Dance Studio for 4 year Girl (Reston, Centreville: appointed, neighborhood, school)

[ewippi6]

Hello,

I am trying to figure out the best place for my 4 year old daughter to take dance classes. I don't want to have her in a class where they do dress up and read stories, I want her to have fun but learn to dance as she is very excited to get started. I have narrowed it down between two, Creative Dance Center and Centreville Dance Academy. I live in Fairfax near Clifton and Centreville and don't want to have to travel to far at this point for an hour class.

Please let me know your thoughts / experiences and if you have another studio you would like to recommend please tell me why you love it so much.

Thank you for your time.

[hilsmom]

I know a couple families at Centreville Dance Academy who are happy. I think that would be a good place if it makes sense for you.

[jmking]

Chris Collins Dance Studio
Eisenhower Ave. Alex., VA

[momtotwoboys]

My neighbors have been going to CDC for a few years and really love it.

[vlh71]

My daughter has taken dance at Creative Dance Center in Chantilly for 5 years. They are outstanding! The teachers, programs, classes, etc. are top notch. You will not be disappointed.

[ewippi6]

Hi,

Can I ask you then. A friend in our neighborhood mentioned something and I thought I could ask you since you've been going to CDC for some time. Do they focus mainly on the recital at the end of the year? I ask because she went to Apigo I believe or something like that and said paid all this money and they spent all the time working on the recital and her daughter was only in it for 90 seconds. I am definitely leaning that way, just not sure which class to start her in since they have so many options.

Thanks again for your help.

[hilsmom]

Originally Posted by ewippi6

Hi,

Can I ask you then. A friend in our neighborhood mentioned something and I thought I could ask you since you've been going to CDC for some time. Do they focus mainly on the recital at the end of the year? I ask because she went to Apigo I believe or something like that and said paid all this money and they spent all the time working on the recital and her daughter was only in it for 90 seconds. I am definitely leaning that way, just not sure which class to start her in since they have so many options.

Thanks again for your help.

the performance fees - what a rip off. I paid maybe $150 for my kid to be in the Nutcracker for about a minute at her dance school.

The recital was a little better, but still way too expensive for what you get, on top of the monthly class fees.

[cb at sea]

When I was small, I wanted to be a ballerina. I was too young (they said) for ballet and put me in tap classes....I hated them! Then, the recital....I got lost after we performed (in a big auditorium!) and that was quite traumatic for me! I didn't take another dance class until I was 34! Apparently no one thought to try it again, in ballet, when I was a bit older. Too bad.

There shouldn't be a "fee" to perform...the point of classes is to learn to dance....not to be in the recital!!! The performances will come in time!

[hilsmom]

we got railroaded into the recital - we were a couple weeks from leaving the school, and then someone "dropped out" of the recital and they offered my daughter the "opportunity" to be in it because they already had a costume for her. Apparently, by agreeing to the recital, that also negated our intent to leave the program. Our daughter's attitude about dance class has improved in the past couple months, so it hasn't been all bad.

We did dance class at the Herndon community center up until this past year, which was so much more reasonable. I would have kept her there if we hadn't moved to Chantilly area. Our first dance class was a DISASTER at Reston Conservatory. I didn't try to put her in another class until she just barged into one at the community center because she knew the instructor from gymnastics classes. She loved those classes and there were no performance fees on top of the class fee.

The kid did look damn cute in her costume, that's for sure - just wish the performance fees weren't so expensive.