Studio L Dance

Studio L is the place to go if your looking for first rate instruction, a safe location, and a beautiful state of the art dance studio. The teachers inspire and teach all forms of dance, and they truly bring out the best in every student. Its a warm and friendly atmosphere and my daughter’s home away from home, she never wants to leave!

My daughter has been dancing at Studio L for 5 years. She danced in the recreational program (once a week classes) for two years before joining the company of which she’s been a member for the past three years. She has also participated in the studio’s intensive elite program over the summer which has enabled her to develop significantly as a dancer. One of the highlights of being at Studio L for my daughter has been the acro program. During her time dancing at Studio L, my daughter has learned a lot about various genres of dance and formed many wonderful and lasting friendships.

My kids used to love dance until we started Studio L. The owners overbooked my 6 year old’s class. There are over 25 kids in the class (I really can’t even keep track). The studio called the parents to see if they would switch to another day but only 2 kids were able to. You would think the studio would have divided the class up into 2 classes since they didn’t close the class out like they said they would.
My child complains every week that she doesn’t want to go back because she isn’t learning anything. Now that the recital is coming up they are working on their routine. But the teachers are only focusing on the two company dancers who were put in their class (why I don’t know). When someone called and asked why the other students were learning anything the owner’s response was «the 6 year olds just aren’t getting it.» Did it ever occur to them that the kids aren’t getting it because there are too many kids in the class? Or because all they do is «freeze dance» games? Or maybe because the school has a party for every holiday… who needs a party when you are only in class once a week? My kid doesn’t need to be given candy in their dance class when they are about to go home and eat dinner. We are paying for dance class.
Now I am angry that two older girls are in their dance routine up-​staging all 26 of the kids who were excited to take this class.
As a parent we all know going to after school activities is hard enough without having our kids cry that they don’t want to go. I am sorry to say that no one is excited for the recital like we hoped they would be and they were other years when they took dance at another school (which we only left do to scheduling).
On another note, the studio’s hand is always out asking for money. It may be for a good cause but every other week it is something. Knowing what I know about the studio I even question if the money even goes to charity.
I hope my kids aren’t put in costunes for their recital that will make me and my husband cringe. My kids are 5 and 6 years old, from what I see when sitting in the waiting area of other kids who have been in the school for years the studio is going to be dressing them up like mini prostitutes.
STUDIO L is the worst. I regret sending my kids there. The only positive is that the season ends earlier than most schools… before May 1^st. Why so early? So they can start a «pre-​summer» session probably so they can take more money from unsuspecting families who haven’t had the misfortune of being there all year.

This review is based just on the GLEE Musical Theatre (under age 10 category) class in Waldwick, not any of the dance classes. From watching the recital, the dancing seemed like what you would get at any other dance studio. The specialized Larkin dancers were amazing though. Anyway, my daughter enrolled in the Glee class back in September for 1.5hours every Monday. I didn’t expect her to become a Broadway performer (not even off broadway), she was just interested in improving her Musical Theatre skills. The brochure stated the class was a triple threat: Singing, Acting, and Dancing. It also said there would be a Holiday Showcase and a Video Production. I noticed throughout the year that my daughter wasn’t learning any songs or dance steps (not even humming a catchy tune). When I asked her about it, she said, «We don’t really do any of that». I asked in January about the Holiday Showcase and was told that it was just for the staff, though my daughter didn’t remember any such event. There was 1 video shoot supposedly over spring break when we were away, but I never received a video production, nor heard any information on what was produced. I didn’t have high hopes for the recital in May, as my daughter said they were only doing 1 «original» song which consisted of 8 rhyming lines. The recital performance consisted of about 12 students standing on risers. There was no consistency in their appearance. I’m not saying they should have worn costumes, but maybe all in the same color. There was no stage presence whatsoever. The performance was flat and awkward, they all just stood there, not even a sway. The song was mediocre at best. I could not believe that after 8 months of classes, that was the highlight. I found out that I was not the only one from the class that felt this way. My daughter’s elementary school does a musical every year taught by moms, which requires 8 weeks of hourly rehearsals. They do a wonderful job which proves that a professional school should have done and can do so much more than what those children were «taught». I called and spoke to Kelly regarding my disappointment and she was very defensive. In the end even suggesting that I would be a terrible person with no life, for writing a review. My goal in this review is to hopefully save one family who may be considering enrolling their child. I wish a review had been available before I made that mistake.