We watched The Nutcracker performed by the California Ballet School at the Poway Center for the…read morePerforming Arts. This is the first ORIGINAL San Diego production Nutcracker by Maxine Mahon. I don't remember going to other productions where I laughed and felt warm with Christmas spirit. The show was nicely choreographed. The sled was beautifully made for the first show in the 60s and still in today's production. The costumes were so detailed and fabulous. The dancers were a fix from the school's students and professionals. Very nicely done with a short 2-3months of practice!!!

My child has been taking class on Saturday mornings with Ballet A since June…read more I have been fortunate to have had California Ballet School recommended to me by a few families who have been with them for years. My child enjoyed the trial classes which pushed me to sign her up for the rest of the quarter and another. The instructor at the time, who I believe was a sub, made it fun, engaging, and relatable to the kids, all while being able to teach ballet technique and etiquette. I just wanted to pose a concern that I have been observing for weeks before bringing this to light to the manager whom I don't know ever received my emailed concern as I received no reply or acknowledgement to say the least. The instructor of this particular class is a talented dancer and it is evident in the general material she teaches. She has the potential to be a very good instructor. However, I don't believe she is aware that her teaching approach and voice tone is at all appropriate for her class full of 4 year olds... You see, I teach 4 year olds too in my own respective field, and in a class of multiple 4 year olds, I understand where it can be challenging to teach. A variety of attention spans, personalities, and abilities fill this class... They wiggle. They talk. They get silly, and it sometimes gets in the way of what needs to be done within the short hour. I get it. This age is tough to teach. But in the same respect, they are still only 4 years old. And it's not enough to yell at them when they are talking to their peers during transitions. IE "There's no talking in ballet!!!" as they move from the bar to doing across the floors or "I shouldn't have to wait this long for you guys to be ready!!!" "QUIET VOICES!!!" when they aren't waiting in first position. Or when she is explaining a combo that needs correction, she says "Let's play number 1 or number 2", but what does that mean to a 4 year old? And how will this type of sarcasm truly help them improve on pointing their toes and keeping their legs straight? Especially when they aren't being taught the very basic foundations of ballet... like simple body and spatial awareness. They are only really starting to grasp what learning is, and when the material isn't engaging enough they'll lose interest and start doing everything else but what the teacher wants them to do... which starts to happen by the middle of class. While I understand the seriousness of dance etiquette and learning dance technique, as a former dancer myself, dance will continue and come natural with many of these kids, if it is made relatable and fun. Many of these families, like ours, are here because they want to learn! And there are more approaches to teaching this age other than what has been displayed by the instructor these past few weeks. My intent is not to shame or complain or anything but rather to shed light on what I've observed thus far. However the instructor is just too young and inexperienced in teaching young children and I hope this feedback finds her somehow to be able improve her techniques towards something more appropriate to 4 year olds.

My daughter LOVES her classes with Miss Caree! Caree is kind, patient and loving to all kids,…read moremaking sure they are all participating! I can barely wrangle my own child to do a specific activity sometimes and she managed to get 4 two year olds to hold onto eachother for a choo choo train making it seem effortless!! It's worth the money for the class for sure!

Mary is a great teacher. She knows dance, has a great personality and ability to teach. She's fun…read moreto work with and one learns quickly under her guidance.

Mary Manzella was a wonderful dance teacher for 1st time wedding dance for couples who have not…read moredone partner dancing before. I was referred by another friend who had their wedding a month ago. My wedding date was two weeks before the date. Mary was able to help us prepare us a first dance for us in two weeks. It was intensive training but my partner and I made it through. Mary did suggest that if you do a first wedding dance is to preplan at least 2 to 3 months ahead before the date of your wedding. Don't fret Mary was so patient with us. She is pretty good at getting back with the phone calls the same day if you are interested in hiring her as your dance teacher for your wedding. I would highly recommend her.

There are some great places to learn to ballroom dance, but Champion is probably your best bet, so…read moremany great teachers, classes, and awesome dance floor. Regardless of level, Mary Murphy and her team will take care of you (and don't forget their dance parties)!

