Studio One’s – Southwest Dance Academy

My daughter loves this place. She attended for a few months last year that began with a groupon deal. We ended up pulling her out due to financial constraints, but she’s been begging to go back ever since. Well looky there, mommy got a raise. back to dance class!
We got in her one of the classes that gets to participate in the June recital this year, I’ll make sure to have the tissues ready for the proud mommy tears.
The instructors seem very patient with the preschoolers in the Combo class. My daughter is always excited to show me her new moves when we leave.
Seating is limited, especially on a Saturday morning class. The hubby and I usually head over to Firehouse Subs next door for lunch with our son, I just run back at the halfway point to switch her from tap shoes to ballet.
Will update this review after the recital, which I’m pretty much dying to see.

It’s a great studio! The front desk is very friendly and helpful. They have great teachers. The classes are fun and extremely beneficial. They also offer many different classes, for all levels and ages. The studio is very clean. They have areas for parents to sit, wait and watch their children. An overall great studio and experience.

I’m updating my review because I’ve now experienced another academy in town and I must say, I miss the way this academy treated me & my daughter! It may not be dusted often enough or have enough space for parents to wait, but they are friendly and always have the child’s best interest in mind. It’s time for recitals and at the academy we’re with now, the only way I am take a picture or video of my child’s performance is if I buy a $ 40 DVD or picture packages with similar and higher prices. When we were with Southwest Dance Academy, parents were allowed to view and film the entire dress rehearsal, which was a great gesture for those who may not be able to afford all the professional DVDs and pics, and just a great way to let parents be involved before their kids big performance. Next season we will be coming back here for sure!

This will be our last season at this studio!
Here are a few of many reasons.
Filthy studio i meandust everywhere, chairs) if you can get one) are beyond gross.
Girls restroom is disgusting every week!
This place is just fowl!!!
The front desk staff act like any question or concern brought to their attention is a bother.
They would rather eat their bag of chips than anwser the questions of concerned parents.
Now lets talk about the area for parents. My child attends a weekday class so its not as busy as the weekends but there is inadequate seating none the less. The studio is hot and stuffy, no room to move around. They have 1 tv that you can watch your children from but again limited seating so good luck seeing what your child is learning. The teachers keep the curtains closed so you cant observe.
Yea they have tons of trophys, they display them on cheap shelves that look like at any moment they will fall on someone. Just a cheap, dirty place!
So here is a studio that charges 50 – 55 bucks a month per class and they cant afford to add another tv to the hole in the wall hallway that connect to the yogurt shop!
Now I am certain they dont care about the regular classes, kids or parents as it seems like all their focus is on the competition areas. Which in my opinion is a dis service to all the kids who arent in those programs.
Okay so if you have read this and still decide to enroll here make sure you do not subject your kids to Lori Marshburn she is honestly the rudest woman i have ever had the disadvantage of meeting. I have witnessed her speak horribly to the kids and parents! She is brash and conceited!!! When I approached her about it she simply said «this is my method if you dont like it there are other classes».
Wow couldnt believe that and when I complained to the staff they were no help and said she is tough!
Being tough is one thing being a total monster is another!
Their are far better studios to check out! They may be 5 – 10 bucks more expensive, but i can promise the extra money is worth not having to deal with these self righteous people. Oh and good luck ever trying to get the studio’s manager to get back with you. She is far too busy in the studio a few spaces down to even notice, or maybe she just doesnt care!
This isnt a real studio like the above reviewer said its a business trying to be one.
Over all grade is an F
And the the only reason i am not removing my child right now is because i already paid for the costume for their june recital, which is by the way hideous and over priced!
Good luck you have been warned everything i am saying is no exaggeration! Do your research.

Love this dance school! Just started my 3 ½ yr old. It’s a mixed class of 20 min ballet, 20 min tap, and 20 min tumbling. You watch on screens or can look through the window. We love Miss Helen so patient and relaxed with the girls! Highly recommend going there.

9÷8÷2015 — UPDATE
Had to come back and edit my review because I got the most amusing Unilocal note from a «Kimberly» today. Yes, a year later. Let me preface this by saying Kimberly has only been a Unilocaler since August of 2015 with no reviews, friends, etc. Hm… Do we think Kimberly may work for Studio One? I wonder…
Ms. Kimberley’s kind note said «No one likes a complainer. Glad you are someone else’s problem now.» Bitter much, Kimberly? Thank you for further proving my point about Studio One! And, last time I checked, Unilocal is for reviews, not complaints. Believe me, you would have known the difference.
I have left other (better) studio names out of this review. However, since I’m «their problem» now, let me tell you how THRILLED I am to be the problem of The Base dance center, right down the street from Studio One Southwest! My daughter has found a welcoming, clean, inviting dance studio that treats their students and parents like family, whether you take one class, ten classes, are part of their competition team, or just a beginner. And, that’s not even mentioning the pure talent of their instructors and competition team. That deserves a whole five star review just on its own.
Looks like becoming «someone else’s problem» was the best decision I ever made, so I suppose I should be thanking you!
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If you live by Studio One Southwest and your child wants to take dance lessons, please do yourself a favor, and check out the many other dance studios nearby. This studio looked promising online, but we didn’t even make it three weeks. Where should I start:
1. The whole place is dirty and not kept up. And, when I happened to see the shape of the studio floors my daughter was dancing on, it was disgusting. They were very filthy, and need of some serious, serious repair.
2. Waiting out in the lobby while your child is in class is worse than waiting at the DMV. Seriously. This is not an exaggeration. Babies screaming, dance moms berating their kids, NO place to sit, barely any place to stand, people on top of each other, it’s hot, stifling, etc.
4. It is NOT a dance studio… it is a straight up business. It became very clear, very quickly that they are very concerned about your money, and not as concerned about your child and they quality of classes they receive. My daughter wanted to take a class that was full, but as soon as I mentioned I may put her in another dance studio for that particular class, things suddenly changed and POOF! Surprise, surprise, a spot opened up for her because they did not want to lose my money.
5. Don’t want to dance there anymore because you found a place down the street that is oh so much better? No problem!!! But they are still going to gouge you for the entire month when your child isn’t even taking classes there anymore! And yes, they will do it without your knowledge, by charging your account for you when they discover you may go somewhere else, even though you never gave anyone permission to do so.

