Joffrey Ballet School — Local services in New York

I went to Joffrey as one more place to add to my resume before auditioning for jobs. It’s funny how after 20years of ballet being my absolute life, I can honestly say The Joffrey ballet school has turned me off ballet for the rest of my life. I had planned to stay at Joffrey for about two years however left towards the end of the first semester for numerous amounts of reasons... Probably the most important thing to point out first was the carbon monoxide leak in the arranged housing. If this wasn't bad enough, teachers had no empathy or understanding whatsover that me and other housemates had spent hours the night before class trying to move all our belongings across New York, they were too concerned as to our whereabouts and why we hadn't made it to class that morning. My teacher didn't give me the time of day to explain either. Here is a school that people rave about, yet due to the number of housing issues I dealt with during my time there I struggled to even get there which was where all my parents money was going to. It’s also important to mention that no one would come and fix the carbon monoxide leak due to the fact that Joffrey apparently owed so much money. Here is a school that my parents as well as many other parents took extreme lengths to get me there and why did I have to deal with this?? When you've spent a week in a house with a carbon monoxide leak and people are starting to feel sick how is anyone focused on ballet anymore? The whole purpose of being at this place and in this country? Let’s backtrack to my first day, first class, I won’t mention the teachers name, to save her reputation but let me tell you there was no warm welcome to the few new students in the class, she instead complained in front of us about how big the class had become. What a way to welcome new people who have travelled across the world and spent thousands of dollars to be there and she’s pointing out in front of us how annoyed she is at the fact there are new people taking up extra space they don't have in the small studio. My last class, I had another teacher yelling at me majority of the time as I didn't know the choreography to her dance which the rest of the year had all learnt the semester before. How even any professional dancer can go into a new class and be expected to suddenly know choreography off the tops of their head within the first minute of being there and not even being shown first is completely beyond me. Although I found many of the dancers at this school really lovely people I can’t leave out the fact that one of the main things that turned me away from this school was the absolute cattiness of a number of the students in my year. Obviously ballet is a competitive industry and you can’t expect to get by if you can’t deal with that, but here we have a somewhat professional school with the same group of dancers sitting out most days because they are too lazy to actually dance so they would sit at the front of the class day after day whispering and laughing at everyone who is actually trying to have a go. For weeks that I was there clearly being talked about in front of my face I began to think I had a lot to be intimated about, yet when I finally had the chance to watch some of these girls dance they were the most hopeless of them all, yet somehow they still have the hide to laugh and make fun of people who were actually a lot better than them. I didn't want to be at a place with this sort of environment, it was high school drama and it shouldn't have been going on in a professional full-time school. For years I would hear Joffrey Ballet School and think of its name in shining lights, yet you just don’t realise what its really like on the inside until you’ve experienced it for yourself. Although there were a few teachers at this school that actually encouraged me and I felt improvement in their classes, this place was a complete waste of money for my parents. If you have any desire to send your child to a good ballet school, this is not the place, it was highly unprofessional, disorganised and a...

(FOR ALL BLACK DANCERS/GIRLS) I did not have a good experience here. As a young african american girl I stand outside of the box. I do not naturally fit into the ballet world. For all black dancers out there you know and understand the struggle of people always assuming when you say, "I'm a dancer" that you are talking about hip-hop or some form of street dance. When you can look someone in their eyes and say "I do ballet" and their jaws drop it's a moment of breaking the stereotypes us black dancers are put in. It's a moment of pride unlike any other to be specific. I think where the ballet world goes wrong is that they do not understand the view points of black girls who do ballet. We don't do ballet because it only sounds good to be outside the "norm." We do ballet because just like any other girl who loves it we love the art of it, the history, the long lines of a ballerinas legs, the beautiful arch her toes make when she pointed them, the story she tells as she performs a variation from swan lake in her pointe shoes. That's why we love ballet. Misty Copeland, Shannon Harkins, Aesha Ash, Miranda DePrince, and more are all black ballet dancers who have paved the way for young girls like me. Without them there was no hope for a black ballerina that people would know about. Here is where my complaints with Joffrey come in. More often then not I am placed in the back of my class without explanation. If I stand in the front I'm asked to switch spots with one of my peers or asked to move in general. While I am given corrections here and there a majority of the time I'll go without any. Whenever it is time for either Nutcracker or Fantasia I am never given the chance to have a significant role. Once I was in a level before with girls that were a level below me and moved up. When showtime came they were given bigger parts and some even moved ahead of me. Everyday for class I would come in ready to work and be noticed and give my all, but instead those who missed 2-3 classes and forgot the exercise were complimented and corrected over me. It was strange because I felt this mostly during my weekday classes. As a black girl attending Joffrey they never gave me the opportunity my white peers were given. In class I was left to feel alone a lot and during performances I was left to play unrecognizable roles or roles that were second to my white peers main roles. Every time I would walk in and see other black girls in the children program I would smile to them, but also sympathize because I knew what it would be like as they progressed at joffrey. They'd be just another brown girl filling the quota for diversity to build a good reputation for a failing department. I'm sorry to say, but if you are a black girl with dreams of being a ballerina I don't suggest Joffrey. You are better off going to Ailey or ABT because at least you know you have a chance and you will be rewarded for your handwork. Also not to mention, but Joffrey's training has definitely not been the best lately. Out of the whole entire youth program there is only one teacher I could say 100% is a great teacher. This is not about messing with Joffrey's reputation, but it is about putting a problem out there and a call for help and trying to make a change by raising the awareness of unequal opportunity for black girls at joffrey...

I wrote a review before, then I deleted it hoping I will change my mind, but unfortunately it is even worse than before. My daughter got “into” the summer intensive for 2020, of course with corona there was only the virtual option in which I do not believe. I tried getting a refund to which I received rude replies. I did a charge back and it didn’t happen. I was made to pay another registration fee yet again with rude tones and replies in every email. I registered for 3 weeks specifically to be part of the performance. The clarity of which weeks are mandatory to participate in in order to participate in performance weren’t clear. I was under the impression my daughter will attend the village location so she can experience that neighbourhood, instead we were placed in busy midtown. The address of the location was wrong on the website. The items necessary for ALL classes were not clearly provided, links weren’t given so my child, who was only 8 and not experienced, came to her first week not fully prepared. Not one photo was sent, not one text was sent about how she is doing over 3 weeks. There was zero feedback about anything. Joffrey uses their name, which I have no idea how they have a positive one, to get people to spend $ in the summer. They provide zero attention to dancers who they know are temporarily there. Anyone who is not in the front does not receive attention. My daughter has witnessed bullying between students, received zero attention and only learned because she put in the effort. According to her, the teachers were decent but she never came home and raved about anyone or anything, unlike with all other places she has attended. Joffrey uses people for money, the entire contract for summer intensive was longer than a dictionary. Do not attend this school. I also wanted to add that 3 weeks passed and I asked my daughter do you like this other school or joffrey and she said she hated joffrey and wishes I never sent her there because the entire experience turned her off from ballet. No idea how an organisation can...