Waterford Dance Academy Inc

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.

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 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.