Jwsd Joyce Willett School of Dance

The Cons:
1. Poor technical instruction.
After 18 months, my child cannot demonstrate or identify the 5 basic positions in ballet or perform a basic shuffle in tap. I asked other moms who have kids in comparable combo programs at other schools and who have been in dance as long as my daughter (or longer) what their kids can do and all of them have already learned the fundamental basics of ballet (positions, plié, tendu, releve) and tap. I’m not saying the kids shouldn’t have fun and do creative/​dramatic dance, but they have an entire hour with those kids. Surely they can teach some technique!
2. Too much emphasis on performance.
This school seems mostly focused on performance, which means spending 3 – 4 of the 9 months learning dances for the two recitals. Performance is a valuable part of a dancer’s education, but it should never, ever take precedence over quality technical instruction.
3. Age-​inappropriate dance costumes.
The opening number at the last recital featured a young teen in a leather corset and tight leggings. In another number, the girls wore costumes that revealed their midriffs and just barely covered their busts. This is not appropriate. For a school that’s so obsessed with modesty that it forces parents to cover their children up before and after class, putting their older girls in revealing costumes sure seems hypocritical.
4. Bizarre obsession with underwear.
JWSD has a rule that the girls cannot wear panties under their leotards (mind you, when you sign up for classes they don’t tell you this). On the very first day of dance class, my 4 year old’s new teacher walked over, half pulled down her leotard and announced to the entire class, «UH OH! SOMEONE HAS ON PANTIES!» Tears of embarrassment welled up in her eyes. She didn’t understand why it was «wrong» to have on panties. I told her afterwards that she isn’t wrong, the school is. Dead wrong.
Panties on little kids is just more hygienic, period. They don’t always wipe well, if you get my drift. I’d rather have a $ 2 pair of panties ruined than a $ 20 leotard and tights don’t work.
Every piece of communication that comes home has somewhere in bold «No panties are to be worn in class.» This is just weird. I danced from the time I was small up until college and was also a gymnast. I never once recall a dance teacher or coach questioning panties. I understand about wanting a smooth line under dance clothes, but even then we could wear nude body liners underneath for hygienic reasons.
5. Teaching our girls that their body is something to be ashamed of.
Look, I get the purpose of cover ups, especially when it comes to safety in the winter months. Cold muscles are bad news and you’re just asking for an injury. Otherwise, they should be optional and up to personal preference for modesty purposes. Again, I never once remember having a teacher insist we cover up before and after classes. I think it’s crazy that they insist so strongly on covering up your child, especially when it’s blazing hot outside.
We are also talking about little girls. No one cares if your kid walks around in a tutu and a leotard or black jazz pants in public. No one. Why are they teaching girls that their body is shameful and offensive to others and must be covered up? This only contributes to the body image issues that plague girls today. It’s hard enough to raise our daughters to be confident and strong women without them becoming ashamed of their bodies. I refuse to support a school that teaches my child that her body is offensive to society and needs to be hidden.
6. Power trips.
A sign reading, «Please make sure your child’s cover up STAYS ON, if they are seen without a cover up YOU WILL BE FINED» was posted predominantly at the 2015 spring dance recital. Who the heck do you think you are? There is nothing about fines over covers ups in the contract you sign when you enroll. This is legally dubious and the fraud department of credit card companies would love to issue a chargeback over that.
This sign was the final straw for us. A lot of other parents at the recital also expressed dismay and disgust. We are declining to re-​enroll and are moving our child to a school with a more positive and nurturing environment where she’ll actually learn to dance.
The Pros:
1. Location: There are two, which is great for parents in north, central, and east Austin.
2. Class options: most classes are offered a couple of different times a week.
3. Fun: there’s almost always a smile on the little childrens’ faces.

The teacher was really nice, but the owner (Joyce) was rude enough that I am taking my daughter to a new dance school. I am not surprised by the other negative reviews I have seen, having met the owner.

These folks work real had in providing the best dance class for kids I have ever seen. My wife was a dance instructor and JWSD truly has raised the bar for professionalism. They are very organized and have great communication skills through email and directly. My daughter Lula looks forward all week to her dance class and I am grateful for there service.

My daughters love JWSD! My 8 year old has been in dance classes here for over 4 years now, and my 6 year old has been going for 2 years. I have to disagree with Rachel’s review. There’s no way that the situation she described has actually occurred. They have a very strict policy about wearing cover ups in and out of the studio, and they take every aspect of the studio seriously, ESPECIALLY the comfort level of the parents.
Ms. Rachel and Ms. Mara have been excellent as instructors, and Ms. Kim has been instrumental in running the school. These women take dancing and the etiquette surrounding it VERY seriously. The school coordinates dance recitals for the students bi-​annually, and they are always well orchestrated.
In the past when I couldn’t come up with enough dues to keep the girls in dance, Ms. Kim and Ms. Rachael even worked with me to make sure that the girls could stay in classes! My girls have been in other dance studios for brief stints while moving to different areas, but I’ve always ended up commuting to keep them coming to JWSD.
JWSD has a dance company called Body Talk that they train and choreograph in house as well, so there’s really no ceiling in regard to what your child can learn there. As a side note, I have a friend I’ve known for nearly 20 years who learned to dance at JWSD when she was a young girl and onward. She’s now a very talented professional dancer and choreographer. Ms. Kim and Ms. Joyce were her teachers.
I highly suggest bringing your little ones to JWSD, even if just for comparative analysis. They also have tap and dance classes for adults! Feel free to message me for more references.

So far so good. My 3 year old loves going to dance. I like the teachers. Nothing has been suggestive or over the top. The only thing I don’t care for is the location. The shopping center is very run down. I’m concerned about being there when the fall comes around and it’s dark at 5:00. Other than that, I’m really happy with it.

I had my daughter in JWSD for 2 years and loved every moment of it. My daughter learned so much about teamwork in a very nurturing and structured environment.. They are very professional and a class act all the way! I highly reccomend JWSD!

I had a very bad experience here as a consumer.
My 4 year old children were taught dance moves that were very sexually suggestive. The music the children perform too I also found inappropriate: it was Mambo Number 5, which has lyrics that refer to drinking and sexual content.
When I complained to the head of the program she laughed at me.
I do not recommend this program. I want my kids to enjoy the innocence of their childhood and not «rush» them into being sex objects. I don’t want my 4 year olds to feel pressured to dance sexy. I also want to take my kids to a program where the instructor listens to parent’s concerns.
I complained about my experience once already on Unilocal and it was removed.
Parents, be careful.
Consumer and reviewers beware!

Three years later, we’re still going strong at JWSD and we love it. We’ve jumped around different activities as everybody seems to, but dance is the one that’s stuck. My girls are both very happy and feel like part of a family. My older daughter has joined the dance company and I am exceptionally impressed with the caliber of kids she gets to spend time with (when I volunteered in the dressing home, I listened to the teenaged girls talk about homework and work ethic and setting priorities– they’re good kids!). Expectations for these kids are HIGH, but the kids learn to work for big goals and hit them. I really appreciate this studio.