle of the road, blocking parking spaces and making it difficult and unsafe for cars to get through. Even more concerning is the lack of supervision for children in the parking lot. Kids often dart out into traffic without looking, and drivers are forced to slam on their brakes to avoid hitting them. Many parents appear distracted and are not paying attention to their children's whereabouts. This situation has persisted for years and only continues to get worse. As much as we love the studio, the surrounding chaos and safety risks are making us seriously question how much longer we can continue coming here.

    My daughter has attended a few ballet classes before but wasn't satisfied. She is very eager and…read moreexcited to go to this ballet class.

    Photos
    Cars parked at red zone blocking lane.
    Cars parked at red zone blocking lane.
    Dancers hard at work in class!
    Dancers hard at work in class!
    Summer Intensive at Southland Ballet Academy

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    Summer Intensive at Southland Ballet Academy
    Irvine Barclay Theatre

    Irvine Barclay Theatre

    4.1
    (108 reviews)
    3.1 mi

    My family and I attended an older, classic rock/orchestral event at this venue…read more Located on the UC Irvine campus, this theatre is very nice and modern. The lobby was very clean and shiny, and the restrooms were large and clean. The theatre's interior was very beautiful and comfortable. Every comfortable seat in the theatre offers a perfect view of the stage, and the sound system was perfect. The employees were all very friendly and professional, and they assisted anyone and everyone who needed help. Though the music was a tad different from what we are used to on the radio, the performers worked hard and did a GREAT job of keeping the audience engaged and entertained.

    We have been here a few times and the last visit was for a screening of National Theatre Live: Dr…read more Strangelove. Being a huge fan of the film, I rushed to get tickets thinking it was actual live stage performance, then come to find out it was just a screening. Oops! Don't rush, take your time when purchasing for a show. The screening itself was adapted from Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece. Nothing can replace the original cast of this iconic film; however, the stage version was pretty impressive with the handling of the changing of stage scenes. It was highly abbreviated though, in my opinion. Tickets were for General Admission so we chose our seats upon doors opening. Every seat (approximately 750 seats) in the house seems to have non-obstructive view. We went for the first row center on the balcony level. Love this view. If you need a snack, there is wine, beer, water, soft drinks, and packaged snacks like cookies, chips, and candies for sale. Parking is in the structure right next to the theatre. (US$10-15) Ushers and all staff were very polite and courteous. Enjoy!

    Photos
    Irvine Barclay Theatre - entrance
    Irvine Barclay Theatre - entrance
    View from Irvine Barclay Theatre stage (artists: Mohsen Namjoo and band)
    View from Irvine Barclay Theatre stage (artists: Mohsen Namjoo and band)
    Irvine Barclay Theatre

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    Irvine Barclay Theatre

    FOCUS Dance Center for the Performing Arts - theater - Updated June 2026

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