Extension Room

Love taking class here. This place is perfect for those who used to dance back in the day and still miss it! If you have taken a lot of dance in your youth, it can be tough to find the right fit amidst the whole ballet-​fitness craze. There are a lot of adult beginner ballet classes out there (Extension Room actually offers some, so does the National Ballet School adult program, Dance Teq, City Dance Corps, InStudio) but if you have already done a lot of ballet before, the pace can be a bit slow/​basic. Then there are intermediate ballet classes at serious ballet studios, but if you aren’t dancing regularly anymore, it can be intimidating or too hard! Or the other students will all be really young! Finally, there are barre fitness studios like barre3, barreworks, barre beautiful, etc., which I enjoy for the workout, but they are not that «dance-​y» if you are craving that. They are more like fitness classes that use the barre as a tool, but there isn’t much choreography and most moves are done with feet in parallel, as opposed to proper ballet positions.
Enter the Extension Room — the barre 101 class is like a legit ballet barre but with weights for an added upper body challenge (think plies, tendus, degages, adage, grand battements in the same sequence one would expect from an «real» ballet class) and the allegro boot camp made me feel like I was really dancing for the first time in ages! I talked with some of the other students and many were like me, people who had studied dance recreationally and were looking for a way to keep dancing in an accessible and fun environment. It helps that all the instructors are/​were dancers, often at major ballet/​contemporary companies. Watching them demonstrate with beautiful technique is inspiring and they have good eyes for form and give useful corrections. I do think it would be really helpful to have some dance background for these classes, even though they are supposed to be for anyone. That being said, if you have no dance background at all, the barre 101 class is a good place to start (slower pace, barre helps with balance). I found the allegro bootcamp quite challenging (in a good way), and I think it would be hard to keep up for those less familiar with common ballet steps. It is also way harder to do certain steps without the support of the barre! I haven’t tried their yoga, mat pilates, or bosu ball classes yet but it looks like there’s quite a bit of variety in their schedule.
Facilities are stunning and make it a pleasure to come here. High ceiling, chandeliers, nice sprung floors, etc. It’s not a surprise that the space can be rented our for parties/​weddings/​corporate functions… I also like that they provide mats and weights, plus there are energy balls and juices/​smoothies available for purchase. The change rooms have showers and small lockers.
The location is a bit random, but actually easy to reach by the 504 streetcar and there is free street parking in the area too. Plus, for Unilocaler bonus points, it is in close proximity to a number of good snack/​coffee spots like Roselle, Tandem Coffee, and Odin;) Very important!

Classes are a good mix of cardio, strength and ballet. I look forward to every class. It’s great for all levels of dance experience, and the music is always great. Love that the teachers are flexible with timing too– some gyms shut you out if you’re late, and as someone who needs schedule flexibility that’s a huge bonus for me! Highly recommend. Look forward to them bringing in even more variety and choice in classes!

I came here to try a few classes. The studio is quite large and accommodates up to ~20 students. There are a lot of mirrors and bars around the room, so you can see exactly what you are doing. Also, all the equipment is supplied (weights, towels, mats, pilates balls), so you don’t have to bring anything but yourself and maybe a pair of ballet shoes if you take the ballet.
Here is a list of some of the classes I’ve tried:
Ballet Level 1 with Kate Garrett — Kate is a really knowledgable ballet dancer and teacher. She has a very strong focus on technique and will break everything down in a way that everyone can understand. She is also very good with hands on adjustments.
La Ronde with Megan Scully — I found this class fun but also very challenging. Holding the pilates ball while doing balletic movements is a lot more challenging than meets the eye.

Barre 101 is a great workout where you can pretend you’re a ballerina.
You’ll sweat a ton and feel defeated but it’ll be worth it with those quads you’ll acquire.
Unlike other barre classes there’s a greater focus on strengthening and endurance vs. cardio. Who needs cardio ;) Weights are used so you can choose how difficult you want it to be.
Just wish the classes had some more variation with the playlist /​choreography. I can probably list the songs to each segment of the class.
Ps. There’s also student discount.

I’ve been coming here for about a month now & its so much fun! I did the Absolute Beginner Class then I started to do the Level 1 beginner class one-​two times a week. Most people in the Level 1 class seem much more experienced then I am, but the instructor (his name has slipped my mind!) never made me feel awkward. Also love that it’s within walking distance to my house!

I had been looking for some fitness program that I would enjoy doing on a regular basis without forcing myself to exercise.
I tried going to a gym, taking yoga classes or some popular classes on DVDs but I would get bored within a few weeks.
I don’t have any dancing background and am not a ‘ballerina material’ but decided to give it a try. I was very intimidated at first but was warmly welcomed and encouraged to continue.
I have been coming to the studio for a few months now. I’ve lost about 2 clothing sizes (could be more but I still indulge myself with some good food late at night :)) and my body has toned.
I know I am not going to be a prima ballerina (some people do tease me about it) but I do enjoy this program, it makes me feel and look great. I really never thought I could enjoy exercising until I discovered this studio.

Absolutely the worst place I’ve ever walked in!
Customer Service does not exist in this place. We received the most rude treatment (by the owner) walking in the studio as first timers.
My friend and I bought their groupon. It was a long commute over and was told we cannot redeem the groupon for the evening’s class.
Their reasoning: it’s a longer class that’s apparently not the same value. There is nothing on the groupon that specify what classes cannot be redeemed. all it says is «valid for all regular classes». and the owner looked at us as if we are idiots. If we have never been to this place and there are no sufficient info describing what is what, how are we suppose to know this particular class is not a regular class? their website has tons of false info and not helpful. I did try to contact by email, facebook and phone numerous time to ask for more info before hand. No reply, for weeks and never got a reply.
The front desk employee was side by side with the owner and the employee was more human and expressed sympathy. I understand there is nothing she can do so I thanked her for her efforts. The Owner treated us terribly (you ‘re an idiot that you don’t know the details of how our company even though it’s your first time and we don’t provide the damn info anywhere visible). If this is how she treats her customers, I cannot imagine how she would treat her employees. I refuse to support such an organization. I still cannot believe a dancer from Opera Atelier can have such manners.
At the end, we walked away without any options.
My friend is a visitor from Japan and we are dealing with Groupon to get our money back. Not a positive experience of Toronto/​Canada.