Momentum is such a treasure. A non profit with the goal of making dance available to every kid while putting on incredible productions and having passionate and talented staff is a tall order, and they absolutely nail it. My dancer started at 5 and is now 10 and has had almost every teacher. We love it! read more

My daughter, who is 5, has been dancing at Momentum for the past two years and we've been really happy with their program! All of the instructors are kind and supportive and even though our daughter is only 5 she has loved performing in the bi-annual performances at the Highline Performing Arts Center. They do a holiday season performance and another performance in June. It has been so fun to watch our daughter gain confidence in ballet (she wants to be a ballerina when she grows up) and learn a routine and perform it on a large stage in front of a huge crowd. We love Ms. Marinucci as she's been the primary teacher of the classes we've been in but this spring our daughter wanted to also try out hip hop class in addition to ballet/jazz. They offer the first class for free so you can see if your child likes it, and what I really appreciated is this also extended to currently enrolled families wanting to try another type of class in addition to what they were already doing. I also need to acknowledge Ms. Alida who works the front desk most nights. This woman is a true rock star. She knows everybody and everything and is so friendly and welcoming and beyond helpful - not only to my dancer, but to her little sister who has to come sit in the lobby and wait with me during classes. Alida is amazing. read more

My child has attended Momentum for 7 years. They started out in Kindergarten doing hip hop once week and gradually added more genres throughout the years. One thing that has been great about Momentum is the opportunity for young children to be exposed to so many classes, from hip hop, to irish, to musical theater, to ballet. The convenience of having all of these options under one roof and right off the freeway sounded perfect for our family needs, it helped solidify my sons love of the arts. Sadly, that's where they stopped meeting our needs. Over the past 7 years I have witnessed and dealt with my own share of atrocious behavior from the teachers and admin that can no longer be ignored or accepted as normal. Leadership - During our 7 years we have had 4 different Artistic Directors. The current Artistic Director (AD) has yet to proactively address conflict in the studio between staff/teachers and families. The AD has attempted to shut down classes due to scholarship children being the only students enrolled, and said "the studio is literally not making money of the classes with them enrolled". Enrollment - I have witnessed the front desk person inform families their children could not enroll in specific classes because "advanced students" opted to take those classes (whether drop in or weekly classes) and there is "no way they are at that level, because "the advanced students" has been dancing X amount of years and are pre-professional". This is despite the fact that the age range listed is for younger students. Dancing Other Places - Momentum is only supportive of your student as long as they are exclusively committed to Momentum. Initially, students are encouraged to try other programs, but this is only so Momentum is able publicly say "we are such a good dance program that our students get accepted to ...". Multiple times I have witnessed (and personally experienced) students losing roles given by artistic staff, because Momentum "didn't see a conflict marked on the audition sheet" or "we saw it but assumed once you had the role it wouldn't be an issue." I have also personally been told by staff that I already have one foot out of the door (because we dance at another studio) and our family should just leave the studio rather than voice our concerns. Professionalism - Momentum staff seriously lacks professionalism. Teachers routinely no call/no show, show up late for classes, dress rehearsals and performances. Parents have been told via email that they should consider hiring nannies to volunteer with their children backstage during performances if they are not going to volunteer, and I have heard the front desk person say that certain children were replaceable in roles when she had conflict with their families. Most upsetting, for the students, staff can be overheard discussing which person has which part prior to auditions even happening! Momentum had a lot of potential and was once a great studio that felt like an extended family to us. I'm saddened to see that Momentum has turned into a toxic environment, where the teachers are not held responsible for their actions, the Artistic Director is nowhere to be found on a daily basis and the front desk person trash talks everyone from the children to the families to the staff. I would NOT recommend Momentum to any families in search of dance classes whether recreational or pre-professional. **Edited to mention the fact that Momentum promptly deleted my Facebook review of their organization. Rather than truly address my concerns/experiences and figure out how to overcome what I have laid out, they decided to delete my post and have other families (all of a sudden) choose to write 5 star reviews. BEWARE** read more

I called to get info on pricing and left a message. No one called me back after 3 days. When I called back and finally got someone she was slightly condescending over the phone but I chalked it up to the woman just not having good phone skills and continued to sign my daughter up for class. When I arrived to the studio I was unsure of where to go so I stood in line at the front desk. The same woman I had talked to on the phone was helping one woman and there was another man in front of me. After taking 10 plus minutes helping the woman sign her daughter up for class she stared helping the man, still not acknowledging me at all. Finally after another 5 minutes the woman behind me asked where the studio was and the woman said it's right over there. When we started walking towards the studio she condescending said "ummm the teacher will come out to get you". I've never been to the studio before, I've spent 15 minuets in line and yet you couldn't have politely told me to just have a seat and wait? Overall the teacher was fine. She talks like a Disney princess which I can handle for 30 min a week for the next 7 weeks but we won't be signing up for any more classes mostly bc of the grown woman at the front desk who acts like every new client is a burden to help and the last person who should be the first impression of the business. Momentum feels like a club of mean girls and quite frankly breeds inequality and insecurities that I don't want my kids around. read more

