This studio turns out great dancers, no doubt about that. They are serious about dance. When I brought my five-year-old for her first class, I saw little girls that had full-on stage makeup, hair, glitter and bedazzled dance attire. I thought these were girls who were practicing for competition, but no, that is how they dressed for class. They are serious about dance.
When my daughter's class didn't practice to the expectations of her teachers, they didn't get their "after-class lollipop." My daughter would cry because she genuinely did her best and did what was expected of her, but because the whole class didn't do their best, no lollipop. Hard to explain to a 5-year old. They are serious about dance.
But why we left this studio is not over their commitment to being serious about dance. I actually don't fault the studio. They want to be the best and that is what they do. If you can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen. This is a great studio to go to if you are serious about dance.
But when I realized that there were too many dance families at the studio who were, for a lack of a better term, ill-mannered, it was time to go! I'm raising a little girl who I want to be surrounded by positive, caring, respectful people. I couldn't believe the amount of disrespect I heard from dancers to their parents, or from siblings in the waiting area. Kids running amuck, totally undisciplined and disrespectful.
I was pregnant during the season that we were at DC Dance Factory, and not once...not one time...did any parent offer me a seat in the waiting area. Even if it meant moving their purse or a kid's backpack off of a limited (and coveted) seat in the waiting area. There was actually another mom who was also heavily pregnant, and the two of us would stand there massaging our backs (because it's tough to stand for an hour), and never once, did anyone offer of a seat..even if the seat was not being taken up by a person, but by stuff" occupying it. I will say, I did see an elderly woman be offered a seat by someone who was leaving once, so that was nice!
The culture here was just not what I wanted to raise my child in. A dance studio becomes your second home. Lifelong friendships are made between dancers and the parents. And this just wasn't our scene.