Heather Waynes Performing Arts

Outstanding studio and excellent instruction from Heather and her staff. We have taken from Heather Wayne's for a few years now and absolutely love it! The teachers are extremely skilled and talented. They work very well with the students and their parents. The teachers fun, but they do not tolerate misbehavior from students who want to waste class time. \r Dance isn't cheap, but Heather Wayne's Dance Academy is well worth the money. She is very comparable to other dance studios in the area, but we have been to other studios in the area and Heather's skills far outweigh her competitors. \r \r more

We have been going to this dance studio for many years. If your child is not in the dance company then the owner simply will not have anything to do with you. It costs $8000 + per child to be in the company and this does not include costumes or any traveling expenses to competitions. This studio is all about the ""haves"" and the ""have-nots"". The children whose parents can afford to have them in company are given all the attention. The children who just take a class here or there are not given any credit and their dance accomplishments are never recognized. Over the years, I have seen many families leave the studio because of their dissatisfaction. I feel the owner of the studio is rude and has poor communication skills. My tip to her would be to treat all children and parents the same, regardless of how many classes they can afford, they also help pay for your beautiful facility. Also, to make the studio more family oriented and spend time getting to know the families. This studio gets more and more impersonal every year. Last of all, it would be nice to have a Christmas show. Every other studio has at least two major performances a year. The kids at your studio take classes all year in order to do a final recital where they are only on stage for a maximum of 2 1/2 minutes. I feel the kids need to be challenged and should have at least two performances a year. I also feel that the studio is disorganized and there is poor communication with parents. The last issue I want to mention concerns modesty. These are young dancers, I don't find it appropriate for them to do dances with provocative moves and booty shakes. I say tone it down, it is disgusting! more

My daughter has taken lessons there for a couple of years. However, if you do not live in Chateau Elan, Reunion, etc. or drive an expensive car, the Owner will not even give you the time of day. The only reason we stayed was her instructor, who is no longer there, and the outstanding receptionist, who has mysteriously vanished. Also, you never see the Owner. The economy is bad right now and any additional expenses have to be weighed carefully. SAVE YOUR MONEY!!!! There is nothing left to gain from this place anymore, unless you are only interested in your own selfish social status, and not the integrity of a real dance studio! Pros: Facility is great! Cons: Expensive, Unprofessional more

While I feel that HWDA has the best in local dance instruction, they are FAR too focused on the ""company"" girls. All of the fundraisers are for the sole purpose of helping to pay for the extravagant expenses associated with being a company dancer, which the average family may be unable or unwilling to afford. I constantly felt myself asking ""Why do I want to donate my household goods for a yard sale or buy a calendar that features ONLY the company girls when I am paying full price for instruction?"" The students who are there for recreation are relatively ignored and unrepresented. Heather needs to place more attention and focus on the students that truly fund her studio, regardless of their innate ability or access to unlimited financial support. It would be so nice to see the newsletter ""spotlighting"" a ""regular"" student who has shown individual improvement or a fundraiser calendar compiled of photos of ALL the students (i.e. candid recital photos). Heather needs to recognize that without the dedication and tuition of her ""regular"" or ""average"" student, she would not be where she is today or be able to afford her glamorous new facility. Remember that dancing is a unique and joyful experience. Not everyone is a protege or prodigy , but that doesn't mean they aren't doing their best and worth recognition. I will enroll my younger daughter is a less company-centered facility in the near future. In response to another commenter: Heather's receptionist, Patty, does indeed come across as ""ditsy,"" RUDE and snobby. I've never been so ignored by someone while waiting to ask information or give them my money! She comes across as arrogant and unapproachable. The fact that she has a ""degree"" (in what?) is irrelevant. Pros: Beautiful, state-of-the-art facility; competent teachers Cons: ""Company"" (competitive dance students) centered more

