Testimonials

Very professional and have great experience with all the instructors. It's a fun, no pressure environment. - Jayna ChaganSurvey 2015

The teachers made the program sprarkle. Their patience and creativity and organization stood out to me. - Lucy Strong Survey 2015

 The teachers are very friendly, go out of their way to connect and know the kids and to foster growth. -Summer Hutchins Survey 2015

Very kind and attentive staff. Most importantly, my children enjoy themselves which is evidence of the high quality of services because my children's standards are very strict. Ajene-Ayele Ferguson Survey 2015

Teacher Ariel was very engaging and completely sweet. I love the use of props that allow learning ballet technicalities in a fun, interactive way, instead of a one-two step type situation that can bore the girls and discourage wanting to pursue expression in dance. Also enjoyed the use of Frozen's songs, shows that your staff is up to date with the interests of modern day children, which is very important. Keeps the girls excited to learn and attentive! Completely in love with this studio thus far. - Adeline Dang Survey 2015

Classes are extremely well organized. Website is easy to use, navigate and has enough detailed information to select the right class for your child.
Staff is continually professional, friendly, helpful and always welcoming.
Ariel is a particularly skilled, kind hearted and energetic instructor. Her enthusiasm is contagious. Structured, organized, and skillfully works with each child at their own pace. Works directly, in a kind, patient and compassionate way with obedience issues, in a manner that is so helpful to all of us as parents. It is evident, she really enjoys working with children.
With heartfelt thanks, Kris, for all your hard work and dedication. What a wonderful place for our children...and us, too!
-Lease Wong  Sept. 2015

 

My child attends the gym and ballet class. Miss Sophia is a wonderful, engaging teacher who teaches the children dance fundamentals with an emphasis on FUN! She really does do the technical work with them to improve their positioning, posture and body movements with the right amount of letting them have freedom to keep them engaged. She also was great at kindly disciplining my son when he tried to push at the front of the line for an activity. I was so glad she did that to show that she is the leader of the classroom and that kids cannot "get away" with negative behaviors. Plus, the gymnasium section of the class is really cool! They do trapeze, silk swing, rock climbing, balance beam, tumbling, etc. It is not just running around on foam blocks like I imagined it would be :).

-Yelp review 2015

Our daughter took a one week dance camp with Katie last summer, and she had a blast!   I was really impressed with how many dances they learned, how detailed the choreography was, and how good all the kids were, amazing work for just one week!  Ballet,  jazz, tap,  they did everything.  Highly recommended.
– Jan 2015

The classes are great. The teacher Ariel is very sweet and patient- my daughter loves going to her class. I like that it does not have a vibe of DanceMoms or Toddlers in Tiaras. 🙂  The pricing is reasonable. The staff is very personable. I am excited that I found this place and look forward to continuing classes here.
- Jan 2014

When my son turned three he had an interest in taking a ballet class, so we shopped around and decided to try kids n dance based on their philosophy, approach, and reasonable rates. He tried the four week pass, and while he liked it at first decided he didn't want to take the class at that time. Thankfully, this studio offers a four week pass, and we were able to bow out of the remainder of the class without any hurt feelings. A little time went by, and my son decided he wanted to try a class again. We called Jared the front desk guru, and he walked me through classes, and teachers and helped me to find the perfect personality fit for my child. My son was totally ready this time around, he fell in love with his teacher and his class (teacher Christine who recently moved). We have since taken several classes, often more then one a semester, multiple teachers, and my youngest has also taken many of the parent and me classes over the course of two years, so I feel qualified to write a review of the studio as a whole. Here goes...

The Teachers are incredible dancers, who really care about the children and want the experience to be meaningful. They teach the children the basic skills in a fun, safe, developmentally appropriate way, and then continue to build on those skills at each child's independent pace. The owners really have spent a lot of time hiring the right people, each dance teacher has a unique style and way of reaching the children, and all seem to be especially passionate about a different form of dance in their own life's. Also, the teachers are very active in dance in their own life's away from the studio, these are not retired dancers teaching the children. My boys are very different from each other, and definitely require very different things from a teacher, and this studio has been able to meet both of their needs. A little about the teachers we've had:

Natalie: Both of my boys have taken multiple classes with Natalie. She is one of the sweetest, and most talented ladies you will ever meet. She has a calming effect on my  youngest (who is very much a rowdy boy). She is very observant, and notices where children are in each class, and what skills she should focus on to meet their individual needs and help further their personal achievements with dance. She approaches each class with the same level of excitement (large class verses small she is there to teach).

Ariel: Both of my boys have taken classes with Ariel. She is wonderful, silly, and oh so talented as well. She combines laughter with dance. Seriously, she enjoys the children as much as they enjoy her, they laugh and dance the class away. My youngest likes her a little bit to much, and has had to work on sharing her with the others. I have personally seen on a couple of occasions Ariel's ability to turn children's fear into their passions. She has also taken classes that were smaller, and kept them running until they filled up. (Which is super helpful when you have specific times you need for classes).

