Kids ‘N Dance

Our last 2 experiences with their week long theater camps have been great. I much prefer these over their dance classes. This last experience, with the production of Annie, was so well run by director Jaq. Wow, she had only 5 days to prepare the entire production with 4 – 8 yr olds and the result was so impressive! She worked so hard, all the while appearing so calm and knowledgeable. I loved that she was so organized and was able to tell me easily how the day was for my daughter. Jaq made the production not only great for the audience, but so much for my kid. I couldn’t believe that my daughter chose running lines with me rather than doing anything else! Way to motivate the kids in a fun and meaningful way. Thank you!

This place is as good as it gets. The two woman running are a delight to me and with children. They really know how to make each child smile. As a mother of 4 children I highly recommend Kids ‘N Dance to other families. You will be treated like family and your child will have such a rewarding experience.

My daughter has been going to Kids’n Dance since she was 3YO and she is about to turn 9. We did ballet, tap, gymnastics, circus and theater. It was all awesome! This is a local family owned business. Oakland is lucky to have this great resource. The owner is very accommodating and always allowed parents in with their children if there was any anxiety. Individual teachers may vary but if you talk to the owner she will always do what is best for the kid. I’m a big fan!

My two children have been going to Kidsndance in Oakland for 3 years of music theater classes and have loved it. I love it because my kids receive high quality music theater instruction without the pressure and intense schedule of some playhouses. In addition, the classes are smaller than most places, Kris is great with the kids, and she make a considerable effort to make sure that all kids are on stage a lot. Their performances include costumes, stage props, and scene changes which add to the creativity of their performances. This is not just a place for young kids, it is also a place for older kids to enjoy music theater year round. I highly recommend taking their music theater classes!

We have been very happy with the hip-​hop class here. It is fun, and the kids do not waste one minute of class. They leave with stamps, and a coloring page that goes with the theme of the class. It is not the nicest building in the nicest area, but the kids love the class, the teacher is warm, and those are the things that matter!

My son loves dancing but the classes are very disorganized. Teacher arrives a few mins before class is supposed to start and sets up… almost always starts late. The class can be 12 kids age 3 – 4, which is way too many. The kids have to wait too long for their turns w so many. Then they go to gym, supposed to be for 15 mins. But is never set up. The kids sit and wait against the wall while teacher sets up gym, for 5 – 7 mins doing nothing. Today they got 6 mins in gym. My son loves the teacher and some of his classmates otherwise we would have left a long time ago, but I think about switching schools every week due to the disorganized nature

My response to the owner: the fact that parents can watch their 3 year olds on camera does NOTHING to reassure nervous little ones. My daughter was not the only one in her class who who started refusing to go into the studio due to separation and newness anxiety. I know that you must see this all the time.
A couple of months later, we tried again at the Van Der Zwaan Studio in Berkeley. Not only does the studio have a big glass window so that little ones can see that their parents have not disappeared, but unlike at Kids ‘n’ Dance, Paula allowed me to sit inside the studio during the first class, and didn’t judge my daughter for sitting on my lap part of the time. This approach did the trick, and now my daughter loves dance classes.

Our daughter took a one week dance camp with Katie last summer, and she had a blast! I was really impressed with how many dances they learned, how detailed the choreography was, and how good all the kids were, amazing work for just one week! Ballet, jazz, tap, they did everything. Highly recommended.

If you just want a place for your kids to have fun, on a pre-​school level, then Kids ‘N Dance is fine. And they are nice people. However, as someone who knows what good beginning ballet training should be for kids, I was horrified. In the beginning ballet class, the 7 year old was given steps that she couldn’t do correctly, with no attempt made to give her the basic technique necessary. She was learning bad habits. I moved her Oakland Ballet School, just down the street, where Denise goes more slowly, just giving kids steps they actually have some chance of learning properly at their age, but having them doing it correctly.

