A Z Dance District

★Taz K

My three children are the casualty of the situation. Berating my wife in front of a lobby full of parents was the last incident. The reoccurring issue is poor management. Miss Paula is great as well as some other teachers. We had the kids multiple class over 600 a month and countless mech and costume purchases to support the studio over six years. I’ve watched problems both big and small get blown out of proportion, including our own. Unsurprisingly, even our departure is being mismanaged. Abruptly came to an end just a couple weeks prior to recital and summer break which is upsetting to the kids. Seems like a lot of places have drama these days but if you want to avoid that and petty issues consider checking out a different studio.

★★★★★Chrissy Josephson

My daughter has been dancing at AZDD for 5 seasons now and it’s been a fantastic experience. Supportive teachers, positive environment, and wonderful families. Truly a special place.

★Mia

This studio was not for me, they didn’t teach anything, we barely did our dances, and I didn’t get better through out the year, the only reason I got my triple pirouette is because I tried and tried at home, the dances where barely rehearsed and I didn’t learn the dances correctly

★Kerry Stanfield

This dance studio has been such a disappointment. With the chaotic parking lot, delayed or nonexistent email responses, lack of information for new dancers, poor communication, and nowhere to even watch your child in class, there have been a lot of minor issues over our time at AZDD, but the main issues all seem to come back to the owner herself. My daughter spent two years dancing there and the amount of drama, disorganization, and inappropriate leadership decisions have been shocking. My daughter had a lot of fun during her first year, mostly due to her incredible teacher. Unfortunately, that teacher was inexplicably fired (or quit) mid season this year and replaced by numerous substitutes who had little to no structure. They would run through the dance once or twice in an hour long class! We spent the last six classes of this season with FOUR different substitutes. Instead of handling that situation with professionalism, the owner placed blame and spoke poorly about her previous employee…to both parents and children! The unprofessionalism was shocking. The owner of AZDD is religious and her Christian beliefs are often brought up to both children and parents. It also seems many of the teachers there follow the same religious beliefs. At the final recital, the owner even led a prayer with all of the dancers without any parental permission. If you want to have a religious organization, that’s fine, but it needs to be presented as such so that parents can choose to opt out. Her political preferences are also easily found which is telling in the current climate of our country. In the two seasons we were there, multiple employees either quit or were fired mid season with no replacement plan, children were asked not to return, and some of the best dancers chose to leave. The owner seems to get upset and take things personally and then reacts without thinking things through. She is incredibly unprofessional and communication issues are rampant. All in all, the casual nature of the studio is great, but it is a real shame that it’s run so poorly. We will not be returning and hope to find a studio who puts the children first over the ego of adults.

★★★★★Mary Butterfield

We’ve been dancing at this studio for years, and we absolutely love it! Both of my girls dance here, and the teachers are always so positive, supportive, and truly great role models. It’s a welcoming environment that builds confidence and joy. We look forward to the recital every year—it’s always a highlight! So grateful to be part of this dance family.