Marlena: This lady is a powerhouse. My oldest took a ballet/Musicals class with her, and the amount of things she taught the children, and fit into the class time was amazing- I'm still not really sure how she does it. At the recital a lot of us were amazed with how in depth the program was, and how she kept all of the children so focused. Marlena is a phenominal tap dancer, and we really want to take a tap class with her soon. She is always so sweet to the kids, and can be found arriving early for her classes, and playing with the children in the front, and showing tap moves.

Christine was wonderful too, but left to pursue her career. We miss her;)

There are still more teachers that we want to meet at the dance studio, and take classes with (I'm sure they are just as lovely as the teachers we've had).

Jared: While he doesn't teach dance is very involved in all things dance, and helps out with the theatre program, as this is where his training lies. We look forward to having children old enough to participate in the theatre. Jared is so thoughtful, loving, and professional my children are always so excited to see him, make him pictures, and pretty much stalk him. It is really nice to have a male presence at a dance studio, especially when you are raising dancing boys!

The owners: I've had a couple of conversations with them, and they are very kind people, who want their customers to be happy. The summer camps are happening at the same time as regular dance classes right now, and I've had the privilege of watching one of the owners work with the theatre children. She is obviously very passionate about theatre, and brings a lot of passion and energy to the program. It is a joy to watch.

I must add that we are a huge fan of the Circus Arts Class, and take it every semester in addition to other dance classes.
-Yelp review 2013

The teachers are incredible dancers, who really care about the children and want the experience to be meaningful. They teach the children the basic skills in a fun, safe, developmentally appropriate way, and then continue to build on those skills at each child's independent pace. The owners really have spent a lot of time hiring the right people, each dance teacher has a unique style and way of reaching the children, and all seem to be especially passionate about a different form of dance in their own life's. Also, the teachers are very active in dance in their own life's away from the studio, these are not retired dancers teaching the children. My boys are very different from each other, and definitely require very different things from a teacher, and this studio has been able to meet both of their needs.
– Oct 2013

During the last year my 8 year old daughter has taken 4 sessions of hip hop, 2 sessions of ballet, performed multiple routines in 2 recitals, performed in a production of Annie in summer camp and is currently taking hip hop and jazz all at Kids n' Dance.  During this time she has blossomed as a performer due in very large part to her beloved teacher Reagan.  My daughter was pretty self conscious a year ago but she really wanted to take hip hop.  We started taking classes in Oakland and she connected with Reagan who has been very patient and encouraged her to take more and different classes.  We now go to Lafayette twice a week to take classes with Reagan but will continue to do camps and other classes in Oakland. Reagan's passion for dance has totally inspired my daughter and she really looks forward to her classes every week.
– Oct 2011

Hey, what do I know about ballet studios?  I just know that my 5-year-old daughter really enjoys her class here.  Reagan, the instructor, has boundless energy and enthusiasm that makes all the difference between the girls hating and loving the class... and they LOVE it.  Amazing to see someone teach class after class and not run out of patience or energy for what she does.
-Yelp Review 2010

Another big plus is the genius idea of putting a video camera in the studio, hooked to a television monitor in the front room, separated by a large curtain so the kids don't feel like they're being watched by all the adults.  Stage fright gone, they can really let go!
-Yelp Review 2010

Kids N Dance is a very good, affordable option for parents wanting to provide their children with dance classes.  I'm curious to try other dance schools in order to compare, but my daughter likes it so much here, I'm reticent to change.  The classes are well structured, providing different activities timed appropriately for young attention spans.  In the tot class, the children stay in one room, befitting their comfort level to this new experience.  They start out on some gymnastics equipment, experiementing at their own pace; then, they move on to some warm up exercises that are fun and easy for them to do but that are also challenging enough, providing something for them to work up to.  Parent participation is not mandatory and eventually, when and if your child is ready to go on in the class without you, you can have a chance to view from the room above.  After some movement, there is a short story, told by the teacher, followed by the children acting out the story in costume.  This is where the children's imaginations are satisfied.  The children are only encouraged to do what they can and commended when they accomplish something and sometimes challenged to do more.  Thus far, the pre-ballet/gym class for older children is also structured perfectly for the age group, providing enough entertainment, imagination, movement, free expression, and music that a child within that age group is prepared for.  It's a smart set-up.  They provide tap classes, hip-hop etc for older children as well.  My daughter has only had one teacher there so far, and she is professional and kind. My daughter also adores her, which I was surprised by because I felt that the instructor was really quite professional, (almost to a fault when considering a youngster at the age of 3)  nothing like a warm fuzzy teacher that I would expect my daughter to attach to.  It's been a good experience.
-Yelp review 2009

With studios located in Oakland and Lafayette, Kid 'n dance is a must know place for East Bay parents who want to introduce dance and music to their young children. I have been very impressed with their classes, teachers, staff and the owner, Kris.  But more importantly, the kids seem to LOVE it there.
– Nov 2008