Jan 2014–
The classes are great. The teacher Ariel is very sweet and patient– my daughter loves going to her class. I like that it does not have a vibe of DanceMoms or Toddlers in Tiaras. :) The pricing is reasonable. The staff is very personable. I am excited that I found this place and look forward to continuing classes here.
I HAVE NOT BEEN TO A CLASS YET!
But I will update this with details.
I just have to say just calling in was a wonderful experience. Nicole was very very informative and most of all courteous! i can’t wait for the upcoming class!

When my son turned three he had an interest in taking a ballet class, so we shopped around and decided to try kids n dance based on their philosophy, approach, and reasonable rates. He tried the four week pass, and while he liked it at first decided he didn’t want to take the class at that time. Thankfully, this studio offers a four week pass, and we were able to bow out of the remainder of the class without any hurt feelings. A little time went by, and my son decided he wanted to try a class again. We called Jared the front desk guru, and he walked me through classes, and teachers and helped me to find the perfect personality fit for my child. My son was totally ready this time around, he fell in love with his teacher and his class (teacher Christine who recently moved). We have since taken several classes, often more then one a semester, multiple teachers, and my youngest has also taken many of the parent and me classes over the course of two years, so I feel qualified to write a review of the studio as a whole. Here goes…
The Teachers are incredible dancers, who really care about the children and want the experience to be meaningful. They teach the children the basic skills in a fun, safe, developmentally appropriate way, and then continue to build on those skills at each child’s independent pace. The owners really have spent a lot of time hiring the right people, each dance teacher has a unique style and way of reaching the children, and all seem to be especially passionate about a different form of dance in their own life’s. Also, the teachers are very active in dance in their own life’s away from the studio, these are not retired dancers teaching the children. My boys are very different from each other, and definitely require very different things from a teacher, and this studio has been able to meet both of their needs. A little about the teachers we’ve had:
Natalie: Both of my boys have taken multiple classes with Natalie. She is one of the sweetest, and most talented ladies you will ever meet. She has a calming effect on my youngest (who is very much a rowdy boy). She is very observant, and notices where children are in each class, and what skills she should focus on to meet their individual needs and help further their personal achievements with dance. She approaches each class with the same level of excitement (large class verses small she is there to teach).
Ariel: Both of my boys have taken classes with Ariel. She is wonderful, silly, and oh so talented as well. She combines laughter with dance. Seriously, she enjoys the children as much as they enjoy her, they laugh and dance the class away. My youngest likes her a little bit to much, and has had to work on sharing her with the others. I have personally seen on a couple of occasions Ariel’s ability to turn children’s fear into their passions. She has also taken classes that were smaller, and kept them running until they filled up. (Which is super helpful when you have specific times you need for classes).
Marlena: This lady is a powerhouse. My oldest took a ballet/​Musicals class with her, and the amount of things she taught the children, and fit into the class time was amazing– I’m still not really sure how she does it. At the recital a lot of us were amazed with how in depth the program was, and how she kept all of the children so focused. Marlena is a phenominal tap dancer, and we really want to take a tap class with her soon. She is always so sweet to the kids, and can be found arriving early for her classes, and playing with the children in the front, and showing tap moves.
Christine was wonderful too, but left to pursue her career. We miss her;)
There are still more teachers that we want to meet at the dance studio, and take classes with (I’m sure they are just as lovely as the teachers we’ve had).
Jared: While he doesn’t teach dance is very involved in all things dance, and helps out with the theatre program, as this is where his training lies. We look forward to having children old enough to participate in the theatre. Jared is so thoughtful, loving, and professional my children are always so excited to see him, make him pictures, and pretty much stalk him. It is really nice to have a male presence at a dance studio, especially when you are raising dancing boys!
The owners: I’ve had a couple of conversations with them, and they are very kind people, who want their customers to be happy. The summer camps are happening at the same time as regular dance classes right now, and I’ve had the privilege of watching one of the owners work with the theatre children. She is obviously very passionate about theatre, and brings a lot of passion and energy to the program. It is a joy to watch.
I must add that we are a huge fan of the Circus Arts Class, and take it every semester in addition to other dance classes.

