My daughter has been dancing at SSD for several years. Most recently, she has been able to participate in many new performance opportunities, thanks largely to Miss Shannon. It has been exciting to see the students' technique improve so much over the last several years. We've also seen how much added confidence the students have developed from performing so much more often.\t\n\t\nSSD is not only developing their students as dancers (as evidenced by the number of older girls being accepted at highly competitive summer dance intensive programs and colleges) but they are developing their students as performers and confident young men and women. They teach the students self reliance, resourcefulness and organization in addition to ballet, jazz, modern, hip-hop, tap and musical theater. What more could a parent ask!?!? ...read more

My daughter recently left SSD due to the technique and professionalism of the ballet instructor, miss Holmes. Before Miss Holmes came to SSD, the previous instructor was Miss Danya. My daughter really loved Danya and severely missed her when she left. Miss Holmes was a poor ballet instructor chatting for nearly half the class at times about her personal life rather than teaching ballet. She also put a girl on pointe who was too young who got injured. I'm sure that her education was good, she just wasn't born to be a teacher. Another weakness in their faculty is one of their new ballet instructors. Miss Hansel is not a strong dancer and I just cannot understand why she is a teacher now. \t\nThe other teachers are wonderful and their modern and jazz programs are very strong. Everyone always enjoys Laurie Deyo's modern classes. My daughter has heard that the new ballet teacher Miss Keleher, is pretty good.\t\nSome people have said that it was Miss Danya who saved SSD, and I believe that without her, SSD's reputation as a strong ballet school will disappear. ...read more