Families with children and/or friends on the autism spectrum who intend to enroll in the ITP…read more(Inclusive Theatre Program, now called Inspired Theatre Program) classes at Area Stage, please read below before moving forward. Our daughter, now a 9-year-old girl on the spectrum who loves art and music in an incredible way, started her journey with Area Stage in mid-2024 by taking private lessons with Annette, an amazing instructor at Area Stage. Under Annette's guidance and patience, our daughter improved tremendously and was able to perform in three showcases where she sang and danced alongside other children. This success did not come without challenges. Raising and supporting a child on the spectrum can be very difficult. From meltdowns and lack of attention to struggles with taking turns and stimming, families connected to autism understand these behaviors can be caused by many factors such as inflexibility or sensory overload, which are often misunderstood by neurotypical people as misbehavior or poor parenting. Fortunately, everywhere we have gone to help improve our daughter's behavior and skills, we have been blessed with people who truly understand autism and know how to support autistic children, just like Annette did. That changed on May 14th, 2026, when our daughter's instructor had an emergency and could not attend class, so a substitute instructor was assigned to the ITP class. Our daughter had a rough day during class and, as we were told, she was not following directions and was being disruptive. She was repeatedly told not to do certain things because they were "not allowed," as if that alone has ever been an effective way to regulate or support a child on the spectrum. Our daughter was in deep distress, as she often becomes when something triggers a shutdown. Her behavior escalated to the point that the Director of Inspired Theatre Project, Irma Becker, stepped in and told her she was misbehaving, that wh. This is a 1 hour class. Meanwhile, I, her father, was sitting outside waiting for the class to finish. Once the time was up, I approached the door where the children exit from, but no one came out. As I got closer, I heard, "So who's coming to pick up this child today?" To my surprise, it was Irma asking who was picking up my daughter. When I explained that I was her father, Irma approached me aggressively and explained that my daughter did not want to participate and that she was a "mean girl" who pushed her multiple times while she was trying to get her to follow directions. My daughter was listening to everything Irma was saying because they were standing next to each other. While Irma discussed my daughter's behavior with me, my daughter became even more overwhelmed, yelling and completely out of control. I told Irma that I would talk to my daughter later at home, but she continued escalating the situation. In the middle of the chaos, she told me that we needed to discuss next year's enrollment because of my daughter's behavior, although she still had to commit to participating in this year's showcase. I was speechless and asked, "Do you even know that my daughter is on the spectrum?" In response, Irma began listing her titles and degrees in behavioral therapy, completely contradicting herself through her own behavior. It is truly sad that someone like this could be in charge of a program such as this one. We formally contacted ownership via email to explain the situation, hoping to schedule a meeting, discuss possible solutions, and receive an apology. Instead, we were told that after conducting an investigation with the people present, ownership concluded that Irma never said anything inappropriate about our daughter. Additionally, our daughter was removed from the inclusive program entirely only two weeks before her showcase. During a call with ownership regarding our email, the owner himself told us that he believed the problem with our daughter was that she was "not used to hearing no." Imagine saying that about a child on the autism spectrum, as if simply hearing "no" were ever a solution for autism-related behaviors. This was coming from someone who has never spent even a second with our daughter, yet still felt comfortable giving an opinion about her behavior. What I see here is a major red flag. When someone reports misconduct, unethical behavior, or unprofessional conduct and their concerns are immediately dismissed or denied, it creates an environment where that behavior can continue unchecked and potentially lead to even more serious problems. It is like calling a police department to report misconduct by the chief of police, only for the person making the complaint to be punished for speaking up. Thank you for creating a program that helps so many students with special needs. I truly hope this experience serves as an opportunity for growth and improvement so the program can become even more inclusive moving forward.

Went here to one of the Beauty and the Beast showings and it was fantastic! I was so impressed with…read morethe show and the immersive experience of the theater! I can't wait to see the next show, it was such a fun night and something that I have never experienced be. The only thing that I would have liked to be different is that the benches that we sat on had some sort of cushion. By the end of the show my backside and back were aching. The singing and acting was top notch!

This was a very interesting experience. The owner never wants to speak to parents , most parents…read morearen't fully committed yet expect there kids to be the best and on a competitive level. Employees are never paid on time or at all, which is why there are barely any staff. You never get your money's worth because the owner decides to use it for personal use instead of its purpose,and parents are owed numerous amounts of money . This is definitely not a place I recommend. Never putting my daughter in such a disorganized place again where her teacher never showed up for rehearsals and never prepared her for her future.

What started out decent, ended up being the most unprofessional experience of any dance studio I've…read morebeen to. The only help the office of this studio has is from parent's of students who attempt to run a studio but don't have necessary time or experience to fulfill the job. The Director of studio is always frantically busy one can barely get her devoted attention on a problem. She does not give attention to serious problems that are brought up. Classes always start late. Costumes are ordered late and many times arrive past the day of event. High turn-over of dance instructors who quit for not being paid. Overall, horrible communication problems internal and external. This studio should not be in business. The employees of the month award goes to certain parents of Impact students, not to the Owner/Director who should have handled several critical issues before it got out of control. Many parents are unhappy. I write on behalf of several parents. Of all the dance studio's in Miami, Impact Dance is last on the list. I do not recommend at all.

Family oriented studio, by the way they moved and are currently located at 14620 SW 8st, Miami, Flread more

My daughter has been at this studio for almost 2 years now. The studio staff is amazing and the…read moredirector, Kristynn, treats the girls with such love. She brings out the best in them not only in dance but in their self-esteem. Being part of this studio feels like family. My daughter felt welcomed from the very first day. She loves it so much that I always have to beg my daughter to go home because they make the girls feel so comfortable that she never wants to leave.

Amazing staff and excellent director! All Access has felt like a second home for my daughter for 8…read moreyears because of the love and care she's received from everyone who works there.

This Dance studio is the best! The owner loves what she does & shares this passion with the…read morestudents. Everyone is treated the same, there is no favoritism. They make you feel like you are part of the All Access Family. Needless to say they always get top recognition in competition because they love what they do.

best studio ever, my second home and my family forever. graduated from there and it was amazing i…read morelove them

Amazing staff and girls are talented and so welcoming! They have a good variety of classes and…read moretheir teachers are top notch! Definitely an amazing studio to belong to