Joffrey Ballet School - New York

Sylvia T.

I booked a beginner class through ClassPass and wish to leave my review here for reference.

The following review is completely my own subjective opinion.

First of all: the studio should clearly state the experience level required for this "beginner ballet" class. I just started ballet a few weeks ago and only take 1-2 classes per week. I don't dream of becoming a ballerina or even go on pointe. I just want to get some exercises and improve my posture. Sadly, that's not what I got from this class.

I left the class 20 minutes early because we were off the bars and doing things way too advanced for me. I didn't know how to do the moves correctly and was worried about hurting myself.

Before the class, I saw some negative reviews of the instructor and I was ready to be picked on because I was still new to ballet. However, what I expected from the instructor was to point out what I did wrong and tell me the right way to do it

I definitely didn't expect to be told "what the heck are you doing", "ouf! You've never done ballet before"...

The instructor is bipolar, maybe she also feels herself being disrespectful sometimes, so she’s being nice for a few seconds to make up for it.

I feel her attitude is not suitable for teaching beginners, an intermediate level will meet her expectations.

I definitely won't be taking any classes here in the near future. I might give it another try once I have a few years of experience. But the class was also too crowded. There were 40 students and it’s just impossible to see yourself in the mirrors.

penguinem

please do not go here if you are hoping to become a professional ballet dancer. I can only speak on the ballet summer intensive btw. I went a few years ago so some information might be outdated, but in my experience it was not good. There were WAY too many students attending and not enough studios/ not big enough studios; It was very frustrating to try to dance when you barely have enough room. Additionally, the skill level varied widely even within levels. Repertoire classes were not very organized/ orderly. Some of the teachers were ok, but I didn’t get many useful corrections. Also, I found it a bit ridiculous that it would cost 100 dollars to request a roommate. And the food they provided to those that bought the meal plan was pretty abhorrent... Again, this school is not affiliated to the joffrey ballet in Chicago in anyway and I would not suggest you to put the joffrey ballet school in NYC in any of your professional dance resumes… Although this can be a fun experience and opportunity to be in NYC, if you were hoping for something to really improve your technique and to help you towards becoming a professional ballet dancer in a big company I would suggest you to go to a different summer intensive. I truly wish they were much more transparent about their connection with the joffrey ballet in Chicago and I regret that I wasted a summer here.

Jerrica A. E. C.

Our experience with Joffrey summer intensive NYC was sadly disappointing, and I'm sad to say the response I got from the program director was unsatisfactory, and basically called my child an outright liar.

My daughter attended Joffrey during the heat wave in NYC, and was placed at Pearl Studios. Unfortunately, the AC in their room was out the entire week. She was able to leave class and cool off in the common areas, but this meant that she missed instructional time.

The director says there were no issues, even though they had 4 fans in the classroom, handed out ice packs to the kids, and apologized during the week for the AC issues. The kids in other rooms claimed they were freezing, but the kids in my child's room were having to gather around ac vents in the hallway to cool off.

Furthermore, the food is practically inedible if you buy the meal plan. We had heard about this from other people who's kids had stayed in the dorms, but I didn't quite believe it until we experienced it ourselves.

I know everyone from Pearl to Joffrey is trying to cover their butts by saying there were no issues, but I'm here to tell you there were.

I gave them a 3-star rating because my daughter did really like the teachers and RAs, and she would have loved the classes so much more had she not been on the brink of heat stroke. The dorms were clean and new, and she made some new friends. Plus she loved being in NYC, with the freedom to explore on her own with her roommates.

So it wasn't all bad, but as I've watched her friends at other intensives over the summer, I've realized there are programs that are run so much better elsewhere.

Jen H.

My daughter Kaley attending a week with you all this summer and I cannot thank you enough for the experience you gentleman and your team provided her! This was her first intensive and she absolutely loved every moment of it and continues to put into practice what she was taught. We look forward to hopefully coming back next summer to see you both!

Brandi V.

Joffrey's summer intensive program was the best way for me to spend my summer growing professionally as a dancer. I enjoyed my entire experience from working with the talented faculty to living in a dorm. This program also helped me realize I have some personal weaknesses that I can not wait to improve on. I will be counting down the days until I can dance again with everyone at the Joffrey Ballet School.

Best,
K.V.

Tito P.

Joffrey ballet school provides amazing training for those studying at any level there staff is amazing and “I can say you will see results quickly “

Kira B.

JOFFREY SUMMER INTENSIVE! One of the best experiences of my life. It was exciting, challenging and so so SO rewarding. Meeting and performing with dancers from all over the world, learning new styles, seeing BROADWAY SHOWS, having those IT GIRL MOMENTS! Every performer, every instructor, every parent was SO supportive and just absolutely amazing! I love it and i’d go back a million times over.

Susana C.

NYC is filled with many great ballet educational institutions. However, we attended the summer intensive 2023, and my 12 year old had a wonderful experience. I’m not very experienced with levels, but the teachers are vey keen in assessing their students. We came from a competition studio that claimed to focus in ballet, instead my daughter who has been taking ballet since the age of 3, had fallen behind in her technique. She started at a ballet studio but was later sold to a franchise studio 4 years ago.

The summer intensive moved her around each week of our three week Joffrey’s summer intensive evaluating her weekly to meet her needs. Upon our return home to Michigan we auditioned for a ballet educational institute in the mid west and she has been moved up 2 levels thanks to her training at the Joffrey’s. In return placing her in a better dance school in Michigan has placed in a higher level at Joffrey’s ballet summer intensive 2024.

I had to share this experience because I couldn’t stand the low reviews some had given the school. NYC, which happens to be my hometown is a busy city. After Covid we all had to readjust. Supporting the arts is of great importance to me and I know that without the necessary funding it’s difficult to update facilities. However, the facilities have been significantly improved and updated.