S J Academy of Dance

I was at SJ’s for 13 years and absolutely loved every minute of it! The dance school is like a family and I made such amazing friends over the years. The teachers were all so kind and supportive and I can’t thank them enough. They gave me the skills to progress throughout the different grades and the confidence to get on stage and perform solos at dance festivals. I have such amazing memories of when everyone came together to put on the dance show every other year - and I still like to watch back the videos/dvds now!!

We feel so lucky to have found SJ! Both my daughters train here and as someone who danced myself I am delighted with how they are developing as dancers. The teachers have a strong foundation of technique first with the right balance of discipline and inspiration to drive their pupils forward. My daughters have had great opportunities to compete and perform in shows with fantastic choreography and have made friends for life.

What an incredible dance school. My daughter has just taken part in the 'Girl in the Hood' show at the MAST Mayflower theatre and I was blown away with the talent on stage. It is evident how much the teachers work on the childrens technique but also their stage presence. The children performed brilliantly and I cannot wait to see my daughter dance again. The standard is so high and the teachers are both knowledgeable and supportive of the students. I highly recommend this dance school.

SJ Academy of Dance is more than just a dance school to me. It’s where I formed lifelong friendships, developed my confidence and pushed my boundaries. I grew up at the school starting at the age of 3 and taking my last exam at age 19, I couldn’t imagine my life without dancing in it. I am very thankful to all my dedicated teachers I had over the years for the training I received here.

This is an amazing friendly yet professional school. All my children went though this school and had an amazing experience with the teachers being so helpful and caring too. Now my grandson goes there and I have just been to see the show they put on every few years and woweee! I have seen professional shows at the west end that weren’t as professional as this one.Of course my grandson was amazing(I might be biased!)Everyone I spoke to there thought it was fantastic and you could see the cast totally loved performing on the stage.If you have a child or grandchild and want to have them fought by friendly and professional people try going to this school.Totally fantastic! Thank you SJAcademy it was incredibly emotional watching my grandson dance!!

My daughter is just leaving SJ to train at Bird Conservatoire of Dance to pursue her dream of dance professionally. The standard of dance from the teachers at SJ is second to none, their support to develop and watch my daughter grow into the Dancer she is today is amazing. I would highly recommend SJ they are brilliant.

My daughter Issie has been dancing at SJ Academy for a number of years, she has achieved great success as well as grown and developed as a dancer, both physically and emotionally. The teachers at SJ are excellent, they really understand their students, set high standards and deliver excellent teaching. Issie enjoys her classes so much she hates to being away and can't wait to get back from holidays. She loves her classes as well as being part of the SJ Associates team.

This dance school is fine if your child is selected for the Associates (invitations only select group) as everything the school does focuses on training and preparing these girls (and a few boys).If your child does not make the Associates then you would be better off sending them somewhere else! Otherwise they will attend dance classes where they will be overlooked, belittled and feel intimidated by the Associate girls - this was the experience my daughter had at any length! Plus the only opportunity they will have to perform will be in the school dance show...once every three years! Pretty much all the main parts go to Associate girls, as do a number of additional dances. There is not a fair distribution of dances/parts in the show, considering it is supposed to be a show for everyone!I honestly regret sending my daughter to SJ Academy. During class the teachers worshipped the Associate girls and disregarded the others - these girls were always treated as being something special. For example, the way they openly compared their expectation of Associate girls with the other girls in class for all pupils to hear, announcing lower expectations of the latter. My daughter always felt second best at SJ Academy and eventually dropped out as a result.There is also a divide between the parents with Associate parents keeping their distance from everyone else! Quite a number of the reviews on here are written by Associate pupils and Associate parents (some now ex pupils/parents), and these people honestly have no idea what it is like to be on the other side of the fence. My daughter tried and tried to be noticed and was absolutely devastated when she wasn't.It is fine to have a separate section of genuinely talented children, but the dance school still needs to do something for the girls that are not in the Associates. There is nothing for them at SJ Academy.

A dance school I can't help but compare everywhere else to!This dance school was the air I breathed for so many years from the age of 2.5 to 18 I danced weekly for SJ dance. SJ is more than just a dance school it was a home and a family. I'm still in contact with so many of the girls from back in the day.Every part of SJ is outstanding! From the ladies who help with the shoes and to be fare any help you need! They welcome everyone with a smile and all the kids adore them! The teachers are outstanding and meet every child's needs no matter how different! There is no pressure for a child to compete if they don't want to, yet every child will be given the opportunity if interested.I now live in Wales and hate that my daughter can't attend this dance school! No dance school will ever mean as much to me as this one. I still love visiting with my kids and showing them where I danced for so many years and the teachers and old friends are always so happy to see us.Thank you SJ for giving me so much including skills that help me in my adult life!

One word - Associates! This select group is by invitation only with a flexible entry criteria for the right people!Our daughter fell on the wrong side of this criteria at SJ Academy and despite all her enthusiasm and effort, never received the invitation she so desired. She took this rejection to mean she was not good at dancing and it was at this point that we moved her to another dance school; she is very happy in her new class and has found her enthusiasm again.The Associates have additional weekly classes to give them extra skills for performing and competitions. If a child is enthusiastic and works hard, I don't see why they can't attend these classes. I can understand that the best dancers would be selected for solo entries in competitions, but why exclude children like my daughter from the classes when she tried so hard. For Non-Associates there are weekly dance classes, exams and a school show once every three years. For Associates there are festivals, competitions, other opportunities to perform, plus social events!My daughter use to complain about the behaviour of these girls and their unpleasantness towards non-Associate dancers - including mimicking what they considered bad dancing and refusing to speak to them. Really, I found the whole set up divided the dance school - even amongst the parents. Our new dance school is considerably better.