My 8 year old sister has been coming to this studio since she was 5. Throughout the past 3 years she has learned so much. Coming in at 5 years old with almost no dance experience to being able to bend and use her body in almost every way possible. She can tumble at a very high level as well. I have also started to attend classes here. I will be going into my 3^rd year of dance. I came in with no experience at all, but the amount I have learned the past 2 years has blown me away. We are both on the competition team and we spend most of our days at the studio. It is truly a second home to us, I feel that all children should enroll here because it’s such a fun learning experience. I love each and every one of the teachers and staff members. The front desk always greets us as we walk in and teachers treat us as if we are their very own children. They push us to the best of our ability. We’ve not only learned about the art of dance, but certain values such as teamwork and trust. Everyone has to start somewhere and I think this is the perfect place to start!

ok so before writing this review I wanted to write to someone straight from the school but was unable to find a contact name/​email so here I go… ok initially when I signed my daughter up, had no problems, she loved the class, staff is great but months into it I start noticing a few things I did not like. It seems to me like her class was not getting recognition like the other classes, Its almost like who cares about these kids or this class, they dont compete so who cares. Mind you its 5 – 7 yr olds. now the recital approaches, every single class has a parent volunteer in their room, our class has no one, we also tell some of the other instructors and still no one shows up to be with them, these poor kids have no volunteer no guidance what so ever, their teacher is no where to be found, the teacher wasnt there on rehearsal day either, Every single instagram picture is of every other performance and none of our class. Its just annoying coming from a parents stand point. Our kids in this class might not compete but lets not treat them like as if they are nothing and do not exist, Im sorry its just wrong on so many levels and very sad to say the least. Im going to try this school out one more year in hopes next year I have a better experience, Lets see.

My sons first class today was with Alex and they were learning hip hop. Before the class my son cried and told me I ruined his life. However, after an hour in the class he came out all smiles and told me he actually liked it. Kudos to the dance instructor because they make or break the experience. I’m glad he like his first class we will return. The only thing is the space is a little cramped and they have a smal window for observing your kid and they also need more seats.

Blown away by the front desk service when you call in for help. So rude and unprofessional.

Let me start off by saying that I am shocked that there are only three other reviews!
My LO (little one) started coming here during the summer season of this year and we love it. She started out with the combo classes on Saturday with miss Helen. The class breaks down into three categories: ballet, tap, and tumble. This class was an awesome way to introduce dance to my LO. We both enjoyed the class, but after a month I thought I would be more specific about her classes.
Once the fall season started we went for Pre Ballet and Broadway Babies. Ballet is obviously focused on ballet lol, while broadway babies is about tap, expression, and singing. Going off of my four year old I would have to say both classes are awesome. The teachers may have 6 kids in a class, but they know how to give attention to each and every child.
I will say though I had to switch my daughter from Saturday Pre ballet to a Tuesday class. It just gets pretty packed in the school on Saturdays and honestly it gets a little tight in there. Otherwise we are very happy with the school and teachers!
Oh and before I forget I just wanted to mention the girls who work at the front desk. One word: friendly! When I was registering my daughter for the first time they were so helpful over the phone! Not once did they get annoyed with my questions and they helped me every step of the way!

We left another dance studio in Jan.(at my kids request) and switched to S1SWDA and have never looked back. Both of my children take classes here and absolutely love it! The front desk staff is very professional, helpful and very welcoming. The quality of instruction here is outstanding and the positivity that the teachers exude is refreshing! We do not live in SW part of town and drive quite a distance to attend this studio and it is worth the drive! I love the automatic payments and that I can look up my account information and make changes on-​line. I also like that there is only one recital per year and that I was able to choose my seats when I bought the tickets. All this and the Dance Shoppe is right next door.

This place is just not my fave. Classes are so big that kids are not engaged as much as they ought to be. Dance instructors are inconsistent. My daughter had a different instructor every week. Decent prices, small location, friendly staff. S1 just didn’t live up to my standards.

My daughter is a student here. The front desk seems like you are bothering them when you ask them a question but the teachers are great! They have a lot of patience and are always so nice to the children. I also like the fact that the Dance Shoppe and the soon to be yogurt store are right next door!!!

My daughter goes to this dance studio for a combo class (tap, ballet, and tumbling). She is 2.5 & they have classes that start at 2 (mommy & me) and all the way up to however old you are, reading this review. Her teacher is Helen and she’s an amazing teacher that knows how to manage 12 toddlers running around in tutus. The cost is $ 55/​month unless you sign up for EFT, which is then $ 50/​month (good deal). The waiting area is set up with a big TV to watch the kids from so they don’t get distracted & is a very big, clean space. For their annual recital, they have costumes that can range anywhere from $ 75 — $ 125 which are admittedly a bit pricey on top of tap, ballet, leotards, and monthly payments, but it should be worth it come their June recital. I have a ton of friends with kids that go here and all of us love it. Definitely check it out!
Another bonus: the Dance Shoppe is right next door in case you need to pick something up last minute.