Good Dance Studios in Cary Area? (Raleigh, Durham: chapel, theater, schools)

[clumsygirl]

Anyone know of a good dance studio for children in the Cary area? I came up with Cary Dance Productions and Theatrical Dance Arts Academy in an online search but was hoping to hear from some parents for a personal recommendation. THANKS!

[MrsBTA]

Sorry, not a parent, but I am a dancer! What kind of school are you looking for? A formal ballet school with a strong emphasis on a pre-professional program? A stronger emphasis on theater dance? A more laid back place with recitals and maybe a competition group? Something in between?

[sandycat]

I am sending my little one to a dance school in Durham. All the teachers are professional dancers and I've been very impressed with them so far. It's called Barriskill Dance Theatre School.

[linkbr]

Cary Ballet Conservatory--3791 Cary Pkwy

[clumsygirl]

MrsBTA - I am looking for a studio for children that has recitals and a semi-disciplined approach to dance. We have been to studios before where the teachers are very young and it's all about the recital - costumes are super expensive and all year, all they focus on is the recital. I'm looking for something like the studio we go to now in Florida - there is a recital at the end of the year, but it's not the main focus all year for the children. They have well-educated teachers who are focusing on teaching the basics of dance, the discipline of dance, and learning to be a good student (my girls are 5 and 3 so they are very young). The studio also offers voice lessons, music lessons, and theater dance as well. Any suggestions? Thanks for all your help!

[colby1911]

clumsygirl, I am looking for the same thing. My girls are 6 and 4 and have danced for 2 years. I am looking for a dance school where the teachers have a good dance background, teach the children the skills they need WHILE HAVING FUN and not focusing only on the recital. We have found the greatest teachers here that balance fun with discipline and that is what we are looking for in cary. I'd love to hear if anyone has any suggestions.

[xiaoyue]

Originally Posted by clumsygirl

MrsBTA - I am looking for a studio for children that has recitals and a semi-disciplined approach to dance. We have been to studios before where the teachers are very young and it's all about the recital - costumes are super expensive and all year, all they focus on is the recital. I'm looking for something like the studio we go to now in Florida - there is a recital at the end of the year, but it's not the main focus all year for the children. They have well-educated teachers who are focusing on teaching the basics of dance, the discipline of dance, and learning to be a good student (my girls are 5 and 3 so they are very young). The studio also offers voice lessons, music lessons, and theater dance as well. Any suggestions? Thanks for all your help!

It meets most of your requirements. Teachers are very nice and professional. However, there are no voice, music lessons offered in the studio.

Cary Ballet Conservatory

[MrsBTA]

clumsygirl and colby1911 -
As a previous posters mentioned, there is Cary Ballet Conservatory which has a very formal, pre-professional program. The overall atmosphere may be more formal than you're looking for, but the classes are still "fun" and laid back while the kids are young. They do have "Broadway Babies" classes for ages 3.5 - 6. From their website: "Children experience an inspiring introduction to tap, jazz, and musical theater through animated song and dance activities in our carefully designed curriculum."
Students under 6 get to participate in a very informal in-house "Little Recital" - no expensive costumes! After 6, they get to perform in the annual end of year performance.
I attended a school similar to this (not in the Triangle). For the little kids, it's just the atmosphere you're looking for. Great teachers, no pressure, lots of fun. But as they get older, there's more of an emphasis on the formal program (which is great IF that's what they want). If your kids stick with it and decide they want to become serious about it, this would be a great place to do it.

Depending on where in Cary you are, a great option would be Ballet School of Chapel Hill I'm in NW Cary, and it's about 20 minutes away. If you're in south or east Cary, this might be more of a trek than you're willing to make. They have a recital, but it's not one of those schools where that's the only thing they work on all year (and I know exactly what you mean by those schools!). They have great teachers, and they do have an option for a more formal ballet program with the older students, but it's not as formal as Cary Ballet Conservatory. They also have an AMAZING tap teacher there.

Triangle Academy of Dance - Triangle Academy of Dance - could be one other to look at. I don't know much about it, I just looked at the website briefly when I moved here and started looking at schools.

Wherever you go, I'd recommend asking to observe part of a class, even if it's just from a window for a few minutes. See how the teachers interact with the kids, and if the kids are happy when they get out of class. I don't know of any with voice/music - but that doesn't mean they aren't out there.

Let me know if you have any other questions - if these aren't quite what you're looking for, I can ask around to see what other schools people recommend.

[clumsygirl]

Thank you for all your input! I will have some great studios to look at next week when we're in town visiting. This board is so helpful, and I really appreciate everyone's time. =)

[mel847]

CC & Co Dance Complex is in Raleigh and they are amazing!