Esprit de la Danse

I danced at Esprit from the time I was 3 until I graduated high school, taking everything from tap, jazz, ballet/​pointe to tumbling. I was a very exuberant child with bounds of energy. My experience there was a very positive one, and I was I no way a prima ballerina. My time at Esprit taught me discipline, hardwork, and dedication. While Gay would reprimand me for talking or being silly at inappropriate times I never saw it as a negative experience, and we had a lot of fun too! As any teacher in a class environment she would remind me to pay attention so that I as well as my classmates would be able to learn… the purpose of a dance class. If anything I feel that my experiences and lessons learned at Esprit were invaluable for purposes more than just dance. The lessons I’ve learned at Esprit were transferable not only into the classroom at school but into my adult life in the working world and I am forever grateful for that. I loved learning to dance and perform and have returned every year since my graduation to assist in the annual dance recital.
My experiences at Esprit were so positive that when my son was old enough I enrolled him at Esprit. He loved dancing with Gay and has danced there for 3 years. Despite being a boy gay was able to instruct him in a way to make him feel comfortable and fit in with the girls.
I look forward to more years with esprit both for my son and my daughters once they are old enough as well.

I told myself that I wasn’t going to comment again after the last time, but I once again feel that it is necessary to respond to the several recent negative reviews about Esprit. As a mother, I can obviously see believing in your child, and thinking that they are wonderful, but when it gets to a point where interference is necessary, it has clearly become too much. There are simply some children who are not yet able to participate in a class where there are demands that need to be met, and the child is not even coming close to meeting them. When your child comes in over halfway through the year, knowing nothing, and clearly being either unwilling or not able of any attention or cooperation whatsoever, the teachers cannot be expected to spend the entire hour ignoring the other children in the class to literally have to bodily move the child so that they get off of the floor. When Gay has as many students as she does, it can be difficult to put the sole attention on one problem child when she has a class to run, especially when this child appears to completely ignore their surroundings. This may be more acceptable if the child began class earlier in the year, when they are expected to, but when they enter over halfway through, it is extremely difficult to allow the behavior (or non behavior) to continue, especially when it is at a severe detriment to the class. There are ways that situations should be handled both by teachers and parents, however parents need to be less ignorant of their child’s faults, and more willing to work around them instead of pretending their child is perfect. I certainly know that my daughter is not without her faults, but we work on the ones that are harming her and her growth.

My 3-​year-​old cousin was very excited to start dance lessons and had been asking for sometime to be signed up. My aunt and I took her to espirit for a first class and the experience was less than enjoyable.
We were very disappointed with the behavior of the owner/​instructor towards us as well as the children. This was my cousins first dance class ever, however I believed she was following pretty well for her age and skill level. The instructor was getting frustrated with her inability to follow and asked insultingly if she understood English. Even worse, she tried to pull my cousin out in the middle of the class in front of all of the children and we had to ask her to at least let her finish the lesson, which is what was originally agreed.
My cousin went from being very excited about learning to dance to dreading the idea of another class. Overall, I can’t believe someone would ridicule children at this age. They are sensitive and become affected… I’m very disappointed that this experience which should have been fun was ruined by the attitude of the instructor.

My daughter was very enthusiastic about dancing. Let’s admit she is not the most graceful dancer, but it doesn’t mean she shouldn’t dance. Not all of us were born with dance talent while many of us enjoy dancing and want to learn how to get better. Maybe learn some new moves…
This place caused my daughter to loose all her love for dancing.
The communication between the school and the students, and their parents is very difficult, strict and uncomfortable. My daughter came here very enthusiastic about dancing and lost all her joy and willing to even try.
The owner is acting as if she won’t waste her time on your kid if she’s not going to be next prima big ballerina of SF ballet.
It’s just another one of them juice squeezers that are built to take your money with the least troublesome/​work with your kids.
We were very disappointed and sad when realized what the results are for us.

Sadly I can only give one star for my experience. I am sure it’s 5 star worthy for others. I have a 5 year old daughter who loves ballet and is (in my opinion) good! However the teaching style here is very strict and does not allow for the children (in the 4 – 6 year old class) to be 4 – 6 years old. My daughter was constantly chided and reprimanded in front of the whole class. Sometimes Gay would compliment her, but the reprimands were much greater. Once not even 2 minutes into class my daughter was in a time out, which is not okay. Another time my daughter was severely chided in front of her whole class and the incoming class for high fiving with another girl, who was an active participant in the high five. They were told to not hit, and that high fiving is hitting. All in all my exuberant girl was a bad fit for this class. She tried hard and finally after a few weeks started leaving the class broken and sad, which is not appropriate for a 5 year old who loves to dance. The assistant was also very harsh with her and rarely had anything positive to say.
Oh and the studio is very very very hot.
I think it would be an appropriate place for older dancers, but not for young girls who just want to have fun, they can still learn discipline and cultivate a love for ballet without being broken and shamed in front of their friends. I understand that my daughter’s personality is part of the problem too, but I think that she could have been handled so much better.

They don’t answer phone calls! Wonder why maybe because I have a foreign sounding name. This is third time I have tried.

Great dance school (40 years of dance instruction)! I like the fact that it’s a small school and Gay can provide personal attention and encouragement to each child. The large dance schools which are more like dance mills where a little dancer could get easily lost. I highly recommend this dance school for all levels and ages.

Both of my daughters attended Esprit de la Danse for many years until they graduated form High School. They not only learned to dance but they also learned life skills like discipline, confidence and commitment. I would recommend Esprit de la Danse to anyone.

I danced at Esprit for 14 years and will be forever grateful for what I learned there. Gay taught me to dance but she taught me so much more. I gained confidence, responsibility, passion, and determination. I look forward to the day when I can send my own children to Esprit.

I used to go to Esprit De La Danse when it was on Homestead near Foothill. I haven’t been at this studio since oh, 1999? I have to say, I loved it when I was there. I think I danced here for 5 years or so. I took tap, ballet and jazz. I loved how it’s not like other large dance companies that have their «performance» group that they just gush over and then just their dancers that don’t perform other than the once a year recital. I remember listening to 80s music back when I was taking classes in the mid to late 90s, the big costumes and all the hair spray. Back then, we had all our recitals at Gunn High School, but I think they have since moved their yearly recitals to the Flint Center on Steven’s Creek.
After I stopped going to Esprit De La Dance, I joined my high school dance team and we took weekly lessons at a different studio, and I could not believe how much younger the teachers were, how innovative their dance moves were and really, how much more of a variety they had overall. At least back in the 90s, Esprit De La Danse only had the owner of the studio, with maybe 1 or 2 teachers. I’m not sure if it has changed since then.
I’d say this is a great place to introduce a younger child to dance, but if they’re seriously into dance and want to learn newer moves and technique, try out other studios too.