This organization has gone down hill over the past 10 years with no sign of recovery at all. They are very disorganized and extremely unkind to their dancers. I've seen first hand over the years the way the dancers and volunteers are treated. Over the last 10 years, I have seen the mental stability of the dancers go down hill. I have pulled both of my dancers from this program several years ago, but still have dedicated friends who support the organization. However, those friends are not happy at all with the program. My youngest child refused to go near the director after she witnessed her screaming at several dancers and blessing out some of the volunteers back stage at a performance. It took her several months to tell us what happened (she was 7 at the time) because she was so traumatized. read more

I'm sorry you did not have an enjoyable experience B M. I question you though... if the experience was so horrific why did you bother staying for three years? I doubt you care about my opinion but having been in the performing arts world around the country, including LA and NYC, as well as the semi professional dance world I have had a multitude of exposure to many artistic directors and choreographers...Susan's instruction is wonderful. I have danced with RBT off and on the past 10 years and not once was she rude, disrespectful, or cruel to me nor did I witness it. I did witness her standing up to individuals who attempted to either manipulate or cause unnecessary dramatic antics. I assure you in saying that there are a plethora of choreographers and artistic directors that do not tolerate that behavior either and handle it in such a way that I am sure you would categorize beyond cruel. In regards to the heat at Ballet Extensions (which is a separate entity from RBT), if your concern was that high then you should have filed a complaint with the owner of the building as Ballet Extension rents the space and is at the mercy of the landlord. To blame RBT or Ballet Extensions is passive aggressive. If it was to that severity then conversations should have been held with the instructor in that particular studio, Ms Susan, and the building owner. Ms Susan is not going to purposely and maliciously expose her dancers to harm. It is your right to have this opinion, however, having been an adult dancer with RBT throughout the past 10 years, I cannot stand by allowing the negative blast when I have first hand experience within the organization. Especially when I know the area and studio options and you waited three years prior to making the change. If it was a severe situation as you described then common sense would have been to leave after the first year if not sooner. I do wish you and your daughter the best and I hope she continues to further her craft and love in dance. read more

RBT / Ballet Extension is one of the worst run organizations I've ever been a part of. My daughter has danced with them the past three years. She enjoys it, but we are now searching for another studio. Susan, the owner, lacks organization and she is cruel to her adult volunteers. The communication with parents is very poor. Performances and practices consistently start late. The studio was at one time using a heater that was making the dancers ill; the Fire Marshall had to be called in to correct it. Save yourself the headache - go somewhere else. read more