DC Dance Center is truly a gem in the community. The owner beautiful owner Ms.Tiana is always…read moresmiling--you can feel how much she genuinely loves dance, the kids, and the families she serves. The teachers and staff are all so kind and welcoming, and my kids love it. What I appreciate most is that it's a safe, supportive space where kids can really be themselves. It's not just about dance, it's about confidence, expression, and learning to feel good in their bodies. I take my two boys (3 and 5), and I love that this is a space where dance is for everyone. Watching them be silly, expressive, and make friends has been so sweet. You can tell this place is rooted in real community care. I highly recommend it.

Such a great experience for my daughter and watching her grow with DC dance family amazing…read more Thank you Ms Tiana for all you do We appreciate your efforts making them to become a great dancers

I have two daughters who have many treasured memories from taking gymnastics, aerial arts, dance,…read moreand musical theater at Kids N Dance since they were little. They both developed innumerable skills and grew emotionally in countless ways under the supportive guidance and encouragement from all of the staff there, and especially from the owners. One of my daughters joined the Cirque Masquerade troupe (Expression Arts) in 2023, when she was 16. As in previous years, she has only positive things to say about Esme, Kris, and Marielle during her time in Cirque Masquerade. Like everywhere else in life, we have found at Kids N Dance that while things may not always be perfect, the staff there are all highly skilled at what they do, are compassionate and sincere, and very open to communication. As in other situations in life, rather than avoiding communication, it is always better to reach out with an open mind towards understanding the other's perspective instead of lashing out with negative reviews. Esme is brilliant, caring, and highly skilled, and like all of us, also human and not yet perfect. In our experience, it should be and is possible for mature adults to hold concerns about a perceived problem, and at the same time still recognize and show appreciation for the incredibly hard work that Esme, Kris, and Marielle have all done in order for our kids to be able to put on these magnificent shows. And let us remind ourselves that in situations where we demand curiosity from others, we should hold ourselves to the same standard and demonstrate the same curiosity towards them.

It is unfortunate that I must write this review, but we do so for the benefit of future families…read morethat may be considering Kids n Dance or Expression Arts as an outlet for their children. A little about our experience. Our daughter has taken many classes at Kids n Dance (owned and managed by the same persons who own and manage Expression Arts). As she grew older and developed a passion and skill for circus, she joined Expression Arts and was part of their circus troupe for 3 seasons. For a time, circus was a haven for our child. She built a community with the peer troupers and truly enjoyed the challenge and art of circus. Over the past two seasons, we have increasingly heard of concerns by our daughter about the environment at Expression Arts. While we were receptive to her concerns, we initially tried to ask our daughter to trust the program, embrace the challenges as opportunities to learn, and to believe in the positive intent of Esme, Kris, and Marielle. But over the past season the concerns and experiences have escalated. Numerous troupe members have come forward to raise awareness of troubling experiences endured over the course of years. Some of the concerns raised by troupe members and our daughter directly: Unsafe Physical Environment-Troupe members raised concerns of inadequate warm-up, inadequate breaks, extended time upside-down, and a persistent culture of pushing through pain and injury. During the lead up to performances, the children are often at practice for 6+ hours. Practice increases in frequency until the final few weeks preceding shows, where practice is nearly every day. During the two weeks of performances, troupers were initially asked to do 1 show on Friday, 2 shows on Saturday, and 3 shows on Sunday. Each show is ~2.25 hours. It was only after there were serious concerns raised in a parent conference with Kris and Marielle, that the 3rd performance on Sunday was cancelled. The standards, rigorous schedule, and high-risk performance are a dangerous recipe for the safety of the troupe members. Emotional Manipulation and Inappropriate Behavior- Esme often drifts between friend and coach with the troupe members. This relationship is confusing for the troupe members, with Esme using this bond to instill her values on the children and also playing favorites. Multiple troupe members have noted that Esme can be erratic in her behavior, switching between positive behavior and disparaging and belittling language. In one incident, Esme told our daughter that she must have "ADD" after our daughter offered to help with transitions. In another incident, Esme commented on the body figure of a trouper. And in another incident, she told a group of troupe members that their act was "stupid". In isolation these incidents may be explainable (and Kris and Marielle have attempted to rationalize all of the incidents), but what can't be explained or rationalized is how widespread and consistent the experiences are amongst the troupe members. After a senior troupe member sent a note to the troupe parents about her own traumatic experiences with Expression Arts, numerous troupe members came forward and shared consistent and repeated experiences. What is most concerning about our experience with Expression Arts is not the negligence of Esme, Kris, and Marielle, it is the complete lack of accountability and curiosity to do something about the numerous concerns raised by the troupe members and families. It is our belief that Esme, Kris, and Marielle have the best of intent. We believe they want to provide a safe place for children and to cultivate a thriving community built around circus. We also believe they are wholly incompetent and untrained in how to create this place. The incompetence can be addressed, there are programs like SafeSport which, coupled with Esme's passion for the art, could transform the space. But Esme, Kris, and Marielle first need to face the root of the issue and take the concerns seriously. After the senior troupe member raised concerns about her own experiences, she was abruptly removed from the troupe and essentially called a liar. The parents of the troupe then demanded a conference with Esme, Kris, and Marielle. Esme did not attend, but Kris and Marielle spent the bulk of 90 minutes deflecting and taking no ownership or corrective measures. Despite her initial love and passion for circus arts, our daughter has decided to close this chapter of her life and move on. Despite everything we note above, our sincerest hope is that Expression Arts and Kids n Dance thrives and can be a safe place for our youth to grow and express themselves. For this to happen, two things are needed: 1) Esme, Kris, and Marielle need to be curious, vulnerable, and accountable for the harm they are causing to the children. No more deflection. 2) Esme, Kris, and Marielle need to pursue the ongoing training to equip themselves to appropriately and safely engage with children and young adults.

