The best studio with the most talented instructors. This is a second home to many students & the…read morespacious studios are absolutely gorgeous. Such a clean environment for kids to grow from a young age to graduating!

This is my horrible experience with Rising Stars: yesterday, just before her second class of the…read moresummer session, after completing her first year of dance there the year before, Rising Stars School Of Dance & Performing Arts, NJ dropped my 3 year old daughter from their school because I sent them an email expressing my thoughts about their horrendous customer service. My email to them was in response to an email they had sent to me about late payment. My payment was late because I wasn't aware of when it was due, as the session hadn't begun yet and I hadn't gotten any other correspondence from them telling me so. Sometimes, when your husband has Stage 4 cancer and your kids are 3 and 6, you accidentally overlook things. Most people, even huge corporations have some empathy and humanity about things like that, but not Rising Stars. They dropped my 3 year old who has only known that dance school and is devastated that she can't go anymore. Some of the customer service issues that we experienced there were 1. not being allowed back into the recital after picking my daughter up from the green room, following her dance number, as we were told was the protocol, while the rest of our family sat in the seats we paid for. This was the case for the ENTIRE two year old class. When the venue security asked @Rising Stars management if the 2 year olds were allowed back in, Rising Stars management told them, NO. 2. Because I was with my husband at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center the day dance class pictures were discussed I didn't have my check pre-handed in on picture day. So while they were accepting picture checks on picture day, and I stood there with my check in hand, they would not let my 2 year old have her picture taken until a brought the check to the desk in the front. My 2 year old who wouldn't let me leave the room because she has trauma because of her dads illness since she was 7 months old, was hysterical, but no one at Rising Stars would help us. No one would take my check to the desk while I stayed with my crying daughter, nor would they take her picture with me there and let me bring the check to the front desk right after the picture was taken. So as I stood with my check in hand and a screaming toddler, they just wouldn't take her picture until I handed the check in. So following a nasty form letter email that I received from them the Saturday night before the Monday class started, telling me that my daughter would be dropped if I didn't pay within 24 hours (and they're closed on Sunday) my daughter would be dropped, I replied to their email telling them that they should look into their customer relations. Of course that Monday I paid in full for the summer session and my daughter had her first class. One hour before the second class was due to start, and my daughter was all dressed and ready to go, the owner calls me to tell me that my email was hateful (which it was not, although admittedly it was angry, but not inappropriate) and that they were dropping my 3 year old from their school. I don't usually air dirty laundry but to me this is beyond. So I wanted to make it clear that this is how @Rising Stars may treat their paying customers and children/ students. It's how my family and my 3 year old were treated.

I take the little girl I watch to dance class here every week. With no fault to Icon, the parking…read morelot is always a disaster! So if you an in doing anything other than dropping off and leaving, get here earlier to find a parking spot. There are several rooms and each class is assigned to one. There are flat screen TVs in the lobby and you can see each class while they are in session. When class lets out it's a bit chaotic , so I always wait by the front door to make a quick escape. At the end of the class schedule, the classes perform their dance at a recital. It's really quite adorable. Icon had a dance group, The Iconic Boyz, on Americas Best Dance Crew, which I happen to love!

After 4 years at Icon, we took a hike…read more As someone said, the parking lot is dangerous, that is true. The owner is great, talented and kind and some of the former teachers were at one point, but most left. Several really good teachers left mid-year or a month before the recital in the past 3 years...it was a waste of time after that for my child. They replaced the teachers with plump amateur former students of ICON who were at best, 20 years old. I regret staying there for so long. In only one class at the new shcool we now attend, my child said more was learned then the whole 4 years at Icon. The recital is a nightmare, between the costume fittings, pictures, getting seats for your family and figuring out which dress rehearsals and performances your child is in, is harder then calculus. And no one knows what the heck is going on, there is no one you can ask. They are decent for Hip Hop and Break Dancing IF you get a good teacher, but Tap and Ballet are so lousy. The teachers have no technique and it is a waste of your money. If you don't have a child in a company and enrolled in at least 4-6 classes you are just there to pay their bills and will get nothing from this school. You may never get a call back from their "office" You have to call for weeks and weeks to finally speak with someone. You end up coming in in desperation and the person you need is not there. The satelllite studio is fine except it is not finished so the parking lot is like the La Brea Tar Pit. What started out as a fresh-boy centered "street dance" school has morphed into a hub for kids from Staten Island who have very little talent to hang out in. The owners play favorites and it is like a little kingdom with families who are favorites of the owners. The bottom line is that there are very few reasons not to look around for another school in our are that has at least 25 schools in a 10 mile radius.

