Dance Forever Studio

So glad I found this gem of a dance studio for my two daughters. Love the niche and the professional dance teachers. Highly recommended for children.

We LOVE Dance Forever! This studio is amazing, and we love Miss Cari! We did 1 class per week this school year and the class did 2 wonderful performances. I strongly recommend!

We love this studio! My daughter was in the pre-​ballet and now the Angelina Ballerina class… and she loves it! Great teachers, great classes and an awesome venue! We recently celebrated my daughter’s birthday at the studio too and can’t say enough great things about how it went. Super easy because Miss Cari took care of EVERYTHING!!! From the adorable set-​up, to the fun activities and dancing lesson… even the cute party favors which the girls made at the party! All I had to do was bring cupcakes, a few light snacks and my birthday girl! The easiest party I have ever hosted! While the girls had fun with Miss Cari, us parents had a great time mingling in the comfy waiting area. We were able to relax and catch up. And take pictures of our little ballerinas having a blast! The girls performed a mini-​recital for us at the end which was priceless. My daughter was in heaven and had a fabulous time with all her friends. All in all, the perfect birthday party! Highly highly recommend :)

Love this place! The owner Miss Cari is great with kids and all of the Dance Forever Staff is very nice. My daughter was in the pre-​ballet class and then the ballet class and really looks forward to going every week. She also participated in her very first summer camp this past summer at Dance Forever and she had a lot of fun. Also– the recitals are really cute! The staff does a great job of making the recitals every little girls dream. They order the cute costumes and take pictures and really make it a special event for the kids.

My daughter has attended Dance Forever for four years, and I have no idea what the people who are giving this studio a negative review are thinking, but we love it!
The instructors, including the owner, are caring, nurturing professionals. Their recitals are great and get better every year, and my daughter and I always have a great experience when we come to class.
Also, my daughter had a birthday party at the studio, and it was a lovely, fun, memorable experience.
Finally, the studio’s competition squad is an amazing group of dancers who win awards everywhere they go.
Some of the negative reviews are clearly from people who have not been at the studio since the remodel last year based on their comments regarding the layout of the space.

I started looking for a dance studio for my daughter when she was 3 years old. At that time I was looking for a fun, caring, affordable and safe environment for my daughter that would nurture her interest in dance. I found exactly what I was looking for at Dance Forever.
My daughter has now been dancing at Dance Forever for 9 years. She has grown so much as a dancer with the instruction of the owner Cari and the many wonderful teachers she has had over the years. Cari has been able to not only develop my daughter’s talent but to keep her EXCITED about dance for the last 9 years. My daughter has been encouraged and challenged in her dance classes, she has learned skills that serve her not only on the dance floor but in life. My daughter is now on the Dance Forever Competition Dance Team. She says it’s exciting, hard work and FUN!
It’s been amazing to me that for most of her life now my daughter has danced at this studio and still looks forward to everyday that she goes to dance class. I give all the credit to Cari and her staff; Sabrina, Kate and Courtney to name a few, who have nurtured this love for dance in my daughter and inspired her to want to dance forever.
As a parent I get some perks for her dancing at this location. It’s right by the beach, I can drop her off and take a walk. I can run a few errands, as the Riviera Village has a little bit of everything or I can sit in the studio which has WiFi and take care of things on my laptop. It’s a really great location to pass the time. Like my daughter I have made some terrific friends at the studio. We have watched our daughters grow up dancing here as many of the girls dance here for years.

My daughter has taken classes at Dance Forever and has been to summer camp sessions. I would say that, all in all, the experience was average. For the most part, the teachers are kind and attentive to the students. I enjoyed the mini-​recitals at the end of each summer camp week. As for regular classes, those assigned to the ‘open’ dance room have a disadvantage in that there are parents and siblings sitting and standing around and this can be disruptive. The biggest problem I see with this place is the owner, Cari. I really don’t think she has any idea how rude and condescending she comes off. I have not personally been on her radar, but I have overseen/​overheard her communicating with customers/​parents/​her staff on many occasions and she is very harsh. She gets particularly stressed, irritable, cranky and flat out mean when it gets close to recital times. She is rather pushy and it raises everyone’s stress level. The practice schedule the week leading up to each recital (at the studio) is brutal and chaotic, as is the rehearsal at the venue early on the day of the actual recital (young kids are made to wait around far too long that day). Many other parents have told me that Cari becomes a demon behind the scenes (prep’ing on recital day, although I admit have not seen her in that particular setting myself). I know several moms who stopped sending their daughters to Dance Forever because of Cari. I know one very good-​intentioned mom in particular who spent a LOT of time crafting a very kindly-​worded email suggesting realistic improvements that might make the entire recital process better for not only students and parents, but for Cari as well, and Cari did not even bother to respond. I read some of Cari’s responses to critical reviews here on Unilocal and I think she could do a better job there as well.