I’ve known KnD for several years now and it is a great place to bring your kids if they wish to dance and have fun with it. They are not strict with attire nor do you have to be an experienced dancer. Not only are there dance classes for your kids they also offer birthday parties! Heard from other parents that the birthday parties are awesome and can’t wait to book one in the future!

This place is really terrible. My 4 year old has been begging me to enroll her in a «ballet» class for many months. Against my better judgment, I skipped a real ballet studio and enrolled her in Kids’n’Dance thinking it would be more low key. Because it was our first time and I didn’t know whether she’d like it, I bought only 4 trial classes instead of the entire 10 week session. The classes are NOT cheap. 4 weeks of classes cost $ 48 for 45-​minute classes or $ 16 per hour! I assumed when I bought the 4 week pass that I could use the classes at any point during the 10 week session. The girl who signed me up said NOTHING about having to use the classes consecutively.
We showed up for class today thinking we still had two classes left (we had missed 2 of the 4 weeks of consecutive classes because we were out of town). The girl at the front desk then tells us we have no more classes left. I tell her, «yes we do, we’ve only used 2 of the 4». Then, and only then, does she inform me that we had to use the classes consecutively and oh, by the way, if you miss a class, you only have the 4 week period from when you purchased the classes to make it up. I told her that no one ever informed me that the classes needed to be taken consecutively and she says, «it was on your receipt». I’m sorry, but who goes around reading the fine print on a receipt? This was not a handwritten receipt, but a register receipt! How would I have known this as this was our first time there?
So I say to the girl (this is the same one who signed us up originally and who neglected to tell us any of this info), «since no one ever told me any of this, do you want to make it right or shall I leave now and never come back». Because she’s 20 and clueless, she looks at me like I’m crazy and just shrugs her shoulders — that was the extent of her response. Are businesses that lame that they’re willing to let people walk out the door and do so much damage to their reputation? I recommended this place to another family whose daughter is going there now and I will do my best to influence them not to go back after my experience. They also offer classes at our elementary school after school and I will now do my best to influence our PTA (of which I am a part) to eliminate them from the list.
My recommendation: save yourself a LOT of money and go elsewhere. If you’re really interested in having your child take a ballet class, this is not it. It’s a completely overpriced tumbling class. The Oakland YMCA has a pre-​ballet class that’s something like $ 50 for 10 weeks. Now that’s the right price.

I have two girls (now 8 and 10) who have been taking dance and theater classes at Kids N Dance for the past 3 years and they love it. I was really looking for dance classes for my girls with a focus on fun without the pressure of «being the best» and to be exposed to a number of styles and teaching methods. My girls have had a number of teachers, some they like more than others, but overall they have all been wonderful. My girls have taken hip-​hop, ballet, tap, circus arts and modern dance and have really enjoyed performing in the end-​of-​session shows. Getting up on stage is a huge confidence builder and gives them a goal throughout the session.
Probably their favorite classes have been the Musical Theater classes, both after school and the summer camps. They put on some really terrific Broadway-​style productions. I have always been amazed at what they are able to pull together in such a short time. Parts are assigned at the second class and because everyone wants to be the lead, there is special effort by the teachers to make everyone feel like their part is special and important, lead or not. My girls have often started out disappointed with their assigned part but by the end of the 3^rd class they are thankful that they have such a «good part.» That’s what make KND shine in my book.

