Joffrey Ballet School

I would give this studio a 5 for the following reasons.
1. Huge studios, clean
2. Beautiful location
3. Warm and friendly staff (mostly)
4. Excellent instructors. I saw a lot of improvement in my technique. And they are so passionate about what they do.
5. Beautiful live music
However, these are the following reasons I’m giving them a 3 instead.
1. The women’s locker room is unsavory. The smell is awful, it’s cramped, and it often has plumbing issues. It’s also so hot, especially in the summer. It’s way too small.
2. Their class card policy. It expires way too fast. I travel for work. I’m often away one to two weeks at a time. It’s nearly impossible to complete the classes I pay for under their policy. It’s NYC, they could afford to be a bit more flexible
3.I took classes there diligently for nearly a year, once to twice a week, with a very popular instructor. I became friendly with her on a small talk basis. One day I took one of her more beginner classes. We were given time to stretch on the floor and she began to chastise me for stretching. I wasn’t aware that she was getting ready to have a group stretch. I had taken classes with her for over a year. And it was rare she had group stretches. She was rude to me the rest of the class. Every so often, more advanced students would join her class and perform more advanced combinations. I had never seen her speak to them in the manner she did me. I’m an adult learner. I’m not auditioning for any companies. I enjoy ballet as a hobby and a fun way to be active. I took a few more classes with her but I couldn’t stand her attitude after that. I grew up dancing and I’m familiar with mean dance teachers. I’m also aware that «showing off» is frowned upon. But I was stretching by myself. Perhaps she was having a bad day? Either way, it put me off. Ballet classes are not cheap. I still take classes here occasionally but not with this instructor. I also take classes at another studio. They lost a really good customer. We’re all adults. Don’t treat us like misbehaving children. And please leave the mean girl games at home. I work too hard for my money to give to someone that belittles others.

I really appreciate the attention to detail and how professional everyone is at this school. Everyone there is definitely focused on ballet as an art and learning the technique that goes along with it. The adult classes are a great deal and you get a very wide and diverse set of adult students — age ranges 20 – 70 from different backgrounds, men too!