The Rights of Passage Program has been around for many years (DDT is at least 50 years old) and is…read morerun like a well-oiled machine. They employ amazing, seasoned, talented teachers who train youth in the foundations of dance while remaining rooted in African American culture and tradition. Participants have the opportunity to learn ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, Haitian and West African--where they have the privilege of dancing to professional, live drummers. It's a supportive, inclusive environment where they not only learn dance, but the history, stories and cultural significance behind it.

I attended a classs hosted by Dimensioms Dance Theater at the Malonga center on Saturday and it was…read moreso awesome.. The teacher was so beautiful and gracious and really took her time making sure people understood the steps. The live drumming was absolutely amazing! The whole class was great, there was so many different people and skill levels in the class but it seemed like everybody was welcoming and just having a really good time ... I am so glad I found it can't wait to go back!

What an amazing dance company! My kids joined 4 years ago…read moreand they love the community they have built with this troupe.

My 4 year old daughter recently enrolled at Ballet Folklorico Costa de Oro and is very happy and…read moreexcited to be there. My daughter had zero experience in this type of dance, she had done a little ballet in the past. In just one month after her first class, I can see great improvement and coordination in her steps. It brings me great joy and pride to see her dance. Steven is a great teacher with a lot of experience and patience. My daughter gets easily distracted, but he has a nice way with kids to reel them back and help them focus. Being part of a folklorico dance class not only builds self confidence, creates bonds with other peers, but also lets students connect to the beautiful heritage of Mexico Folkloric dances. I highly recommend this dance studio for all ages!

Great to have Practiced with Kumu Mark and his son. A most wonderful safe place to have excercised…read moreand be around a good community of people just like me.

I have no idea why I received this opportunity to do a review, except perhaps it was because I went…read moreto YouTube recently to see if Merrie Monarch 2022 happened and I found myself watching approximately 2 hrs of performances by AHA. This was actually the 2nd time I binge watched several AHA Merrie Monarch performances from back in the pre-pandemic days. Each and every student under the tutelage of Kumu Hula Mark Kealii Hoomalu has received an unforgettable gift because they have been educated by the VERY best! After watching several videos and personal interviews, I can clearly see that Kumu Mark is constantly driven to pursue excellence. His vision, passion, dedication and creativity has allowed AHA to flourish for all these many years and I wish continued success to him and all of the AHA family.

The theater was an excellent place to watch a show, and I found it highly enjoyable. I went to see…read morePrescott Circus . They did an outstanding Performance.!

Great building, they do a lot for the community. My one complaint is that they don't turn off…read moretheir 4th floor bathroom lights (or close the blinds). As a next door neighbor, this is a bit annoying. And not energy efficient.

We've been to three different dance studios. When she was little we were with a studio that ended…read moreup closing. So we moved to bedazzled dancers. All the teachers were great there, but I always felt that my daughter was not getting enough corrections. We ended up switching to Castro Valley performing arts and we've only been there for a month and I already see a huge difference in her dancing. They give really good corrections. Stay on top of the kids. Stern but friendly. My daughter is not doing competitions and at the other school if you were not doing the competitions, you just learned dances and that was it. But here they're giving everybody corrections and everybody looks so in unison. I absolutely love it and she does too. And she tells me she can see the difference as well.

This studio has been life changing for my daughter. I cannot recommend CVPA highly enough. My…read moredaughter Madeline attended a different local studio from the age of 2-10. My biggest regret is not moving her to CVPA sooner. As she got older, there were very few corrections being given by teachers there and she was not being challenged. They were very focused on competition rehearsals and did not offer enough technique classes to help her grow as a dancer. CVPA is the exact opposite of her old studio. They are technique focused and raise well rounded dancers competent in all styles of dances. They offer a great competition program, but make sure their dancers have access to lots of technique classes to not just memorize choreography but improve all their skills simultaneously. We changed studios during the beginning of the pandemic when classes were on Zoom. She did a week of free trial classes before we signed up. During the week trial my daughter received more corrections by teachers on Zoom than she received in person in a year at her old studio. I also had more contact with the CVPA owner in the first week than I did in 8 years of dance at the old studio. My daughter had literally made up her mind after the first class that CVPA was the studio for her. The teachers here put their heart and soul into every class and care deeply about all of the dancers. The difference in my daughter's dancing is like night and day. The caring dance family that has been created here is like no other. If you are looking for a well rounded, technique- focused studio with amazing teachers to take your child to the next level, look no further than CVPA.

Our 10yo daughter has been playing violin in YPCO since we moved to the area 3 years ago. The…read morerepertoire has been challenging, sometimes extremely so, but the environment is supportive and non-pressured. As a result, her playing has been transformed and continues to improve as she advances through the program. YPCO is a treasured piece of our lives!

Wonderfully led group, from the music director (Rem) to parent volunteers. Very nurturing…read moreenvironment, evidenced by the confidence and participation from the students during rehearsals. This is a strong program, which I view positively - musically, it will bridge any gaps if either: your child does not have a school orchestra during the year or if your child wants to pursue some music education during the summer months. My child is in the summer orchestra, which will help provide continuity for her during the break. She should be able to ease back into her school's orchestra during the regular year.