My daughter attended this school for several years — I believe it was 7. Starting at age 4, she took ballet, jazz, hip hop, and tap (although not all at the same time, LOL). She’s also attended Summer dance camp several years, along with her little brother who absollutely loves it.
The place is amazing, owner is wonderful, classes are extremely educational, and prices are reasonable. The only reason my daughter is not going to Dance Forever anymore is she is now pursuing singing and piano, which takes up too much of her current extracurricular time. If she ever decides to go back to the dance floor, you can bet this is the studio she will be attending! It’s the BEST!

My daughter has been attending classes here for over 3 years. After taking classes at several studios in the South Bay, we are happy to call Dance Forever her home. I think my daughter would rather spend every spare moment of her time with the amazing teachers at Dance Forever than at home. Miss Cari has an amazing and talented staff. Each one truly loves doing what they are doing and it shows in their passion for the students. Miss Cari and Miss Kate and Miss Sabrina have each contributed to my daughter’s growth as a dancer. They push her to work harder and give her encouragement and support and make each day fun and challenging. I couldn’t ask for anything more.
My mom also takes the adult classes at Dance Forever and loves every minute of her classes. Apparently I’m the uncoordinated one that doesn’t take classes :-)
Not only does Dance Forever have great classes, put on a great dance recital, but they also host amazing birthday parties. If your child likes to dance and perform, it’s a perfect place for a party.

We have had the most wonderful experience with Dance Forever. Our daughter has been taking classes at this studio since she was 9. She is now 15. It’s wonderful how Miss Cari keeps the kids motivated, and inspired to love dance. Our daughter has enjoyed all of the teachers she has had. I only wish we had found the studio earlier.
I hope for the continued success of the studio. I know it has been very helpful with our daughter’s growth as a dancer. Cari has been very kind and supportive.

I love this dance studio! Miss Cari is friendly, accommodating, and really seems to love what she does. Miss Kate is very sweet as well, and has the patience of a Saint! The prices here are reasonable in comparison to other dance studios in Redondo and the hours offered for classes are exactly what I was looking for. The only reason I didn’t give 5 stars is because my daughter has dance class in the room that is not enclosed and although Miss Cari has made an effort to keep noise out by putting up a small wall and quiet signs, the parents I find are not respectful of the dancers and make a LOT of noise and speak loudly. There are also a lot of siblings around all of the time making a lot of noise and it really distracts the kids from focusing on their dancing.

My daughter has been going here for almost a month now and she absolutely LOVES it! I transferred her to this school from another that I was unhappy with and I’m so glad I did… Miss Carrie and staff interact with the girls in a fun way they all enjoy. I LOVE the parent area and especially love that I can watch the whole class on the T. V in the parent area. great cozy atmosphere I highly recomend! ;)

I had my daughter’s 4^th Birthday party here and I have to say it was fantastic! I couldn’t have asked for a better, smoother event. The kids had a great time and so did the parents because the kids were kept occupied the entire time with activities. The parents were able to socialize stress-​free in the quaint sitting area. The studio is very clean and the instructors are positive and a lot of fun for the kids. They choregraphed a routine to a song that we chose. They had costume items to enhance each child’s look and it was great to see the final performance at the end of the party.
A prior reviewer mentioned the list of rules. These are intended for the dance classes at the studio. I think it is great that children have to learn and follow rules. It is really hard to take a group of kids and have them focus and stay disciplined enough to learn dances and then give an organized performance at a recital. Try managing a class where some of the kids cut up and don’t follow the rules. My guess is that her child was a discipline problem and she felt defensive that her child had to be honed in.
I also attended an adult birthday party at the studio with an ’80’s theme. It was a blast. We dressed up in ’80’s attire and learned a routine to Madonna’s «Material Girl». We were all laughing at each other the entire time! I recommend Dance Forever for any age. They can cater to any theme you want.

We attended a birthday party here not too long ago and weren’t impressed.
First off, there were too many RULES. I understand why they feel they must have these rules, but I generally try to keep myself and my young child away from places that have this many rules displayed because it sucks the fun out of the experience.
There is even a big board that they are posted on: «DON’T this, DON’T that» — and then at the end is the kicker «Don’t forget to smile.»
For example, the instructor doing the party repeatedly told kids that they couldn’t eat here or there, but was never really clear on where they could eat.
The party itself was pretty sweet — costumes, face-​painting, dancing, that sort of thing.
Another thing — apparently they turn the a/​c off on the weekend, and it got progressively hotter with all the activity and body heat, until it was about 90 degrees — all of the frosting was melted by the time they served the cupcakes! It was hot, sweaty, stuffy and really uncomfortable.
For a place with so many RULES, you would think they would be more concerned about the liability issues here with overheating and whatnot.
I gave it 2 stars because it is a no-​stress party for the parents and the idea on the whole was a cute one for a little girl’s party. The overall experience for us wasn’t that great.
Edited ⁹⁄₂₀₁₃:
The A/​C issue has apparently been remedied.