Honestly, I never write on here because I usually don’t feel so strongly (either good or bad) about places to really share my opinion about it until now. This clearly is just my opinion and my personal experience with Joffrey and I’m not trying to sway anyone to not go. I am just offering advise to people who chose to go so they know what they are getting into. I also am an actual customer with proof of receipts from Joffrey so this isn’t some random rant.
(Pro)
The teachers themselves are great at what they do and clearly have a passion for not only dance, but teaching and helping others in dance. I have had Sidney, Anastasia, Alison, and Stephanie as instructors in Beginner Ballet classes and have taken Jessica’s Absolute beginner course. All of the teachers (especially Sidney and Stephanie in my opinion) are talented and skilled in teaching.
(Cons)
The front desk always seems extremely understaffed. The little sliding window is usually closed when I go by and not accepting people or at times, no one is even there. This is probably why there are so many complaints about trying to get in contact with the school in general.
The pianists are extremely rude. They are obviously gifted on playing the piano but it is completely overshadowed by attitude and rudeness. The first class I ever took (beginner ballet which was also my first dance class I have ever taken in general) with Anastasia (Who was covering for Jessica on a Tuesday night) completely ignored me and acted as if I didn’t even exist the entire class. Mark, the pianist, saw I was struggling with the steps and made fun of me the entire time. He even talked about me to Anastasia as if I couldn’t hear him. I let that slide because I’m not a confrontational person and I wanted to never go there again. However, before giving up completely, I decided to give one more class a try which was Sidney’s class. It actually went really well and I told myself I would give it all a shot and try my best no matter what anyone had to say. I signed up for Jessica’s absolute beginner class and continued to take Sidney’s beginner ballet class. Mark continued to judge me and look my way a few times each class as usual but I eventually ignored him to the point where I would forget he was even in the room at times. If you get Mark in a class, just ignore him as much as you can. He didn’t just do this to me, he looks around the room and judges all of the dancers and snickers at them.
The pianist for Jessica’s class is Marina who just keeps her head down and plays music but definitely thinks she is above others. She has over spoken on both Jessica and Anastasia during classes and loves to complain about minor things. If you get Marina, avoid her at all cost. Heaven forbid you even step in her path and she will probably complain for 10 minutes how rude you are for being in her gaze. If you’re brave enough, just put her in her place if she tries to disrespect you. Some people who have special gifts believe they are above others. The only problem with that is that Marina is not the only one who has a gift. Talking to people however she wants to may work for her home where manners clearly are not taught but it certainly doesn’t work for me.
Lastly, some of the seasoned students in open classes are not the warmest people you will meet. Some of them share the same qualities as Marina and Mark. Try to ignore them as well and don’t be intimidated by them. Open classes are open for anyone with $ 15 in their pocket and the right attire. No one is more special than the other. This isn’t an audition for Broadway or Swan Lake and I think it’s important to just try your best and have as much fun as possible.
Looking back on everything, I will not ever come back to Joffrey. I learned so much about ballet and dance in general being there but the bad outweighs the good. It really just shows that it doesn’t matter if something has a long history and a prestigious name with a lot of money behind it, doesn’t mean it’s the best for you. I spent my money on a place that treated me with such little respect. I took these classes as a fun thing to do after work and as a stress relief. It turned out to only add more stress to my life and make me feel horrible. I spent $ 440 on Jessica’s absolute beginner class and took 10 classes of Sidney’s beginner ballet class at $ 15 a class. In total I’ve spent $ 590 in Joffrey over the course of 10 weeks and that doesn’t include the commute, the attire, and just simply my time I put in. I really wish I had a great experience like so many of you. Just because this happened to me doesn’t mean it will happen to you. The sad part is that I bet they could care less about my feelings of what happened which shows how much they value me to begin with. I would love to keep taking Sidney’s classes but this school doesn’t deserve my money.

A couple of years ago, while feeling bored with the gym in genera — I never understood its appeal — and petrified at the thought of catching bedbugs at the lock room or fungus at the swimming pool, I asked a friend for exercise suggestions. Knowing that I enjoyed going to the ballets at Lincoln Center, he recommended that I give adult ballet a try. I am glad he suggested it.
Luckily, the well-​known Joffrey Ballet School is close to where I live and they offer an extensive array of classes to adults, especially for absolute beginners like me. I started with the Adult Beginner Workshop with Jessica and continued thereafter with weekly drop-​in classes (or sometimes twice a week). Over the course of a year and a half (since November 2014), I had classes with four different teachers, (Jessica, Lara, Stephanie and Annastasia), depending on the day of the week. They’ve all been wonderful, supportive and encouraging. You’ll quickly notice that they all have different teaching styles and focuses. If I had more time, I would take drop-​in classes with 2 or 3 different teachers every week, as some of the students seem to do. But given my busy schedule (outside work, ha!), I am only able to attend Thursday evening classes.
At $ 15 per session which lasts one and a half hours, the fees for the drop-​in classes are quite reasonable.

I cam here via class pass for both the Beginner Ballet II and the Beginner Contemporary Dance. Both were really excellent.
Overall notes: This is a legit dance school and not a your swanky Soho fitness studio, so it is a bit dirty and the locker rooms have minimal facilities, but you get an excellent class experience with great instructors.
Beginner Ballet II: This was your typical ballet class, start at the barre, center work and then some across the floor combinations. We also did a bit of core work. The instructor made a point of saying that part of the class was having fun which I thought was great because at times ballet instructors forget you are supposed to be having fun. There were a lot of leotards and tights but I didn’t feel out of place wearing some yoga pants and a t-​shirt. They do require ballet shoes though. They had a piano player who provided nice accompaniment. If you have never taken ballet before, I would recommend the Beginner Ballet I class. As with a lot of adult ballet classes, there were a lot of disparity in experience levels. Some were most certainly at an intermediate level. Over an excellent experience. The space did not feel over crowded.
Beginner Contemporary Dance: The instructor, Alison Cook Beatty was amazing. While you could tell she was more used to working with experienced dancers, she did a great job of explaining the movements with people with little experience. We even learned some of the company’s work, which was very cool. I got the feeling that most of the students were regulars (even though I just popped in for one class). Some students wore no shoes and others wore ballet shoes. The class was pretty small so there was lots of individual intention.

