Waterford Dance Academy Inc

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The only positive thing I can say is that Laurie Twarowski was an amazing ballet teacher who taught me to love ballet. Other than that I can honestly say I wish I had never studied here. The owner is unprofessional, untruthful, and downright mean. She caused my sister and many other girls to quit dancing altogether because of the things she said to them.

My boys and I love coming to Waterford Dance Academy. We have been taking classes for the last two and a half years. I have never seen or heard any teacher ostracize or embarrass a student as crimson said below. Instead I have seen the teachers and students support and encourage each other cheering when a particular step or leap was mastered. My boys have grown so much in the area of dance and in their character since beginning with Waterford! Come check out Waterford Dance Academy for yourself, you won't be disappointed.

Waterford has become like a home to us. 3 of my 4 children take classes at waterford and we have been here for years. I was saddened to read the poor review of the woman who said her daughter was laughed at and left crying. I know all of the staff and teachers and have known many past staff and teachers as well as countless students. Never have I heard of or seen this type of situation occur at Waterford. In fact that is one of the things we loved the most right from the beginning. My oldest was shy and reserved and lacked confidence in herself even after years at another program, she grew so much in poise, ability and confidence at Waterford. Many friends have been made and the teachers are so trusted and such a welcome influence in the lives of my children.

We love this studio! My daughter came in as an older beginner 2 years ago. The level of training she received is incredible. She has come so far in such a short time. I and know I can attribute her being picked for her high school dance team to her training at Waterford. The building is clean and beautiful, the studios are so big too. Alyson, the owner is incredibly organized and very quick to reply to phone calls or emails. The classes actually don't cost that much more than the non-resident fee at the park district! (I shopped around) I will tell you, I know about the old teachers that left to go into business for themselves, and I must say...The NEW teachers at Waterford are AMAZING! The dancers here are very fortunate to have a place to dance that truly cares about them. It really shows in every aspect. Friendships are formed. Yeah, it's a dance studio, I know, but for the kids who've been coming for a long time, it's their home away from home.

I am the owner of this studio. I have been in business for 13 years, teaching for over 20 years. I LOVE what I do, I truly LOVE and appreciate my students, ALL of my WDA families, and my faculty and staff. I welcome and respect all who come through my door. I encourage my students to do their best 100% of the time. I want every student to have a positive and uplifting experience. I expect my students to follow the rules 100% of the time, bottom line. And if a student can't do that, this is not the studio for that student.



The negative reviews are a result of the expulsion of a teen-adult student. It is a free country, where people can freely post their opinions. However, the history should be revealed, as there are 2 sides to every coin. An 18 year old girl was expelled due to repeated rule and policy violations, utter disrespect for her instructors and peers and me. Several warnings were given by me before the decision was made to expel her. As a result, the parents made the rounds and posted scathing reviews about my studio on just about every possible review website, over the course of 6 months following her expulsion which took place in early 2012.



Regarding addressing issues that arise with ANY student. Situations are dealt with immediately. Whether over a phone consultation or a private face-to-face meeting with a parent and student. These occur from time to time. And I assure everyone that I always have an open door, and students and parents can come to me whenever there is something that needs to be addressed. If there is an issue between a student and teacher, it is addressed right away, if it is an issue between students, it is addressed right away. Resolution is achieved quickly, however, in some instances, it is in the child's best interest to leave the program if a satisfactory resolution cannot be made. This is a very rare occurrance.



In response to the comment about kids working the front desk: I hire adults to work the desk, on trade for classes for their kids. There is 1 teenager, who as part of her scholarship responsibilites, works at the desk for 2 hours per week. They are all very knowledgeable and love what they do and I am happy to give them the job so that their kids can take the classes they want.



Thank you for taking the time to read this. Yours, Alyson M. Hawkins

Great place for kids to learn dance. My oldest is in her 6th year and my youngest is in her 3rd (1st year at the concert level). Every instructor my girls have had were always very professional, attentive to the kids, and very knowledgable and skilled in the classes they taught. Not only have my girls had fun learning to dance, they are also learning discipline, etiquette, and other valuable social skills as well as making new friends. The owner has always responded to our emails and phone calls whenever we've had questions or concerns. Kinda pricey when you are paying for a lot of classes, but like anything else you get what you pay for. The dance concert in June is fantastic and very professionally done. The skills and discipline my older daughter has learned has helped her make the dance team at her school for the last two years. I hope my kids will be excited to stay involved at Waterford Dance Academy for several years to come.

My child joined WDA with her friends. They learned very little in terms of dance but my child was traumatized by the way the staff encouraged the other kids to mock and make fun of her. Stoic as she is she hid the taunting until she burst out crying one day. Such a normal popular kid now so afraid. I'm crying as I'm writing this.

My daughter was ostracized and came home crying after every lesson, The staff wouldn't step in and allowed this to happen, even after several complaints. They encouraged social cliches, and my daughter is now traumatized against dance. She has many friends in her life but none at WDA.

My daughter came home crying after every lesson, let alone the anguish of attending a recitals. Apparently the staff pays no attention and even encourages competition between these impressionable girls. My daughter may not be a Julliard dancer (I think she is) but please don't ostricize and embarrass her.

We LOVE Waterford! We have been going for the last 2 years and my kids have loved every moment! The teachers are great, the atmoshpere is friendly and encouraging. Stop looking, you've found your new place to dance!

We LOVE Waterford! We have been going for the last 2 years and my kids have loved every moment! The teachers are great, the atmoshpere is friendly and encouraging. Stop looking, you've found your new place to dance!

I have been going to this studio with my kids for the last 6 years. The teachers are great! Very personal attention, great instruction, and the owner has her hands in every aspect of the business. She's a great gal! And a great teacher too! We will keep coming back as long as my kids are dancing!

Love this place! Great facility, great instructors! Owner very attentive to the customers needs.

I brought my daughter here in November, coming from a place in Gurnee where she made no progress. She has now far surpassed any level of progress I thought she would make in the last 4 months alone. I am especially impressed with the level of individual attention she receives and the technical knowledge of her instructors. It's so much fun for her and she looks forward to classes every week. She just found out they are adding drama to their list of offerings and plans to add that this summer!I am going to sign up my 4 year old too! Choose WDA!

Highly recommended. The instructors are all adults, no teens. They know their stuff. They do the cutest performance for preschoolers in the spring. Each class has a 30 minute show, so you get to sit back and enjoy your child's dancing the whole time! It's great! Their grandma and grandpa said it was nice to see that, instead of the 2 minutes they did on stage for another local studio where half the kids aren't even dancing. AND the owner discounts the preschoolers tuition. It's not that much more than the park district!

This is a great studio for kids of all ages and levels. My 2 girls attend there and abslolutely love it. They have made lasting friendships and have actually learned how to dance pretty darn well in the process. The annual spring show is spectacular and I've been to many other recitals in the past, but Waterford is a step above and beyond the rest.The owner of the studio is also one of the teachers and she is very personable, knowledgeable and really knows how to run her business. My girls have had 3 other teachers over the years there and they are all equally wonderful. The class fees are very fairly priced. I would recommend this place to anyone interested in dance, no matter how experienced they are.

This studio is wonderful. I have tried so many other studios but none compare to Waterford!