ALICATS Dance & More

★★Casey Fleury

After two years, we ultimately decided to leave this after-school program. While the pricing felt fair for what was offered and we truly enjoyed working with Ms. Patricia, our experience overall was disappointing. The facility itself is extremely busy, with items covering nearly every wall surface, which feels cluttered and overstimulating. While that was something we could overlook, the larger issues were within the musical theater program. My daughter participated in three productions and auditioned for a fourth. Throughout her time there, she was consistently overlooked for lead roles. We were told that by paying an additional $100, she would receive personalized one-on-one coaching through a workshop designed to build confidence, improve technique, and better prepare students for auditions. Unfortunately, that one-on-one coaching never happened. Instead, my daughter came home in tears many nights, feeling discouraged and pushed aside while certain students—clearly favored—were given repeated opportunities and lead roles. There was little to no rotation in casting, even in productions geared toward children. A 10-year-old should never be able to identify favoritism from a teacher, yet she did. She was also told multiple times that she was “too dramatic,” which is especially disheartening in a musical theater program—where drama is part of the craft. After repeated heartbreak, we made the decision to move her elsewhere. Sadly, this experience has shaken her confidence, despite her clear potential. I truly hope this is not the end of her theater journey.

★Valerie Roberts

I’m scared to write this and it has been almost a decade since my time at Alicats ended. It left a stain on my life forever and haunts me. The name on this account is not my actual name for privacy reasons. If for some reason I must be verified I have more than enough proof to show that I was there. And honestly, they’ll probably immediately know who I am. There’s so much I could say but I will try to keep it brief. I started at Alicats when I was 5 years old. I went into the company when I was 7. From what I remember, that was the first year of the company group. That year went great. Then we changed studios. Alison switched flip. I started gaining weight and she was not happy. I tried so hard and exhausted myself. I was seen as the worst dancer in the company. Y’all know who I am. I was made to feel outcasted by students, parents, and faculty. I cried on the regular. Of course, I have no clue how it is now but at the time, all the parents had cliques. A previous review from 5 years ago says as much. They also all sold diet products from MLM’s and some of them gave them to their kids and even the staff was drinking that stuff. When I was 9, Allison yelled at the entire company for going to eat when we were supposed to be on stage. Everyone was in tears. Some of them left eventually. However, we had a contract, we had an obligation. The pain kept going. That same year we did a performance at a child modeling event wearing tight leather pants and a sparkly crop top that was padded to make us CHILDREN look older. The song was All About That Bass by Megan Trainer. I was 9. I can’t make this up. Look at their facebook page. I don’t think I need to say much more than this. If you want your kid to experience real life dance mom’s, this is the place for you. My life is forever stained by this company. I could write a book. I have no power to ever do anything but write a google review and hope someone sees it and protects their child. Allison. I ask that you don’t reach out to me. If you feel a lick of sorrow for anything you put me through, don’t contact me. That place gave me an eating disorder. I can never recover.

★★★★★Gina A

As a parent, finding an aftercare for your child can be overwhelming. Last year we had an awful experience with Legacy & wanted to pick something different. The aftercare program of Alicats boasted their extensive aftercare program with homework help, included snacks, & one hour class for the students to attend if they were of age. Over the summer, I did extensive research. I joined a few parent Facebook groups & asked for other parents recommendations. When school was about to begin, we decided to forgo fully prepaid lessons at another school & have her join Alicats. As a former preschool assistant director, I know firsthand that students appreciate far more whether their teacher cares for them, versus how much knowledge their teacher knows. A child who looks up to their elder will seek out & learn from trusted adults for this reason. Similarly, young children care whether a teacher is willing to cherish them for their young untapped potential. Alicats works on teaching students to “lift them up & build their confidence" which I appreciate. Any teacher can teach skills, techniques, & methods, but there are few teachers who aspire to go beyond that to challenge young dancers to find their passion & use dance to build confidence. I have seen several teachers who are willing to build this relationships with the students based on my interactions & hearing other classrooms. My daughter has been able to explore acroarts, ballet, tap, musical theater & has recently auditioned for a Broadway play that is being presented by Alicats. Her confidence has grown & she is always asking to stay longer to play with her friends. There was only one instance where I reached out to the owner with concerns on how a teacher was speaking to the students, & the response from the owner was immensely professional & very accepting of the feedback. It also seems like it was handled professionally which makes me feel comfortable for my child. I can appreciate how teachers work with the students as well to ensure they play well together & communicate appropriately with each other. My daughter did discuss with me that teachers do not allow students to cross their arms over their chest as it might portray them as "angry" which I thought was interesting take on body language. My hope is that students are still allowed to express when they are upset or angry in a meaningful discussion. Their discipline system seems to include yellow & red colored stickers put on the child or next to a name which I am unsure how I feel on. I am still getting more information from my daughter on this and explained to her that there are a lot of students they are constantly working with so certain discipline systems are used more than others. She is exposed to lots of different scenarios that I feel are important for her to learn the skills needed to emotionally regulate as we are a home that focuses on discussions & always expressing ourselves. I appreciate how open & willing the school is to communicate with parents. We get emails often on different items such as pictures, recitals, special parent nights out, camps, etc. I would love to see the school organize more events for the parents to interact with the teachers & classes. It does seem that Alicats aim to be involved in a student’s all-rounded development. This holistic approach to education is rare these days. Another vital detail is that the front desk staff, remembered us. I imagine that Alicats has many students, so it is praiseworthy that the staff were able to established rapport with our daughter by remembering her name & all the other students' names. I highly recommend parents to think about these questions: What qualities should you value in a dance teacher/school? Is it the many awards on the wall that makes a dance teacher great? Is it the cost of tuition? Or is it the relationship bond established between the child & teacher? "The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires." - William Arthur Ward

★★★★★Debra McEwen

I am in my 12th year in Alicats' adult tap/jazz class. I can't say enough good things about Alison and her staff! They provide a loving, Christian, caring environment for their dancers. No bullying or shaming is tolerated and the awesome dance skills they are taught will amaze you. I have been a dancer since my teens, and my daughter danced for several years as a child. Alicats is the best studio that I have ever been affiliated with and I am proud to be a member of the P.R.I.D.E.😃

★★★★★Kaylee Baty

My 9 year old daughter loves being at Alicats! This year she is part of the junior performing arts company. She has already made wonderful friendships and has an older dancer who is a big sister figure. This is so awesome for her as my daughter is the oldest and doesn’t have an older sibling at home. I’m am looking forward to her getting an amazing dance education through ALICATS! My 3 year old daughter will also be starting this fall and she can not wait!!! We highly recommend Alicats!