My granddaughter is 6 years old and has wanted to dance for the past couple of years. I just signed…read moreher up classes think that began this fall. She is absolutely loving it. The staff is all very friendly and knowledgeable. I have watched everyone from the owner to the teachers interact with these kids. There is clearly I love of the art in all of the staff. They are incredibly patient especially with the younger children. My granddaughter has gained a lot of confidence over the past couple of months

Amazing, close-knit dance studio that focuses on dancing for the love of it while still teaching…read moregreat technique and dance history!

your kids will not be taught to dance 'strict' ballet but this is a fun place for that!! it is a…read morelaid back environment for people who just want to dance a little bit

On all of the occasions, The Owner Kolleen Fischer was unbecoming. I was really disappointed in the…read moreway this woman handled my child who is mixed with black when she came to dance on Saturday. Every Saturday, I was reminded that yeah, it is definitely because she is black. I had previously assumed it was simply her personality and wanted to think that my child wasn't being treated unfairly because she is black. Like I said it would happen each and every Saturday. I could think of a couple instances where I truly wondered if I should even bring my kid back. Once, when my daughter tried to give Kolleen a bag of goodies for the Halloween party, Kolleen held up her hands and "no, in there" as she threw her hands up. Instead of in a polite manner tell my daughter she can hand the candy to her teacher. I would always say hello and good morning to her when I would walk in and I wouldn't get a response as she stood about two steps away from us and the moment another mom would walk in she would make it her duty to speak to the parent and child. Despite finding it unpleasant, I continued to wish everyone a nice Saturday morning out of fairness. There was a time I questioned about what kind of costumes they will be wearing and what kind of event will be held, given that the dance school lacks recital materials and dance photos, unlike nearly every dance school we have been to. Kolleen said, "They have a little thing for the dancers in April, and they wear whatever I choose for them to wear." As a parent, I wanted to know what the charge covers, so I said that I was only inquiring because she was bringing up a payable fee. Her reaction, though, was a bit excessive. Another memorable incident occurred when my daughter expressed interest in doing the raffle boxes that were arranged in the foyer. I informed Kolleen that I would return immediately, as I needed to run to my car and grab up more singles. She agreed, and I returned in about sixty seconds. She was standing at the table when I asked if we could possibly purchase some tickets to put in the raffle box, she answered, "I guess," rolling her eyes. At that point, I decided that enough was enough and that I was tired of this woman's attitude toward us. As I was helping my daughter choose which raffle box she wanted to partake in, a father came up to me and told me about a dance event that was going to be happening and the dance school was selling tickets. I assumed it was the nutcracker event she had told me about when I first signed my daughter up, so I said, "Aw, baby, would you like to go to the nutcracker event with your dance school?" Kolleen emerged from the rear chamber and clarified that it wasn't the nutcracker. I nodded and didn't inquire further, but she felt compelled to let me know that there would be African dancers. I chuckled, turned to leave, and never came back. My kid loves dance, therefore one day I hope to find her a wonderful school. You are valuable, so don't push yourself if you don't feel accepted.

I came here for the adult barre class. The teacher was really nice and accommodating. I have an…read moreinjury and she gave me modifications for everything I was unable to do. The class was really small too, so every student got a lot of personal attention. The class itself was really fun and definitely challenging, it's been two days and my legs are still in fire! Will most likely be making this class a weekly occurrence. Highly recommend!

We had a great time taking a beginner salsa class with Phoxay. It was a good balance of fun and…read moretechnique. We would go back again! My husband and I took a private class. Over the phone, Phoxay was also the most professional out of the area dance studios and was offering up information instead of trying to bait me into a studio to suffer a sales pitch (which is what a "30-minute free lesson" is). This was the first studio that did not give me the run-around and actually gave me prices and times (the others said that the price depends on what you need and that could be discussed with the instructor at the "30-min free lesson").

Paula and Phoxay are real professionals! And they are very patient and fun as teachers. I take…read morefamily and friends there for private lessons before weddings or dance events. You will be glad you went.

Nice venue for special events and performances. I recently came for the Lunar New Year festival…read morewhich was a free event, hosted by several cultural organizations, and would come back here again for future events.

Well, I won tickets to listen to Killer Queen, but oh my God, even if you were at the back of the…read moreplace, the music is way too loud for me and I cannot stand when they flash the white lights into the audience so I walked out. I'm not 20 years old. I don't want to go deaf. The facility is beautiful. I would like to listen to Michael Bublé or someone else lol. Five stars for the facility zero stars for the performance.

My daughter LOVES it here! We had our second class today with Miss Rachel and had a blast. We are…read morein the Tutu Toddler class which starts at 18 months. My daughter mostly just runs around and lives her best life but she's picked up a few new dance moves. You pay a monthly fee and go once a week as your "home class". They also offer unlimited classes in the summer which is included. Miss Rachel is great with all of the kids, even when it's a bit chaotic. I enjoy at the end of each class the kids get to wind down a bit and color a picture before they leave. We hope to stick with this studio as my daughter grows :)

This dance center is beautiful! The studio is impeccably clean and bright!…read moreThe colors are pleasing and offers a very nice brand! All the children seem to enjoy their teachers and activities with the other kids. Very impressed!

My daughter has been happily tapping away for seven years now at this wonderful dance school!…read moreShe has enjoyed ballet, tap, jazz and acrobatic dance classes throughout the years. The family-like atmosphere has kept us coming back here year after year. The teachers and the teen age assistants teach dance in a fun way. My daughter has learned so much, and she feels inspired. She is very proud to be part of the school. She has literally grown up with the girls in her classes. It has become second home. The girls have enjoyed many lively, stressful, but certainly beautiful, recitals every June. In 2014, the dance school celebrated 20 years in business. In the fall of the same year, the owner and founder of the Dance school, Ms. Sam Smith, suddenly passed away. Only in her young 50's, Breast cancer took her life. The studio was bought by one of her former students, a committed dance teacher with a Head for business. A Little over year ago, the Studio moved to its current new location. There are several spacious dance studios, a lounge area for the students with lockers, and a large waiting room for parents. This school has a competition dance team and is on par with other area Dance schools. There are classes for adults as well. Check it out!