This rating is unfortunately based on our experience trying to book classes. We weren't able to…read morecomplete an experience with the academy even though we have seen such great reviews. At least three months in advance, I reached out to Champion Ballroom Academy to book a couples dance lesson for my fiancé and I to practice our wedding dance. We were connected with one of the instructors via text. As we got closer to the date, we had a conflict come up and asked to reschedule. I reached out to the instructor multiple times but she didn't reply. I also called the academy directly and they said they have no way to contact the instructor to confirm availability. The time came and passed, and we had no contact at all. It's such a bummer because we heard great things. Hopefully this was a one-off experience and not becoming a regular thing.

I first met Robin via hip hop classes with all my law school friends at FIT. I was a ballet dancer…read morefor 15 years and she challenged me like no other! I decided that she would be perfect to help my now husband and I with our wedding dance. She met with us in the evenings. My husband has a demanding work schedule and she made it work for us! She was patient with us and during the 11th hour, my husband reveals he can't dance to me. So we last minute had to change and simplify the choreography which she was so flexible with us and made it happen! Wedding day came And everyone loved our dance. It is still to this day, the first and only one my husband has danced with me. So time with robin holds a special place in our hearts! She's wonderful! Talented! Throws together some crazy amazing steps and combinations! She is well worth it!

My daughter has been attending Miss Robin's dance class for 3 years. She loves the instruction,…read morerecitals and outfits. She has been in ballet, tap and hip hop with Miss Robin. I highly recommend her classes. Her dedication and love of dance is exceptional and she keeps the kids motivated!

A beautiful gem of North Park, Decir Tango has a spacious floor and has an amazing teacher. I love…read morethe way Patricia Becker is wonderful at engaging the class with her teaching style. It helps elevate everyone to have a good time while navigating the challenging pastime of learning to Tango. It's important for me that Tango is learned in a safe and nurturing place and that is exactly what I've found with Decir Tango. Good Class, Good People, Good Tango!

I hate to differ but I did not have a pleasant experience at Decir tango. As someone who tries to…read moredance with as many women as possible, I was confronted by Paricia publicly to cabaceo properly and not push the women to dance with me. But let's face it, women go the Practica to dance and not sit and get bored. She could have done that in private and it would have been much better received. I guess she prefers to have the women sit and wait rather than dance and enjoy. This is particularly true for beginners as she watches over them carefully and discourages anybody from dancing with them. I never force a woman to dance with me and if she says no, I accept it and move on. There are many women that are not familiar with cabaceo or cannot see potential partners when they signal them to dance and they are quite surprised when I mention mirada and cabaceo. Also, in a small and friendly Practica setting with 6-7 women, I find it unnecessary to cabaceo and insist on the full 9 yards. I also see people hogging a partner and not changing partners at the cortina and Patricia is OK with that, so I don't know what gives. She certainly seems to have one set of rules for her regulars and another one for any new dancers. Anyway, I was reluctant but ready to accept her criticism and move on, but then I found a dollar bill on my seat. I am not sure why that happened. It took me some time to understand why would anyone do such a thing. I guess she thought she can irritate me even more and get rid of me quickly. Well, she succeeded. I will never go back to her Practica again but I feel sorry for the many women that will sit there and wait for a dance while some dance only with their regulars. They just have to talk to Patricia and try to change her attitude. From experience, I think changing her attitude is very difficult but nothing is impossible. It is malicious acts like this that make some people quit tango altogether. I could have accepted it quietly and move on but I think such malicious acts should be reported to avoid future unpleasant experiences.

The class is a fantastic deal. The instructors are very personable with many years of experience…read more The students have fun and learn to dance at a very reasonable rate. I highly recommend KPDancehouse.

Madeleine is a fantastic zouk instructor. She teaches both followers and leaders and breaks down…read moremovement in terms of footwork, timing, weight transfer and more. Students progressively learn choreography over 6 weeks and practice what they learn after class at the practica. Madeleine is incredibly insightful and detail oriented when she offers feedback. Most importantly, she creates a fun and welcoming class environment for students of all levels to learn. I highly recommend giving her class a try!

Maddelleine is such a talented, warm, engaging and effective instructor. I have had the pleasure to…read moretake both group classes with her for Brazilian zouk for over a year now and also benefit from private instruction with her. She explains dance concepts clearly and breaks them down into smaller steps to follow. Her course material progresses over time. The other students in her classes and the zouk community is wonderful. She is warm and encouraging; however she will also point out where your execution is missing and give helpful corrections so that you can learn, grow and improve in dance as well. Highly recommend! I have had so much fun dancing with her for the past 1 year+