Shan-Yee Poon Ballet School

I’ve taken two of Nathan Cottam’s adult ballet classes and I really enjoy them. He is a meticulous instructor, but very personable, actually explains new vocabulary, is a bit of a story teller, and demonstrates the moves. He is an experienced and professional dancer, and his class is small enough that he provides a TON of personal attention. His class is a little slower pace than that of Kathy Mata’s at Alonzo Lines, so it’s more ideal for those with little to no experience.
Guys, ballet is hard AF and Nathan’s corrections prove it. I’m all, how the f*ck am I supposed to keep my standing foot turned out, raise one hip, but keep the other down? I’m not new to ballet, but it HAS been a long time and damn, the struggle is real. I really appreciate the tiny, minutia fixes he provides because that is what makes the difference. Even though it’s a pain in the ass to get to and parking is hard, I am making a very concerted effort to be there weekly.
I also took the Saturday hip hop class with Jenya and that was fun. Jenya has a very old school 90s hip hop dance style, which is totally NOT how my body moves, but it was a really good exercise. She has interesting choreography and it’s a joy to watch her. I was totally awkward, but felt more comfortable committing to the choreography as the class progressed. The ballet dancer who asked «But, how do I make it look cooooooooooooooool» is all of us.

I enrolled my 12-​year-​old daughter in the Summer Dance Extravaganza summer program this past July. The program was… just okay.
The biggest complaint was the continual lateness of the teachers, including Ms. Poon herself. My daughter would tell me stories after picking her up each day about how Ms. Poon would be late to class (traffic) or would be on the phone (sometimes for close to an hour at a time) dealing with other matters. While this was happening, the class (about 5 – 10 girls) would just stand around or goof off.
My daughter liked her 5 days with Poon Academy, but prefers her dance academy down in Menlo Park. She’s very happy-​go-​lucky so the lateness of the teachers didn’t bother her per se, but it did bother me a lot, especially considering the fee for the program.
This was 6 months ago and I’m just writing this review now, so you can tell this issue stuck with me. Enroll your child in Poon Academy summer program if you want, but expect equal amounts regular day care versus actually teaching your child to excel and advance in dance.

This is a strong recommendation for Shan-​Yee Poon School of Performing Arts.
My daughter has been attending the Shan-​Yee Poon School of Performing Arts for the past 2 months and she has vastly improved in all her areas of ballet. Prior to attending Shan-​Yee Poon School she was enrolled in a well-​known ballet school for five years in the east bay. While at the time we felt she was progressing it wasn’t until we had her try out for another ballet school did we learn that she was lacking critical fundamental techniques required for any ballerina looking to dance beyond the high school level. After meeting and consulting with Shan-​Yee, we agreed that private lessons were the way to go, so far the focus of these lessons have been on stretching, muscle strengthening while focusing on correct form and posture. Shan-​Yee through her teaching techniques, hands on in a one-​on-​one sessions has improved my daughters stretching ability to where she can now touch the floor, and perform splits. (My daughter has long tight legs where she felt she would never overcome this limitation). What is amazing is too me is Shan-Yee’s energy and attention to detail while performing these classes, it’s not enough just to improve flexibility and muscles but it must be done in a way where her posture is just right, positioning her hands, shoulders, feet, neck all in alignment. If you’re looking to take on the next ballet challenge, and find yourself or child stuck in progressing at your current school I would strongly recommend making the switch to Shan-​Yee Poon School of Performing Arts

We’ve had our 3 yr old enrolled for a year and have found the studio, staff, and classes to be very engaging, warm, and friendly. I’m not sure what others were expecting of the studio, but I feel it’s clean and the bathrooms are new and large, which is helpful when lugging a toddler and baby. We haven’t been through any performances or had an issues, so I can’t remark on that, but so far we love it!

I had the worst experience at this Ballet Academy… I was really excited for my 4 year old to do classes and teacher was rude and not friendly… Building is quite old and has nasty dirty carpets and horrible odors overall not kid friendly at all.

