Ashburn Academy of Dance — Local services in Ashburn

We have been dancing here since pre-Covid years. There was always a stressful and negative feeling when we entered the door that we couldn’t understand. The front desk people don’t greet you and don’t say goodbye either, especially the director: Jessica, like you don’t exist. When you ask them something they make you feel small and unappreciated, like you’re not enough. Although you’re there to learn and dance to have fun, these are not important for this studio. It fails to make family, to make dancers feel good about themselves and happy to dance. This AAD dance school tries to present itself as a serious and prosperous, professional studio. Unfortunately it’s far from it. The dancers who go there almost every day don’t prosper and don’t get good placements at competitions. At least they matter somewhat for the management, because they are part of the studio’s dance companies and pay big bucks for it. Those who are recreational dancers don’t matter to the management and the front desk people; recreational dancers are treated as outsiders and they don’t learn much in the weekly classes. The recreational students were even left out of the recital program book, publishing only the “company “ kids with photos. The two owners are nice people and dancers (although some actual awards would have been great for graduates and 10, 15 years of dancing there) just made bad choices with employees. In ballet being in Ms Alexandra’s class is a torture of boredom and unprofessionalism; the classes and teaching are unorganized, childish in addition to lack of basic communication skills. Unfortunately she multiples the front desk people’s lack of communication skills, poor interpersonal skills, intentionally mean-spirited behavior when interacting with students or their parents. Overall the studio is sliding down after about 24 years...

Ashburn Academy of Dance is such a special place!! All three of our girls dance here and it is their happy place. We tried another studio when we first moved to the area about 6 years ago and were so disappointed, not only in the lack of quality but more so, in the lack of care for the younger girls.

While AAD is a dance studio first, what makes it truly unique is the community within it. The teachers are so committed to not only making young dancers but also connecting with the girls, no matter their age or skill-level. This is especially true with my oldest who before starting at AAD dealt with a lot of anxiety and confidence issues. Over the last few years I have watched her confidence soar and her love of dance and the people who instill that in her (the teachers, the TAs, the administration) are all to thank for that. It is such a positive and loving environment where the older girls and younger girls interact on a regular basis and greet each other with hugs upon seeing each other. The older girls are tremendous role models for the younger girls.

The administration - Jessica, Amanda and Keisha, know every child by name. They all are current or former educators and their love and respect for the kids is apparent. On top of creating a nurturing and loving environment for the kids, they also stay on top of everything from communications to fundraisers and organizing volunteers.

My husband and I are so grateful to the owners, Katie and Anne Marie for providing a such a special place for our girls. Having your kids find their passion and confidence is cool to witness, but watching the community within that place cheer them on every step of the way is that...

We started at AAD when my daughter was 4. After a lot of research and trials at other studios, we took a chance and registered for preschool ballet in 2018. We are part of the studio classes and my daughter is also a member of the Ballet Theater of Ashburn (2nd year) and the Edge Company (1st year). She is in her 6th year of dance and my son is in his 2nd year of hip hop. The directors, teachers and staff are top notch. Their classes are taught by experienced adult teachers and they have teenage TAs who are amazing. Not only do my children learn from amazing teachers, they have made lifelong friendships. As a parent, I also found a wonderful Dance Village. My village keeps an eye on my kids when I can’t, has an extra rubber band or snack and can carpool in a pinch. I trust the staff (especially Jessica and Amanda) will keep my children safe if I’m running late or if I have to drop off early. The lobby is lively with parents who have formed friendships (but you can still sit there and get work done if needed). You can watch the classes on the TVs and sometimes get invited in at the end of a class to watch. The dance studios and lobby are clean. They support the community and Darby’s Dancers. They put on beautiful performances of The Nutcracker each year and the June recitals show off all of their hard work from the year. Their calendar is set early so I can plan out the family schedule for the school year. They launched an app this year which helps me report absences and schedule makeups easily. My kids love taking class and we love watching them grow as dancers and...