Ballet Academy Of Performing Arts

I have been taking my granddaughter for weekly dance lessons (primarily ballet) at Ballet Academy of Performing Arts for four years now. I love the school. They have a disciplined approach which is gently administered. The yearly recital is top-notch -- beautiful costumes, organized rehearsal, a very professional performance. I take great joy in knowing that my granddaughter will have happy memories of her BAPA years all of her life. It is not ""fun"" for her so much as a rewarding learning environment in which she can set and meet goals. (But it is also fun -- the classmates get to know and support each other.) more

My daughter was reading books about ballet and doing arabesques through the grocery store, so at the recommendation of a friend I started my daughter in Ballet 1 last year with Ms. Bethany. What a wonderful experience we have had! The instructor is always positive and professional, a great mix of fun and high expectations. I am amazed with all that the children are learning and my husband is thoroughly impressed when he comes on parent watch weeks. My daughter really enjoys class and has bloomed in her grace, confidence, and team work abilities. She even gets dressed a half hour before class so she can give her little 3 year old sister a lesson at home. The way she teaches her little sister is a good reflection of the patience and joy she is taught with at BAPA. Thank you so much for a wonderful year! We can't wait for the big recital :) more

My experience with BAPA was terrible. First, the main instructor, Lana, withheld me from going en pointe. I had been told by a different instructor that I was ready, so I went to ask her. She told me I wasn't ready, and when she finally allowed me to go en pointe, it was the same time as another girl from my class, three months later. When she fit me for my pointe shoes, she fit me IMPROPERLY. When I wen't to get my second pair at a different shop, I had brought the pointe's Lana had fitted for me and the person who was fitting me for my new pointe's told me that those could have caused me to break an ankle; they were way too big. Second, a month before a recital, one of the girls dropped out. We could have easily altered the dance, as our class was small. However, she replaced her with a girl from a girl from a higher class. The point of a recital is the show how each class has progressed. A week after she was replaced, she threatened to replace ME in the recital because I wanted to skip ONE class for an audition. The other instructors are nicer than her and more concerned for each individual. Lana, however, is, in my opinion, rude and cares more for obtaining more students and paychecks than the welfare for each student and bringing out the best in each dancer. She made dancing unenjoyable for me. If you are serious about dancing or about your kid's dancing ballet, go to any other ballet studio. more

I have been dancing at Bapa for 4 years going on 5, and I am proud to say that i dance here. The people and the environment or loving and caring and the teachers just want to see everyone succeed. The wide variety of classes and low cost make it easy for everyone, myself included to get a range of dance for a low cost. And, the performances are unmatched and ran without a hitch. This studio has classes for ages from 3 to adult. The atmosphere and the people are the greatest part of the studio and i personally can't go more then a couple of days without seeing my fellow dancers or my teachers. My respect for this academy grows every day. more

Preface: I am taking dictation from my wife, who experienced this miscarriage of customer service only hours ago. If I could give it zero stars I would. Our youngest (3 years old) has been taking lessons here for the past 6 months. Last Saturday she and and her classmates had their first recital, along with several other classes with children of varying ages. The performance itself was fine, however backstage it was very disorganized. There were long periods where 3-year old girls were left unsupervised (because the instructors also perform) and Ballet Academy hadn't bothered to request/demand enough parent volunteers. So while the older children were performing the 3, 4, and 5 year old kids were wandering around backstage unsupervised. To add insult to injury, the tickets for the recital cost $15 each, regardless of the age of the child. So we shelled out $75 to watch our daughter perform for 3 minutes. This is is in addition to the cost of the cheap costume ($70) and the $45/month for lessons. Don't forget the $10 charge if you're a day late on payment - NO EXCEPTIONS. I can't tell you how many times I heard other mothers in the lobby pleading with the front desk to grant them a reprieve. Here's a common scenario: Payment is due the 10th of the month. Say you were scheduled for lessons on the 7th and forgot to bring the check. By the 14th you're being fined $10. They don't accept auto payment nor do they provide any flexibility on these dates. It's a trap, pure and simple. All of this is leading to why I'm really posting. Today I was asked by another mom to hand out cookies - lovely pink frosted ballerina cookies - to the class for doing such a good job on their first recital. I showed Miss Lana (Owner & Queen B) and the other instructors the box the cookies with all the girls' names on them and sat waiting for the girls to finish. The girls got out of class and excitedly came over to me to fetch their cookies. And of course, because they're just 3, two of them accidently dropped them on the floor, leaving a few pink specks of frosting on the already filthy, industrial grade carpet. After I finished passing all cookies out to the girls, and their siblings, I went to offer a cookie to my three other children standing there. At once I was aggressively approached by Lana and ORDERED to CLEAN UP THAT MESS THIS INSTANT. She pointed to each of the spots and said to me ""YOU WILL CLEAN THAT UP, AND THEN THAT ONE."" No Please, no Thank You, no Let Me Get you a Napkin. Stunned by the way she was talking to me and wagging her finger, I got down and started trying to clean them up as best as I could. My nose was at her knees and she was hovering over me. Every other parent's jaw hit the floor as they witnessed this. Then, addressing me, she said ""THERE IS NO FOOD ALLOWED IN THIS BUILDING AND THOSE GIRLS DID NOT NEED THOSE COOKIES."" At this point I'd recovered. Rising to my feet, and speaking under my breath I told her pointedly that she was rude and had no cause to talk to me that way. Furthermore, I would never allow anyone to talk to my children that way, and that I would be taking my business elsewhere. Outside another mom came up to my car as I was putting the kids in. She'd tried defending me, telling her we were trying to do something nice for the girls. Lana was rude to her as well, so she won't be returning as well. As I replayed this incident in my mind I remembered the mortified look each of the instructors had when Lana started going off. I feel bad for those girls, because they really are quite talented and they're great with the kids. But I won't give my money to a business that treats people that way. more