Our kids (ages 8 and 10) probably spend more time at Kids ‘N Dance than anyone except for the owners. We previously used multiple aftercare programs, but the kids begged to go every day of the week (we cut them off at 4). When we go to pick them up at 6 PM, they never want to leave.
For us as working parent, Kids ‘N Dance is great. They pick up our kids at Redwood Heights School and transport them to the studio. We have not had an issue with pick up in 3 years using the program. The aftercare program has a nice space in the back where they do art projects, play games, etc. During aftercare, there are different dance classes and theater opportunities that the kids can take — our older child signs up for every possible dance class and theater class.
The musical theater classes and performances are absolutely outstanding. They have various overlapping age groups with different levels of performance challenge. At the beginning of the 10 week session, they try out and are cast for parts. Kris, the director, does a great job of finding the appropriate part for each kid. The seem to work on 1 to 2 songs per week, and have a dress rehearsal and two performances at the end. With each rendition, the musical gets better.
The 1 week summer programs are also great. They put together a full musical in one week. The afternoons are filled with various field trips, typically outdoors.

During the last year my 8 year old daughter has taken 4 sessions of hip hop, 2 sessions of ballet, performed multiple routines in 2 recitals, performed in a production of Annie in summer camp and is currently taking hip hop and jazz all at Kids n’ Dance. During this time she has blossomed as a performer due in very large part to her beloved teacher Reagan. My daughter was pretty self conscious a year ago but she really wanted to take hip hop. We started taking classes in Oakland and she connected with Reagan who has been very patient and encouraged her to take more and different classes. We now go to Lafayette twice a week to take classes with Reagan but will continue to do camps and other classes in Oakland. Reagan’s passion for dance has totally inspired my daughter and she really looks forward to her classes every week.
We also had my daughter’s 8^th birthday party at the Oakland studio with Reagan. The theme was «Grease» the costumes were great, the dancing was high energy, it was a blast. Not to mention a great value for the price with access to the whole back studio, playground and rec room.

Cute place, fun classes, nice teachers my daughter enjoyed herself.

I am writing about the birthday parties and not about the classes — but maybe soon about the classes too!
My daughter just had her 5^th birthday here and I cannot say enough wonderful things about how well they do things here! Our teacher, Jenny, led the girls in a series of dances, complete with stories and costume changes. Jenny was extremely warm and sweet and remembered ALL the girls’ names. She even included one of the guest’s little sister (who was barely three) and made her feel very comfortable!
We chose the Princess Tales theme, but I know that there were several different to choose from. My daughter and her friends were just beaming from ear to ear the entire time. They got to be Cinderella and Jasmine and Snow White and Ariel! (and one or two more that I can’t remember right now) Then we went upstairs to the party room for snacks and cupcakes. Anytime the girls got a little restless, Jenny seemed to know how to get them back in focus. And to top it off, the girls got to go back down to the acrobatics room to work off that sugar!
It was a great birthday! I think that we are going to be going to several more of these in the next few months as now her friends want to have their parties here as well!
Great job Kids ‘N Dance & Jenny!

Saying something negative about this place is kind of mean, because I’m not even really the key audience. If you have little kids, and you want them to do something musical and dance-​related, I’m sure this is a great place to bring them. I loved musical theater when I was a child.
However, I was really surprised at the shocking lack of diversity represented at a recent show — are there really only white yuppies who bring their kids here? It’s just surprising, given where it’s located — I’m guessing everyone drove down from Piedmont and Montclair for it. It seems really strange to me.

With studios located in Oakland and Lafayette, Kid ‘n dance is a must know place for East Bay parents who want to introduce dance and music to their young children. I have taken my daughter to the Oakland studio for mommy & me creative movement classes and more recently to pre-​ballet classes (ages 4 – 6) and I have been very impressed with their classes, teachers, staff and the owner, Kris. But more importantly, the kids seem to LOVE it there.
The Oakland studio is extremely cute with a wonderful community feel. For an hour, my world stops and my head clears as I watch from behind the curtains my daughter dance and interact with her teacher and classmates. After wards, the two of us will bond over coffee and juice at a café across the street — we both love mommy & daughter Sunday mornings!
Given the demographics of Unilocal,I know that this review may be lost on most Unilocalers but I felt strongly about adding this business because when I was looking for a dance studio for my daughter just three years ago, the process was so much more difficult than I expected. I want to do my little part to help other parents find this little gem — now isn’t that what Unilocal is all about?