Capistrano Academy of Dance

My daughter has been taking dance classes from Capistrano Academy of Dance since she was in elementary school and she is now in high school. Before we came here, we bounced around at different studios trying to find the perfect one. Capistrano Academy of Dance it it — the perfect blend of enthusiastic, knowledgeable teachers, focus on proper technique, fun for the kids, and recitals that have age appropriate costumes, moves, and music. Miss Sharon is very encouraging and knows all of the girls and how they are progressing. My daughter has done ballet, jazz, and hip hop. We wouldn’t go anywhere else!

My daughter has been going to this school for 3 years now. I enrolled her when she was 3 years old. The first two years she took ballet/​tap which she loved. Mrs. Sharon is very loving with the children but she actually teaches proper technique and etiquette which is what I was looking for even for my young daughter. Each year my daughter wished to return. This year we are doing hip hop which is so much fun for not only my daughter but myself to watch! The end of the year performance is an absolutely amazing production. My entire family look forward to it each year! I plan on continuing to enroll my daughter every year!

My girls have taken dance at CAPO for over 5 years. What we love most about this studio is that they take it upon themselves to educate the whole child – It is not just about teaching dance. They also teach self-​respect, responsibility, gratitude, poise, citizenship, and the importance of being a team player. I appreciate that the teachers are also great role models for my children… my girls are learning much more than just dance. Of course, they teach great technique and dance skills!

My daughter has been dancing here for three years. They are very informative when it comes to what your kid needs. My daughter has learned very good technique and loves the nice welcoming teachers and students.

I found the last review to be a bit harsh. Before our first class, we were given a list of clothes/​shoes needed for the class and recommendations of places to buy them. I have even seen them give a little girl some tap shoes from their extra stash who did not have any. My daughter, 5 years old, is enjoying the ballet/​tap class. She seems to be learning good dance techniques. And I find the teachers are kind to the students, teaching to all different dance levels. We have not yet reached a recital yet (coming in June) so I will try to comment on that later.

This academy is awful. You are never clearly told what to have for your child until after you have arrived. Which makes your little one feel like an outsider. I have even seen the girls line up and the teacher will say «who has their ballet shoes today?» and she will say «you do, you do,» and point to each child with the correct shoes, and go over the child whose ballet shoes are different. This further can make a child feel awful. Why don’t they just say something to the parent?! This is all before they even get into the classroom. I have seen this about dance bags, tap shoes, etc. Everytime there is a new student, this happens. It takes a few classes for that child to clearly have everything she is supposed to have since the parent is never told and only finds out when their child is staring at the floor b/​c she is different then the other kids. This place is so strict the parents are scared of the teachers. The window to view the children is so heavily tinted that you cannot see your child dance. They do however, teach the children very good technique for their age. They are just inflexible and you can show up after missing 1 class and it is suddenly a recital day and again, everyone knew but you and your child. If they were more informative and welcoming, I would think this would be a great dance academy for little ones