Unlike 98% of dance studios offering ballet classes in NYC, Joffrey is a bona-​fide ballet SCHOOL. That means that there is actual instruction, guidance, expectation of improvement, and focus on absolute proper classical ballet technique. They are set up on a «semester» calendar. That includes the pointe classes.

Came here for the Core Synergy Conditioning with Allison via ClassPass. The schools entrance is on 6^th ave and looks like an apartment building entrance. There’s another 434 that’s a store right next to it a well.
Once inside, there is a women’s locker room with big and small lockers. Seems to be high-​traffic depending on what other classes are going on. Everyone in my class seemed to change in the locker room but bring their bags into the studio to be put on the side.
It has been a few weeks since I worked out due to travel conflicts, so this seemed like a great way to ease back into it. It was a wide variety of stretches and exercises that concentrated on your core and legs. Decent amount of arm work as well. Music was not that loud and could constantly hear other classes music. She did play a wide variety though which I liked.
No shoes or socks needed for this class. I wore socks and during the light cardio at the end of the class I was very aware of one wrong move leading to my demise.
Allison was great and I would definitely come back!

I absolutely love this studio. The classes fill up quickly but at $ 15/​class, who can blame anyone? Be sure to check the schedule as classes close up during certain periods of the semester for breaks. There are classes for all types of levels– beginners, former ballet dancers, advanced en pointe dancers… There are plenty sessions daily. Mostly everyone wears a leotard with tights and ballet shoes are a must. Some people wear yoga pants and a sports bra or tight fitting top. You want to be comfortable with tight clothing as you move around a lot and complete floor exercises. The views of 6^th av along with the live piano playing is truly a pleasure. You will feel your body become leaner in just a few weeks and notice your posture will improve drastically. I highly recommend this studio.

Great school, love Jessica’s class, Stephanie is quite amazing and, I believe, the strongest teacher out of all. Core Synergy was a waste of time for me.
Good classes are always crowded to the point you can’t get in if you arrived right before they start.
NB: there are no beginners in their beginner class (except for some random, frustrated by the end of the class people). You HAVE to have prior dance experience.

Getting settled in Manhattan for over two years, I decided it was time to slip back in my dance shoes and get a new exercise routine.
I was super excited when I discovered the adult program at Joffrey Ballet School. Like any kid spent their entire childhood in leotards dreamed to be the center of the stage, Joffrey was like a dream to me.
Hadn’t taken a single ballet class for 18 years, I was a bit nervous when I went there on a sunny Saturday afternoon. I had no idea how advanced the class would be considering my not-​barely-​flexible-​enough-​to-​be-​a-​dancer body.
Surprisingly, the Beginner I that I took was quite easy to drop in. Thank God my childhood trainings were not completely wasted. I still remembered basic steps and movements and the arrangement of the 1.5 hour class was very smooth and enjoyable. The instructor was nice and encouraging, though she didn’t spend much time correcting our postures at all.
I would definitely recommend this class to anyone who wants to get back to ballet. I think I will take a couple more beginner I classes to get my body used to the movement and hopefully move on to the level 2 and get more focused training.