I highly recommend Howell Academy of Dance. The owner and the staff are amazing. Their number one…read morepriority is "your child". They teach for the joy of dance and want to instill that same joy in the children they teach. During this pandemic they have gone above and beyond for their students as well as their parents. They offered virtual classes, extra activities, a virtual recital and even offered virtual Zumba & yoga classes for the Moms. Many of their teachers are actually former students who have returned to share their love of dance. They are a family and I was blessed to have my daughter be a part of that family for 14 years. They took a very shy little girl and helped shape her into the outgoing & successful adult she is today. Howell Academy of Dance is more than a dance studio, it is a family.

Highly recommend. It's a quality studio with talented teachers and wonderful staff. We have always…read moreloved HAD but the pandemic has shown just how amazing they are! They went above and beyond to keep the dancers engaged with zoom classes and extra (free) activity sessions. We even had Zumba and yoga for Mom's!

Absolutely love my girls dancing here! In the time we have been here they have grown tremendously…read morein their skills. Love that they can compete when they are older if they want to, but it's not the focus of the studio. The focus is all on the girls and helping them grow as dancers. Couldn't ask for more!

BEWARE....proceed with caution! This dance studio is run so unprofessional and completely…read moredisorganized. In addition, there is favoritism for certain dancers and the atmosphere at this studio promotes jealousy and animosity among the dancers. No situation is ever handled in the proper way to promote confidence and to encourage the girls. Extremely horrible environment and definitely mismanaged!

A kind studio with a focus on dedication, determination and desire to do your best. My daughter has…read morebeen a student at ODF since she was 4 years old. It has been an incredible experience every year since she began her dance journey.

My grandchildren enjoyed all the productions here every aspect if the production was so much fun !read more

This is a company that puts on a variety of puppet shows through out the year. We just saw "The…read moreWizard Of OZ," and my family had a great time. As soon as you enter the theatre a couple of the Marionette puppeteers greets the audience/kids with some puppets while everyone is finding their seats. The kids are encouraged to sit on the floor to watch the show on the puppet stage. The Wizard of OZ was great. It is not the complete story you would see as in the movies, as there is no visual effects and time constraints. It's a concise adaptation and everything is left to your imagination. It's definitely a great experience to go do with your kids. It's very affordable and your kids will have fun! The puppeteers are great as they are very friendly and interactive with the kids before and after the show. After the show, the kids can walk up to the small stage and touch the puppets and the puppeteers will answer questions and show how some of the puppets work. You can buy puppets there from finger puppets to the larger Marionette puppets. It's recommended you call to reserve tickets rather than just show up because it's a very small theatre. There is ample free street parking. They have shows in the 1st and 4th Sunday's of the month. Occasionally they will have weekday showings. They are great at responding to my emailed questions.

Dance Plus has been a staple in monmouth county and in the dance community for years. I danced…read morethere as a child and now my daughter goes there and loves it! The teachers and staff are amazing and you feel how much they care for every kid there! Highly recommend!

Love this dance studio!! Teachers are amazing and the atmosphere of being there is so warm and…read morefriendly. They treat you like family.. Love the directors Joede and Robert!!

Love Robin and her staff. My granddaughter has gone from one class to three she enjoys it so much…read more Every recital is a pleasure watching the students perform. They seem like one big happy family.

As a long-time student at Robin McGill, it saddens me to say that the place has gone way downhill…read morewithin the past few years. Robin McGill has become very rude to the students over the years and parents are not allowed to watch the kids dance until her scheduled "Parent Observation Weeks." Robin's choreography is honestly not great and sometimes when I was dancing at the recital I felt ridiculous in the costumes she picks out because they don't always go with the theme of the recital. I gave it 2 stars though because everyone else there is pretty nice but Robin really needs to work on her kindness skills.