Colorado School Of Dance

My two daughters switched to the Colorado School of Dance in Parker from another studio this summer. They are both on teams there, so we are at the studio daily. I am so impressed with this studio. From the owner to the office personnel, to the coaches to the other dancers and parents this is a wonderful place to be. The environment and staff is professional, positive and fun. My daughters have thanked me several times for switching them. I have already seen a change in their dancing abilities, but more importantly they love to go to dance class! The new artistic director, Juan Borona, who moved here this summer from NYC is amazing. The kids adore him! He works the dancers hard but has fun with them as well. The other coaches are equally wonderful. They all push the girls but are warm and genuinely interested in each dancer. I can't say enough how much I recommend this studio! more

After reading the review by ""FedUP, "" I felt compelled to comment on it. Unfortunately, there were so many issues to address that Citysearch did not allow me enough space in the comments section. That is the reason for this commentary. 100% irrefutable facts? Please. There are so many inaccuracies and half-truths in ""FedUp's"" review that it's hard to know where to start. How about at the heart of the dance school? Ms. Tuska is in fact a dancer herself, and has taught thousands of children over the past 20 years. She not only teaches my children, but is almost always teaching the several days a week that I am in the studio. While it's true that she does not teach many of the upper level classes, that seems like good business practice to me - she knows her limits and has brought in the best people she can find to grow her programs and challenge the dancers. Her ballet department continues to be the best around, and those employees have been with her for many years. Regarding the other employees who have left, my children took classes from one of them last year. The instructor was constantly late for class, barely communicated with parents, and began ending class 2/3 of the way through in order to work on personal projects (at least that's what my kids were told). I complained to the director, and I believe several other parents did as well. The instructor was gone shortly thereafter and a new instructor was found who showed up on time and taught my kids for their full 45-minute sessions. I would guess that the first employee didn?t leave by choice. Being at the studio as much as I am, I also heard a lot of gossip in the hallways about many of the other employees who left. I don't know what's true and what's not, but things are not nearly as clear-cut as this reviewer states. Several of the employees were allegedly conducting themselves inappropriately. If any of what I've heard is true, I have no doubt that their employer met with them about their actions. Ms. Tuska is very aware that her business is for children, and constantly strives to create an environment that truly nurtures kids. I know her well enough to state that she would address anything she sees or hears of that might be harmful to kids. If any employees chose to leave rather than improve their personal conduct, then good riddance! Now to the floors. Again, this reviewer is just wrong. The flooring at CSD has spring step technology and is foam loaded to provide cushioning for the more advanced dancers. The Marley floors are laid on top of this, not straight concrete. Unfortunately I have no idea of the other issues this reviewer brings up, but based on all of the other inaccuracies, I would doubt there?s much truth in what he or she has to say. more