My daughter has been taking ballet at this school since she was 4 and while we’ve come here because it’s a few blocks away from our house, we stayed because of the wonderful teachers. Mrs. Brown, a beautiful and graceful dancer herself, is adored by the kids and parents. Mrs. Poon’s patience when doing individual work with the little kids is astounding — she could motivate a boulder into a perfect ballet form.
We’ve previously tried Ballet Russe and the ballet studio at the SF Russian Center, and are very happy to settle down at the Shan-​Yee Poon School! Highly recommend to all the parents of little ballerinas!

Great ballet school. I have had a number of teachers since I’ve been coming on-​and-​off for the last year. I’ve been going to adult ballet (beginner) on Tuesday and Thursday nights and as the classes are quite small, I do feel that I get a lot of attention. Hopefully I’ll be able to dance en pointe in the not-​so-​distant future!

Kind and nuturing staff. Was a pleasure to come back to ballet after many years away! Love this place. I would definitely recommend as a place to send your children too!

My boys (2 and 4 yr old) love ballet here. The 2 year old took 5 classes to get into it but the 4 loved it. Now keep in mind my little guys are obsessed with the Nutcracker and have 4 aunties that all live ballet. The boys watch the nutcracker before their 9am class. The one downside is so far we’ve had two subs since the beginning if the year but it could just be the cold season. The space is very traditional and it isn’t too girly which I’ve heard other schools are.

It’s one of the better ballet schools in the city for children. Ms. Talbot is an amazing teacher who has the perfect balance of play and learning for pre-​ballet skills. Kids learn what up stage, center stage and down stage is. They also learn first position, arabesque, pirouette, releve, sauté and balance. They even get an intro to the ballet bar. Classes are 45 minutes long. You get to sit in at the end of the month, otherwise you can run errands in the area (there’s lot’s to do).
They also have a winter and spring performance that is very cute, but a bit of a push for more classes. They run an early bird special a few months before each season. Spring runs from January-​June and Fall is August-​January. They also offer summer camps.
The school itself could use refurbishing which they are fundraising for.
New paint, furniture and carpet would do wonders on this place.

Been coming here for about 3 nights now and each time I felt like I walked away with a new dance move or two. The class size is small so you get the attention like a private class. Everybody is welcoming and friendly. just a pleasure to learn dance with.
Jenya really makes sure that you’re able to follow the choreography through repetition. If you’re someone who have no previous experience in dance, I can guarantee you’ll still have an awesome time.
Most importantly, you want to learn from someone who loves what they do. Jenya loves what she does and she shows it.

My daughter is enrolled in the Toddler & Me class and we both love it. She gets super excited once she sees I take out her dance attire in the morning as she knows that we’ll be going to dance class. She squeals with excitement as we walk up the stairs of the school to get to her classroom. Her teacher is great; she’s sweet, patient, and it doesn’t seem to phase her when a child decides to go off on her own to the side of class when she simply doesn’t want to participate in an exercise. Class is about following direction yet never forceful or strictly, and simply FUN! I just wish I had come here sooner.

I take Jenya’s class and she is amazing. I love her teaching method and she always picks the best music to dance to.

Took Jenya’s intro hip hop course here.
I was burned to the ground, but she built me back up and taught me the basics.
It’s a tough class, but worth it.

I’m writing an overall review of the school, including adult classes.
The thing that sets this school apart is the combination of care for the student and quality of technique. The instruction for both the adult classes and the youth ballet program are excellent. At the same time, the teachers genuinely want each student to achieve their goals.
All of the teachers, and most notably Miss Poon the director, believe in the student’s ability to succeed. The whole teaching staff is working together to foster positive and productive attitudes in their students. This kind of sincere support and encouragement is hard to find, but it is vital for a dancer to thrive technically and emotionally, and to reach their true potential. You will find it at Shan-​Yee Poon’s school. The learning environment is incredible and I can not stress enough how valuable and rare a school like this is. It is without a doubt the greatest hidden treasure in the Bay Area dance community.
I am so happy to be studying here. At Shan-​Yee Poon Ballet School, I have confidence in the quality of instruction and I’m already seeing huge improvements in my technique; and my teachers are helping me learn to have confidence in myself.
Basically, I love this school. Check it out for yourself.
*update: Unilocal’s automated filter took my review off. I would recommend looking in the filters if this update restores my review, because Unilocal has done this before with other reviews that were positive. It’s like they have a personal vendetta.
I’m really disappointed with Unilocal because I put a lot of effort into this review and they basically said my opinion is invalid.