My daughter has been going to Momentum for nearly a year now and I have to say that we have no complaints thus far. Becoming a dance parent was initially very intimidating, but the staff here was very helpful and patient in explaining what we would need (type of shoes, leotards, tights, etc.) and where we could purchase these items. The dance facility itself is a bit small, but it's clean and well-kept. There is a larger, common area/lobby in the front that is shared with the other business in the building, but on weekends when everything else is closed, this area is pretty much empty (aside from other dance parents). There is a TV screen inside where you can see the different classrooms, so you can watch your little performer without interrupting or distracting the class. You are not allowed to be inside the rooms during class, which I actually prefer because it allows the students to focus on what they are learning. They do have designated observation days every now and again, where you can bring family members or friends to come in and watch the class. I've never had a problem with parking, but we have always attended classes either on the weekends or after normal business hours, so the huge lot in the back has plenty of open parking spaces for everyone. Momentum offers really convenient payment options and some discounts if you choose either the full-year or half-year tuition selections. I have found the tuition rates, performance, and photography fees all to be very reasonable. You are not required to help backstage for performances, which is really nice because you don't have to deal with any additional stress and can fully enjoy your child's performance. They are incredibly organized and we are always given adequate notice/reminders before any special events. My daughter has really enjoyed each instructor she has had and as long as she wants to continue with ballet, we will stay at Momentum. read more

I planned my daughters' 5th birthday at Momentum. They have the best deal going. For around $150 they welcomed about 12 girls and had them do a craft. Then the kids took a "dance" class. I was able to choose between ballet, tap and hip hop. Then we had cake and opened gifts. Then the girls learned a routine and performed it for the parents. It was so much fun and all the kids and the parents really enjoyed it. It was so fun to not have to deal with clean up and activities and have it all taken care of by the staff. Memories were made! read more

My daughter did dance her for about 4 or 5 months and we would have continued if anyone ever returned our phone calls. I called twice and left messages asking about switching her class and paying for another few classes. No one returned my calls......twice. read more

I really can't say enough good things about Momentum. My daughter has gone for a couple of years and my other daughter will be going soon as well. There is a great variety of classes and at convenient times. Performances really are hassle free and it's just a great environment. read more

My 5 year old daughter tried Momentum's trial class in February. I was not offered a tour of the facility nor invited to view the class. We didn't go back. After a couple weeks, I emailed my concerns. We were invited back for another trial class offering a tour and a zoom viewing. We decided to enroll in classes and I also signed my daughter up for the June recital. We went to Saturday classes until mid May when a weekday worked better for our family. By the end of May, we had to cancel the recital due to family issues and I emailed the academy. I was informed that I wouldn't receive my $75 back, which included the dress and recital fees. I was never given a copy of the sign up form to know the cut off date. I went back and forth emailing a couple people at the academy numerous times asking for part of the fee to be refunded. Often times, my emails weren't responded to. After a couple of weeks, I went into the academy asking for a copy of the recital sign up form and for a refund once again. I find it very hard to understand that a 5 year old child who had only been in the class for 3 months and during a global pandemic would be refused a refund for recital fees. I later learned that the Mini recital for this age group consisted of 11 classes performing 2 minutes each across 30 minutes. The recital fees and additional costs added up to $200. Due to personal family reasons, we had to withdrawal. We were never given any empathy nor concern. It was all about the money that Momentum had already paid and their contracted sign up form dates. read more

If you want your kids to learn to dance take them somewhere else. This place has the worst costumer service I have ever seen. The people at the front desk do not care about the parents or their concerns. They won't let the parents walk with their kids (no matter how young they are) to any of the studios. They also are bad at keeping parents up to date on rehearsals times. My kid went to class and the teacher never showed up. Latter we found out that she had canceled class. The kids there are also not the nices. My daughter took Irish there and it seemed to me that no one there really cared about that class, because their focus was always on some other classes so Irish always got the short end of the stick. I would NEVER recommend Momentum to anyone who wanted to learn to dance. :( read more

Im waffling about what the best rating it to give the current state of This dance Academy. We have come here for a few years and loved it. They have a boys scholarship program that is wonderful and really helps support getting and keeping boys involved in their classes. Given these things, it feels harsh to knock them down to 2 stars and I feel bad about that. Currently the school is going through some changes and it feels rough. There are a few customer service issues that we have run into that I don't want to rake them over the coals about, because changes in management or directors can be a tricky time. Regarding that I would say not to worry too much as I am sure things will smooth out just fine. But I am very unhappy dealing with the strange decision that was made to make not only a ballet recital and a "not ballet" dance recital (how it has been before and, i think, typical for dance Academies) but to now make the regular dance recital separated onto two separate nights. In order to do this and not make each performance silly short, upper level students perform both nights. In our case the result is that we will now be doing two sets of rehearsals and two recital nights back to back during the hectic christmas season (and on school nights) for our two separate kids. One performs on each night, neither performs both nights. My mom will be able to come for one night since it is a far drive so we have to pick which grandkid she gets to watch. So much about this particular situation seems so needlessly complicated and problematic that I am writing a sadly unhappy review. My kids do both love their lessons and teachers, and I have previously enjoyed recital nights even though it means extra time commitments with rehearsals and all it is very special. I would just say that if you have more than one child who will be taking dance lessons, to take this detail into account, because I would guess you could go somewhere where recitals can be more simple and enjoyable. read more

Momentum is the best on the Westside! My daughter has been with Momentum since 2002. She is a pre professional ballerina that has received amazing instruction from the staff and ballet masters there. She has been accepted into prestigious ballet intensives like Bolshoi Ballet, American Ballet Theater, Boston Ballet, Ballet West, Kirov Ballet Academy, and many more! She also takes contemporary, jazz and character class. Momentum is a family. The staff, and students are kind and friendly always helpful and organized. Older students are great role models, and you almost always see a student help another with their hair, shoes or lines for theatre class! Because of the amount of dancing my daughter does, we have been to other studios and seen how they operate as well. I have to say Momentum has taken what is the best from all the others and put it into what they are now. They are a well oiled machine. I love them. They are the best! read more

Great school. Non profit. Highly committed group of parents and staff work hard to give the students real life lessons and performances. We tried other schools before and like this one much better. Been here for about 5 years. read more