Excellent studio for instruction. I feel like we get our money's worth. The teachers are skilled and work very well with the students and their parents. The teachers are not mean, but they do not tolerate misbehavior from students who want to waste class time by misbehaving. I like that! Some parents get upset when teachers or coaches redirect their children during practice. I think they miss the point.\r \r I have also been impressed with the dance styles and costumes the students wear. Some studios substitute good technique with inappropriate dance moves and skimpy costumes. I don't want that for my daughter! I would prefer tasteful and skilled rather than....... well, you know......\r \r It is always important to check out a studio owner's past when choosing a studio. Heather Wayne's previous experienc ein working with students is stellar. You cannot make a better choice.\r \r more

Dear Swish11,\r I am Sure that even a little bit of extra time used for dress rehearsals is NOTTTTTTTT going to hurt. Otherwise, if you cant stand the heat GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN! Hwpada is WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY more appropriete than those other dance school with the explicit songs, bikini outfit and BAD choreagraphy. If you had a problem for some reason than you shoukd have talked about it rather than running away like it soundsfrom your paragraph. Anyway, If you listen in school, you wouls hear that if you have nothing nice to say DO NOT OPEN YOUR MOUTH!!!!!!!! hwpada is the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! more

Disorganization at it's worst. The instruction is not top notch...we were very dissapointed because the facility was cute. When recital time came the rehearsals were very very long and inefficient. We never had this problem at our previous studio, or at our current studio. If I were you I would take a look around before choosing this studio. more

I firmly agree with DN because the receptionist has many degrees and is NOT DITSY! LIke another person said, If your kid and you cannot stand the heat, than get out of the kitchen! Pros: everything Cons: NOTHING more

Dear tmcabc123,\r You are so wrong about about Heather Waynes. We are sorry about your recital tickets but I promise you that they did everything in their power to fix the problem. Also, the receptionist is a collage graduate and is very intelligent. You should reconsider your choice of leaving the studio because they are the best in the buissness. Heather Wayne cares so much about all of her students company or not. That is the same for all of the other teachers too. When ever the company girls misbehave then they get in more troble then people who are not in company. All of the teachers never yell at the at the students and when they use a tone then they are only using it for the best intrest of the students. Also, the owner is practicly a saint because she offers her facility to an uplifting church called The Vine. The students of Heather Waynes are learning an art that will last them a life time! I would recomend this studio to anyone that is interested in dancing, acting, and/or singing.\r -DN Pros: Everything Cons: Nothing more

I just read a review, and i'm sorry for that women's experience. But! I must beg to differ, that parking lot is spacious, now just because those who are driving in it do not obtain the ability to follow the arrows marked on the pavement for direction, doesn't mean it is a bad parking lot, it means there are some terrible drivers out there!! Mean teachers? That's the problem there ARE NO MEAN TEACHERS. I agree with the second review if oyur kid can't take the heat, STAY OUT OF THE KITCHEN! Pros: parking, options of classes, new, spacious facility Cons: children tend to play in areas they are not allowed to be in more

This dance school has more than just tap, ballet, and jazz. It has musical theatre, irish, acting, voice, leap jumps and turns, ballroom, hip hop! You want it they've got it! It is a huge facility. Some teacher are more strict then others, but they are not there to hold your childs hand they are there to teach them! If your child is too senstive to handel stern correction then he/she does not need to be in the show business. I recommend this dance school to those who live in the area and are interested in any of the classes they offer! Yes it may be hard to get there considering the way Spouts Springs road was treachously built. Deal with it! more

my daughter had taken classes here two years, I just realized how corrupt they are. we paid all our fees, they didn't pull out our recital tickets that were allotted for our recital fee. I was told that unless someone returned tickets for the sold show we were out of luck, our daughter would dance with no parent in the audience. They made the mistake, yet they were NOT willing to fix it. My daughter will not be returning next year to this studio. I won't give the kind of money they charge for 3 classes to a place where I don't know if i'll get to see her recital or not due to their error. This studio is also overly concerned with dance company and keeping ONLY those moms and kids happy. the ones who take one or two classes they don't really care about. The company girls run wild thru the studio, no one tells them to behave. This year the owner was my daughters teacher and she was mean, yelling all the time, being sarcastic with the girls. Don't pay the money for your child to be verbally abused and put down. Pros: new building Cons: ditzy receptionist, bad parking, lots of traffic getting there, mean teachers more