I give five stars to Ms. Talbot and Ms. Brown, the two instructors that my daughter had during her two years taking classes at this school. I also give high marks to the summer camp that the school offers. My daughter loved it!
Stars deducted for:
— Disorganized performances, which others have mentioned. We waited around for hours before the show started, and it was late. I know Ms. Poon prides herself on providing top-​notch dance training, but lateness is the mark of an amateur. It’s also especially difficult for those of us who are managing babies and small children.
— In-​your-​face fundraising efforts. Of course the school needs to raise money to keep running. But is it necessary to spend half an hour during intermission of the holiday show to try and sell us glowing light stickers for our cars? Also, how much money does the school think we have left after paying for dance classes, costumes, and the $ 45 fee if we can’t or don’t want to volunteer during the performances?
— Ms. Poon’s treatment of the parents and general lack of regard for everyone’s time. Before the spring performance, she kept us waiting in a crowded, stuffy room for over half an hour before coming to speak with the dancers. No apology for being late. She gave extensive notes to individual groups of dancers and stopped repeatedly to tell us to «stop the chit chat.» I’m not sure why she was expecting a room full of restless children (and adults!) to remain absolutely silent as she talked on and on. She also snapped at me to get out of the way of the camera during the performance. A simple polite request would have sufficed.
Although I have loved many things about this school, I’d rather take my business elsewhere.

My review is for the Beginners Hip Hop with Jenya Lum as the instructor. The classes are every Monday starting at 7:00pm. This class is really great on so many levels. If you’re looking for a fun work out, this class is definitely better than Zumba. If you’re more interested in having better coordination or something you’ll always wanted to try (like me), her classes are a great place to start. Jenya makes you feel comfortable no matter your level of experience or age since she’s patient, open to questions, and takes time to teach you the moves. Just remember that if you’re like me, with no previous experience in dancing, it took me around 5 classes before I was able to actually have coordination (embarrassing I know!) but I’m pretty sure you’ll do better than me :).
To improve quickly I recommend participating in the school performances which I think are twice a year. This means, you can take two hip hop classes per week Mondays for the regular class and another day of the week to practice the choreography for the school performance. I was able to participate in the spring performance and it was an amazing experience and finally felt I improved. Plus you have so much fun with the group! Hope this helps!

This is for the Adult Hip Hop Class on Monday nights. The class is great! Jenya is the instructor — she patient, loves to dance and loves teaching it so it’s a comfortable environment and it’s a lot of fun. It’s been a while since I’ve learned choreography so it was a great fit that she’s patient and breaks down the steps at a pace that I didn’t feel overwhelmed. The class is great for people of varying dance abilities. The choreography is at a level that is easy enough for beginners to pick up, but challenging enough that if you have a dance background you’ll still enjoy it.
Most of the adult dance classes in SF are in the Mission or SoMa, so the location in the Inner Richmond is more convenient for me. So if you’re looking for an adult hip hop class go check it out!

I’m surprised that there are not many reviews for the school. There are tons of students here on the weekends.
My daughter has been going to the school for one semester and the experience has been wonderful. She has been to different schools and programs but Shan-​Yee Poon is the place where she has grown as a dancer the most. The teacher has fun with them but also has a very structured class. There is a high level of repetition and that makes it easy for the class to follow and learn week after week.
Overall I have been quite impressed with the overall functions of the school, the structure of the classes and the group of kids.
There is a winter holiday performance that the parents can choose to have their kids take party in. it’s fun to see your kid perform on stage for the first time, in front of tons of people. I would recommend this school for anyone who wants their daughter to start off in ballet.

I’ve been going to Shan-​Yee Poon for their weekly adult hip hop class on Monday nights. I absolutely love this class and from what I hear from adult class regulars, they are all pretty awesome! Jenya is an awesome instructor who helps you with style and technique, while also ensuring a great workout. It’s also a great class for any dancing ability, whether you are a beginner or have years of experience. I unfortunately haven’t been able to attend in a few weeks, but I am definitely going back starting next week and will regularly attend classes each season!
The studio is also beautiful, in an amazing historic looking building and in a great neighborhood in inner richmond. I live nearby and it’s so convenient for those not able to high-​tail it to the mission for a class!