Two of my daughters attend various classes at the American Academy, so we are here 5 times a week…read more Compared to plenty of other families, that's pretty tame, which is a testament to the quality of instruction and enthusiasm for the craft here at this ballet studio. We've belonged to three ballet studios (we've moved a few times) and have been here the longest. This school impresses me with the level of quality instruction starting with the youngest kids. At a previous dance studio, the "Pre-ballet" or "Ballet I" classes were taught by young college students (and even one high school senior) who were trying to get teaching experience. Here, every teacher we have had has been a professional and has instructed the kids as such. The atmosphere is caring and loving but also fairly serious. You are following in the footsteps of many dancers who have attended the school over 52 years and have gone on to dance careers. The Nutcracker performance sells out at UB every year, and the end of the year recital (also at UB) is an enormous production. This is not the YMCA's music and movement class. They offer ballet, pointe, acro, contemporary, lyrical, hip hop, Broadway dance, jazz and tap, as well as adult ballet classes. The cost seems comparable to other dance studios in the area, and there is a discount for families. The school also offers camps in the summer, including a "Princess camp" for girls 8 and younger that seems very popular.

We moved my daughter here this year. The instruction is top notch and the office staff are very…read morehelpful. They are very caring while being serious about instruction. The Nutcracker production at UB is quite the undertaking and they do it with Style, grace and flair. We plan on increasing our classes here next year!

The West Herr Riviera Theatre used to have a real, hometown nostalgic feel to it. It used to be a…read moreplace of magic. Now, it's just a cash cow. I got this email basically warning me that all gift card transactions will incur a $3 fee. Is this fair? Absolutely not. How gross. Aside from this, I can't really say my experiences there recently have been great; the bar overcharges for drinks and the bartenders automatically set the card reader to a 20% tip on your beverages. I'm not kidding. They rush you to pay for your drinks if you're using credit so as to distract you from the automatic tip setting. If you don't catch it and change it, you're screwed. I don't mind tipping, I just don't like a place using scummy practices like this and essentially forcing you into tipping. Also...notice the lack of diversity in their show lineups: Mostly tribute bands. That's fine but like...there used to be variety, there used to be so much more. Anyway, I'm leaving this review as a life-long NT resident who misses the old Riv. It was truly magic.

It's been years since I was last in this theater. It is a great old theater, with some recent…read morerenovations. The capacity is just over 1000. I did not feel crowded in my seat, but in order to get to a seat in the middle of a row, the other patrons must exit the row. There is no "wiggle room" to get by the already seated patrons. Very good acoustics.

going there for ballet currently as an adult and i love it!! i was worried because I've been to…read moremany adult fitness classes where it feels like the instructors look down on you for not being in tip-top shape, but this environment is encouraging, welcoming, and fun! really enjoying my time here and looking forward to growing stronger as a dancer. it's very laid back with no recitals unless you choose to train for one outside of class

I've been an adult student of Lisa's for over 15 years. My daughter also started dancing at the…read morestudio when she became old enough and stayed until she left for college. Now that she has returned to WNY, she's back in the studio enjoying her lifelong passion for dancing and helping with administrative responsibilities. Lisa's students often return as adults and many send their children to the studio, too. Many of Lisa's students have gone on to dance professionally and she trains dance teachers from many of the local surrounding schools. Lisa has a strong reputation for training students to perform with the most exquisite technique. She teaches students to avoid the bad habits that can form in early years that will prevent them from advancing in later years. Students learn to love ballet as an art form and as an expression of oneself, to appreciate the beautiful lines created by body and movement and to develop strong technique which is critical for a professional career or for long-term recreational dance. The atmosphere within the studio is one of rich values: Respect for yourself, respect for others, teamwork, and leadership. Students are encouraged to help each other, for example, by demonstrating or teaching steps or working offline on pieces of choreography together. Students rise to high expectations and are accountable to be focused, kind, and hard working. Everyone is respected, supported, included as part of the team and have similar opportunities. Diversity and inclusion is encouraged, practiced, and expected of everyone. Contrary to another Yelp recommendation, Lisa does not promote or discuss any particular religion or religious views. There are families and students of all different faiths, beliefs, and backgrounds. This is exactly the environment where you want your children to learn and understand that each individual is unique and appreciate our individual differences. Lisa challenges students to strive for personal excellence who are open to growth. She expects them to be competent, confident, supportive of others, and committed to their study of ballet. She encourages everyone to set high personal standards in order to achieve their full potential. We are reminded to be grateful for our abilities and achievements and yet to strive to do and be more. Through Lisa's Apprentice Program students have the opportunity to develop their own leadership skills and qualities. Students are taught how to formally assist others in learning ballet, gradually given more responsibility as class assistants and eventually invited to step up and lead class. Through the "Lisa Taylor Dancers" performance group, students have an opportunity to showcase their abilities in a community service-oriented program. Performances are offered to (among others) schools, nursing homes, and in conjunction with other community groups. This provides education and exposure to the performing arts in a fun venue to elementary school children, residents of health care facilities and is used as fund raisers for other non-profit organizations. It helps teach students to give back to the community through themselves. Lisa is a leader, a role model, and a mentor. She is always going above and beyond for her students by creating curriculum, programs, opportunities, and performance venues for her students. She creates an expressive, healthful opportunity for all people to explore and enjoy movement through dance.