Like most men of my generation I know little about ballet except the following three words:
Mikhail Barishnakov’s buttocks.
Yes, those buttocks were amazing (and yes I am straight) and thanks to Joffrey Ballet School, I am well on the path of molding the clay that is my flesh into the sinewy marbled buttock muscles that I know my doughy butt dreams of becoming.
You too have fantasized about buttock transformation. Your buttock transformation begins even before you step into the Joffrey Ballet School facilities. Your buttock muscles will engage as you navigate the ancient sidewalks of The West Village.
At the ballet school entrance, you will undertake buttock transformation phase II: walking up the stairs. The dance school is on like the 3^rd or 4^th floor (JUST LIKE IN THE MOVIES!!). O’ how I wish you were there with me, watching my buttock muscles becoming more toned as they engaged and carried me up those stairs…
Okay, now let’s get Buttock Transformation Phase III: the class.
It was AWESOME ! (and kinda totally weird, but really in an amazeballs way.
Reasons it rules:
1. it’s in a weird old NY building, and it makes you think you might be on an episode of Fame or trying out for A Chorus Line or maybe on an episode of Rhoda or something
2. If, like me, you dress really weird and are a total misfit, you will meet people weirder and more strangely dressed than you, and they turn out to be cool.
3. You can LITERALLY feel your buttocks lifting, growing, toning and becoming more powerful than you could possible imagine your buttocks ever becoming
4. MOST IMPORTANT: Those idiots who wrote bad Unilocal reviews about this place won’t be there. Which means they won’t be admiring your toned buttocks
5. Also important: I saw exactly zero baseball hats
6. JUST AS IMPORTANT Music is provided by some guy with a piano. It made me feel like I was in Russia, but in a cool «hanging with Mikhail Barishnakov» way, not in a lame «persecute the Crimean Tartars cause I know Vladimir Putin and I totally can» kind of way
Writing this review has been almost as good as going to this ballet class. My buttock muscles have replenished their vital essences and are ready for more vigorous ballet challenges, where they will take another step on the path toward becoming the buttocks they have always dreamed of becoming.

This is a review for the Adult classes.
I really enjoy taking class here. The studios are old but large, and I think this school has some of the best pianists in the city for Adult classes (including Andrei). I am at a very basic level, so I take the Beginner classes. Sidney, Andrei, and Stephanie all teach with great knowledge and also emphasize the «dancing» portion of the equation, which can get lost elsewhere with so much focus on «doing it right.»
The classes can get crowded but are extremely enjoyable. The studios look out right onto 6^th avenue, where the glimpses of the hustle and bustle can be an amusing contrast to the beautiful music as you calmly do your barre work.

By far the absolute worst administration in the world of dance! Try calling them, then try getting any kind of answers. My child took an evaluation class, but we have to chase them down to find out which class she belongs in. No return calls from anyone! Ditto for canceled classes, you don’t find out until you arrive, perhaps a phone call or email? Fat chance! The building sucks, old, crusty and cramped. No order, parents wait for kids in line with those waiting to start the next class. It’s like boarding a crowded subway. At rush hour. They could learn a lot from the Ailey School which is a smooth-​running engine. We are here for the excellent ballet teachers, but otherwise depressed because of the lack of order and structure otherwise.

The core synergy conditioning class is a no frills but tough workout. They own a couple of floors of this building, which is old. I ended up wandering a few areas until I found a group of people who looked young but not like ballerinas and followed them into class. I removed my shoes and socks and left them outside the classroom.
The teacher, Alison, was super adorable but really tough. Very encouraging. The workout was basically barre and pilates and including a decent amount of push ups and some jogging in circles. The classroom was small for us (maybe like 20 – 25 of us in class) but it seems that on Thursdays they have the bigger studio as she mentioned. We did some workouts on the barre towards the end of class.
Great class but definitely don’t expect the same boutique studio experience. I did love that when she turned off the sound system all we heard was the piano playing in the background, through the walls from the other studio next door.

