Dance World Academy — Local services in Clifton

I’ve taken some time to write this review because I wanted to make sure I wasn’t reacting out of frustration. Unfortunately, after reflecting on our experience, I still feel compelled to share my concerns.

I registered my 4-year-old daughter for classes, and when signing up, I clearly mentioned that she is very active and a bit hyper. Ms. Debbie reassured me that this was completely normal and nothing to worry about. However, things quickly took a turn for the worse. In the second week of class, I asked how my daughter did, and in front of her, Ms. Debbie responded, “horrible,” stating that my daughter “destroyed her mat” and “would not listen.” I was shocked and upset by how harsh and unprofessional her comments were, especially considering my daughter is 4 years old.

It’s also worth mentioning that Ms. Debbie’s communication with parents is incredibly rude and almost intimidating. Asking questions at the front desk feels like a chore, and it honestly feels like you’re paying for the privilege of being mistreated.

But the final straw came when, during class, the music was played at such a high volume that the speakers emitted a loud “POP” noise, which scared my daughter. This happened three times, and each time, she became more distressed. The second-to-last week, she kept saying, “I’m scared, I’m scared,” and Ms. Debbie escorted her out of class, which we didn’t mind, but it was clear my daughter was upset.

The next week, I arrived 10 minutes early to speak with Ms. Debbie and see if there was anything we could do to help ease my daughter’s transition. Ms. Debbie’s response was dismissive and rude. When I approached her, she said, “I’m not the person you need to speak to,” and referred me to her assistant. When I asked if she could help, she simply said, “She just freaked out, let’s see what we can do,” in a completely nonchalant manner. There was no empathy or effort to address my daughter’s fear. The issue was something as simple as playing the music at a lower volume before class to prevent it from startling the children, but Ms. Debbie didn’t seem interested in helping.

After deciding not to continue with the classes,I informed the assistant and she replied with "Doing it now "as if it was too late.

I later received a call 24 hours after I’d informed them that I wouldn’t be returning, with Ms. Debbie saying she had “thought about it” and might have an idea. But by then, our decision was made. If your child has any sort of sensory issues, hyperactivity, or is shy and needs time to adjust, I highly recommend you look elsewhere. This place is not the right fit.

Overall, this experience has been disappointing and frustrating, and I would not recommend...

I’ve taken some time to write this review because I wanted to make sure I wasn’t reacting out of frustration. Unfortunately, after reflecting on our experience, I still feel compelled to share my concerns.

My daughter is 15 and has been in dance for about 10 years strong and about 5-6 years with Dance World Academy. Her last dance school sadly had closed down. This year happened to be her last year due to her growth and other interests. The ONLY reason I wanted to write this review because to avoid this from happening to your child. My daughter suffers from depression & anxiety and this year has been very tough on her at school so dance, in our mind would help her not think of anything that may trigger her NEVER would we have thought that a teacher would be the trigger so much she never wants to dance again. Ms. Debbie on the 3rd day (Early Oct) she went to dance told my daughter she was not going to last there and since then it immediately has changed her mind to dance. We even had to drop a class. What an adult or public figure says to a child can affect them. :( I’ve been pushing her and cheering her on the whole year to atleast finish the year as a memory she will have forever so she stuck it out and at times she enjoyed it I have to be honest which made my family so happy to see. 😊 At the recital this past Saturday, when my daughter was done on stage my family (Grandma, Aunt and her dad) went to the outside doors to greet her only to see her in complete uncontrollable TEARS! She said she was standing with the girls and that Ms. Debbie gave her a mean look and told her “Unbelievable and to get out!” wherever she was. WHY?? My mom and her dad consoled her and wanted to speak to Ms. Debbie but she was in front of the stage and I knew she was busy so we left. We pay for our children to learn and to enjoy themselves. Not to be bullied and mistreated if anything let us parents deal with them. I WILL NEVER RECOMMEND DANCE WORLD ACADEMY and it hurts me to say that but my daughter matters and I will not subject her to that treatment from this dance school again. Lastly, when I emailed Ms. Donna to tell her what happened she replied basically defending the situation not knowing why was my daughter even hurt or crying which hurt me personally, even more. Good luck. Sorry for my...

• I gave more than 1 star for Ms. Debbie because she was kind.

When I first received a call back regarding information on enrollment it was from Ms Debbie, she was super sweet and I looked forward to this studio greatly. Sadly the staff at this studio are extremely rude. I don’t understand how you could work with children and be so miserable / blatantly rude. Especially the woman with curly hair. She ignores parents, makes faces at them, I’ve heard her make snarky remarks about kids when their parents leave etc.. and she is trusted to take the kids to the bathroom. Me personally I would not trust her at all or leave during the hour. I also don’t like the fact that you cannot watch your children what so ever, you have no idea really how they are doing in the class. Even when they’re setting up, the front desk lady quickly shuts the door in their face. I have seen a 3 year old girl talking to her mom by the door before class started and she shut the door in her face and said “this is exactly why the door stays shut”. As for Ms Debbie, she sounds nice with the children (you can hear mostly everything) but I’ve asked how my daughter was doing and I only received short negative feedback. “She only did 2 dances today”. I asked my daughter why that was and she said because the dances were too fast for her. Another time I went in the room to get my daughter ready to leave and immediately noticed she had a very swollen lip with dried up blood on her mouth. I asked the teachers what happened and they had no idea. That was the last time i took my daughter there. Now my daughter attends MVMT, it really is amazing, has cameras and windows in the door.. and my daughter does so well there that I question the feedback I was given at this studio. I was sad at first we couldn’t stick to this place because my daughter really loves dancing and I hated to switch her after her getting used to the school, but the cons most definitely outweigh the pros And I am thankful we found a much better studio.

*Update and response. Yes I was there in the fall to be taken into the room and see what the children were learning. Sadly it was the teacher dancing, all the children sitting, and her asking us parents to do the dance moves. Still does not give you an idea of how your child...