The Ballet Studio

Great way to get excercise while music takes you away from every day stress and worries. Live your childhood dream of becoming a ballet dancer while in the company of other adults with similar interests. Laugh and have fun while doing something good for your body. Enjoy the professional teachers who don't look down on you if you're a size 0 or 18! If nothing else, meet fun people, get fantastic instruction and learn about dance with adults like yourselves.

Pros: Professional teachers, great atmosphere, fun class mates, live music, good price
Cons: Parking can be a bit challenging when you're running late

Great teachers, live music, really great training. As an older adult beginner I would never have even thought of taking a class if it had not been called "very beginning" - and the claim that all ages, shapes, and experience levels were welcome was the necessary frosting on the cake. It's true, there are people from college freshmen to senior citizens and they're all learning classical ballet technique.

I certainly went into it with great trepidation, and very small expectations! But the atmosphere is very supportive and positive - and the teachers are excellent. Probably what I like most is that the quality of training is uncompromising, without ever being discouraging. I now take classes at other studios as well, and my other teachers always comment that I have clearly had excellent training. I've even been to a week-long summer intensive training camp for adult dancers and had the same reaction, from some real world-class teachers. (No, they are not saying I'm a great dancer - just that I've had great training!)

Basically I've gone much further, and am having much more fun, than I would ever have thought possible. The Ballet Studio brought me to this point, and is still the backbone of my training. Highly recommended for anyone who loves ballet and wants to try it.

The Ballet Exercise classes offered at The Ballet Studio are the BEST I've ever taken -- and i've done them all, from aerobics to yoga to pilates. Designed by a professional ballet dancer/instructor, they offer traditional ballet lengthening and strengthening exercises, combined with pilates to strengthen core muscles to support the back -- all done to live piano accompaniment. Many of us are addicted to these classes, which are fun and informal. I have considered selling my house, but cannot move to a location where I couldn't get to these classes! Most of us have had no ballet experience, but it is rewarding for those who have as well. And participants' ages run the gamut from college kids to well, let's just say we've been around the block. We even have a few men! My posture, body shape, and flexibility have improved immensely because of these classes, and I've even "grown" 1/2" due to stretching and standing straighter!

I take the ballet exercise classes and they're fantastic. I used to take regular ballet classes when I was younger but a pair of iffy knees prevents me from getting a good work-out from classes with a lot jumping that I must skip. The Ballet Studio's ballet exercise classes are just what the doctor ordered. They begin with a conventional bar that helps you tone up your posture and proceed to challenging but doable Pilates based floor exercises--all to live accompaniment that makes you forget the effort involved (any one who's heard Gary's boogie woogie knows what I'm talking about ). I always emerge a new woman!

This is the ONLY studio that teaches adults only - NO kids/teens. I started out with the exercise class, and then took the very beginning class. I had looked at a few other places, but they had kids and adults together, or the beginning classes really were not beginning. I was a complete novice, so wanted something that wasn't intimidating, but still professional. My teachers were so good! I just love my ballet classes, and look forward to the great workout and the wonderfulmusic the pianist plays.

Pros: great teachers, just for adults, charming studio, wonderful live music
Cons: not enough daytime classes during the week