The training at this school might arguably be OK although I personally think their lack of focus on core strengthening is a serious deficiency. In fact, in their last years of training at Zamuel, I sought outside training for them at another school in order to address this deficiency. However, if you are not worried about that and your main goal in selecting a ballet school is that your child will get numerous high profile roles in productions and lots of stage time, because this is an extremely small school, it is a perfect school for you provided your child doesn’t get injured in the process. In my experience, the injury rate is high there although some children are fortunate to avoid it and have no problems whatsoever.
My biggest concerns regarding this school relates to the environment and professionalism. As my children started their dancing careers at Zamuel and spent several years there, I thought it was normal to see dancers routinely crying as I saw it all the time. After we left the school and visited many others, I discovered that this was not a necessary element for high success in dance and have rarely seen dancers crying at other studios. Furthermore, I have personally been in the studio on a couple of occasions when the school’s director threw a chair in the direction of the children during Nutcracker practice. I will admit that he didn’t hit the children nor do I think that was his intent. While some children have a decent experience in their private lessons and those children can flourish at this studio, this is not the case for many. Finally, while it does look like this school is a decent value given the price per hour, this may or may not be the case. Classes often start well after the scheduled start time and have a 15-20 minute break in the middle. The length of the break is very inconsistent. However, the biggest lack of value is in the area of private lessons. The owner always takes a smoke break in the middle of the lesson. I have also had him examine other childrens’ costumes, conduct general studio business, and engage in discussions with staff during a private lesson for which I paid $100 per hour. In one lesson in particular, more than 30 minutes of other business was conducted and I was charged the same $100. Many parents including me were afraid to discuss these deficiencies with the studio owner as he was known to have a temper. On one occasion in which I personally went to him in a very calm manner with my concerns, he yelled at me for over 10 minutes so loudly that his voice could be heard in the lobby before he finally gained control of himself and we were able to discuss the matter at hand. If you think that my comments are due to the fact that my child was not a good dancer and was not given the opportunities I thought that she deserved, I assure you that this is not the case.
In summary, I believe that many elements should be investigated before making up your mind to attend this school. Some of the elements could have changed since we left the studio. However, the same staff is still there, and the enrollment has declined dramatically in the last couple of years. If you are considering attending it, I would suggest not just discussing your thoughts with the handful of people who still attend the school. I would highly advise you to reach out to the many children who are now to be found at other schools throughout Colorado Springs and Denver or are now no longer dancing at all.