Here is the real truth about CSD. The director repeatedly reminds people she is a Christian and has Christian morals. In reality, a Christian should never have to TELL anybody. People would know based on her actions. So, let's talk about her actions. It has been witnessed that the director has difficulty controlling her temper. She has thrown papers, office supplies, and electronics in a fit of rage. Multiple witnesses can provide testimony to that fact. She also makes it a habit of yelling at her employees during business hours, as well as calling them on the phone to obliterate them with her words. In addition to this treatment, she makes snide and degrading comments about them in the presence of clients and by electronic means. Speaking of employees - she has lost 5 employees in the last 2 months. She has also received notice that 3 more will leave at the end of June for a total of EIGHT!!! (If they are able to stand it for that long). One of these employees is the Financial Manager, who has been with her since she started the business on day one. Lisa treated her so poorly, that she not only lost an employee, but she lost a friend who was loyal and helped her from the beginning. In addition to this employee, she lost three employees from the Acro department. Basically, the entire department. She also lost her Communications Director in February who left without another job in place due to the treatment she endured from the director. And finally, she has lost her entire teams department, including the Teams Director, Teams Tap Instructor, Razzles Director and Business Manager. Tell me. How can such an ""upstanding"" person like the CSD director explain such HUGE turnover. In addition, since Ms Tuska was not a dancer herself, she DEPENDS on instructors to carry her load. Why do we attend a dance school where the director isn't a dancer, and does not choreograph ANY competitive dances? Not one. That is unheard of in the competitive arena. In addition to the above issues, the director also does not treat her clients fairly. Examples of this include a recent announcement in which some families were given crucial information while others were left to figure it out on their own. Also, at a recent competition, Ms Tuska insured that over half of the families were given the opportunity to receive photos of their dancers for free, while other families (those of the larger teams) were charged a fee for their photos. This from the very same competition and took place on the very same day! I'm not even sure it's legal to do that. At the very least, it's an unfair business practice. Regarding the floors and injury. It is WELL documented that there is an issue with the flooring for students that dance upwards of 6 hours per week. While the floors are fine for the preschool ballet class attended once a week for toddlers, it is absolutely NO environment for highly talented and competitive children to dance. I feel quite certain this is part of the reason she has lost her entire acro department as well as her entire teams department. I believe they could not, in good conscience, allow the children they adore to dance under such dangerous conditions. Final Thoughts. This review is based 100% on irrefutable facts! There are ALOT of dance schools to choose from. In Parker alone, there are two other studios. If you go 20 minutes outside of Parker, you have even more options. With the amount of issues the director of CSD has caused, I can't urge you STRONGLY enough to please choose a different school. more

We have been with Colorado School of Dance since its beginning. Our students have been there since it opened and have developed into mature, responsible dancers who have never had an injury. The school is safe, the director and established staff are well-educated professionals, honest- warm- and really care about the kids! The studio has been successful due to all of the hard work, loyal families, strong leadership, and Christian principles that guide it. The environment is clean, sophisticated, and nurturing to the arts. more

The flooring at Colo School of Dance is unsafe. There have been many injuries over the last couple of yrs and it is caused by the poor floors. You don't lay Marley directly onto hard wood. A good dance school should have sprung floors with some cushion beneath the surface to absorb impact. CSD doesn't have that and kids are paying for it with their knees, ankles and feet. It has been brought to her attention, but instead she is blaming the coaches. No wonder 5 employees have quit in the last 6 weeks. The director of the school is inattentive, greedy, dishonest, and has an ugly temper. I could go on for days about why this school is not good, but I'm not allotted enough words. So, if you care about your child, please heed my warning and steer clear. more

We have been with Colorado School of Dance almost since its inception. We have watched it grow into a wonderful studio. We drive a fair distance to get to the studio due to the morals and ethics of the leadership team. We searched out other studios to compare cost and quality and we will continue to travel the distance for a studio of this caliber. Each child is moved up based on ability and interest. My child has grown every year and it is clear (based on the skill level of some of her friends in other studios closer to our home) that she has progressed more quickly, her technique is far better and her quality of dance is exceptional. The sky is the limit here. You can't go wrong! more

I kept seeing girls injured over the years from poor instruction. The best Instructors have left over the last 3 years. talked many girls in the last few months that have been injured. Also very expensive, gouging more like it. Very embarrassed that my husband and I just didn't pay attention enough to realize that we should have sought out another studio years ago. more

checking some other studio's close by and colorado school of dance is triple the price for teams and rehearsal charges. one of the other local studio's doesn't even charge for the reheasal time. Pros: studio is ok Cons: way to expensive more

We have been at the Colorado School of Dance for 18 months, and we love this place. The teachers are great with kids and all professionals in the industry. The spring student production was quite impressive. They really made the kids feel special, even gave trophies. I could see that the talent coming out of this place speaks for itself. The school has moved into a new 11,000 sq. ft. building on Progress Way in Parker, one block west of Parker Rd. and Plaza Dr. Very reasonable tuition, as you get what you pay for here. They take all ages, and I will be starting my three-year in the 30 minute program this September. more