3.5 stars rounded up. I bought an Amazing Local Deal for 5 classes ($ 40) because I’d heard good things about JBS. It’s one of the oldest schools in NY. The studio spaces are beautiful– nice floor, large spaces, and lots of mirrors. Be sure that you remember to bring your ballet shoes (some people wear socks but I think this would make you slip). A leotard is not necessary, just regular workout gear is fine but if you have one, why not go all out.
As it’s been said, the instruction here is a bit advanced. I’ve only taken the beginner classes (which are 1 ½ hours and taught pretty much everyday Monday-​Sat. no classes Sun). I took one semester of ballet in college but I am pretty uncoordinated and the steps are taught really quickly. If you have NO ballet experience, you may have a hard time keeping up as they call out the positions. The overall pace of the class moves fast to. The basic structure is:
— Warm up abs exercises
–Barre work
— Stretching
— Learning a simple-​moderate combination where the class dances in 2 groups
— Learning a combination that moves across the floor in groups of 4 – 5 people
— Jumps (as a group)
–Jumps across the floor (with 4 – 5 people).
You just need to remember to relax and have fun, and not to worry if you mess stuff up. Some instructors are very good about hashing home that message– such as jessica. She is very sweet and encouraging, but one of the more advanced teachers. I also took Sidney’s classes and she is a bit easier and more basic.
The night thing about the classes is that there is a live pianist who plays along. :) Makes you feel all classy and pretty. It’s relaxing also. One major con is that the classes get pretty big as they dont’ cap the number yet… it’s like 60 people at times! (Sat at noon being the most crowded, Thurs at 6:45 the least crowded, in my experience)
As for signing up, you don’t need to register online, you just go 15 min before class and drop in. I think a regular class (without the deal) is $ 17. Don’t even bother emailing them because they suck about responding. If you have questions, call the front desk. Also, registration is on the 3^rd floor even though the lobby says JBS is on the 5^th floor; it’s 3 – 5 floors. (studios upstairs). The locker rooms are really small and cramped and the bathroom is also gross but whatever. You can’t win ‘em all.
I used my 5 class card to also try the Core Conditioning classes with Alison. she’s very sweet and encouraging. The class is actually a full body workout (with cardio as we do jumping jacks/​run around the studio). You don’t need ballet gear for this– in fact, you do it barefoot mostly (no shoes). The class really reminded me of physique 57– you do thigh/​butt work at the barre, then abs work on the floor. Then isometrics/​the cardio I mentioned above. It’s a pretty challenging class and a good workout.
I see a lot of kids here so they must have a decent children’s program (in addition to adults). The only other ballet school I’ve tried in NYC is the Ballet Arts
at City Center on W. 56^th street and I thought JBS was better.

Joffrey Ballet School is the school in NYC for adult beginners. I’ve taken classes at a few places and after taking classes with Dena Moss and my favorite, Jessica Fitzpatrick, I firmly believe you will get quality lessons. They are always accompanied by pianists. In addition I’ve taken 5 rhythms classes also hosted at Joffrey.
I’ve taken off two stars because of the actual facilities. The location is very old and also quite cramped outside of the studios. They don’t always look very clean and the women’s changing room/​restroom area leaves a LOT to be desired (more space, widen the bathroom stalls).

The Beginner I ballet class was absolutely NOT a beginner class. Everything was extremely rushed and there was NO attention paid to actual beginner students who had not already learned positions and form (even though the instructor asked who was there for day 1 of ballet).
Very disappointing and frustrating when you’re being asked to do multiple step routines, «waltzes» and warm ups that you’ve never done in your life. I’m sure this is fine for the students «coming back» to ballet, but it would make more sense to use «Beginner II» for that purpose.
Also there were close to 40 students in the class. It was almost impossible to see what was going on.
I did enjoy the piano accompaniment though.
I suppose I’ll go back to use the rest of my card and get a workout in. And hope for a different instructor. Christine was subbing for the regular instructor and perhaps made the class more frustrating for the few beginners that were in the class.
We’ll see…

Getting back into ballet as an adult was very hard especially with sciatica. After trying classes around the city that I could use to ease back in, I only found one that was truly wonderful. That’s Dena’s class at the Joffrey Ballet School. Her basic 2 class is wonderful and she’s such a great instructor. She always reminds us that we are adults and that if we feel something hurting, or just don’t feel like turning, we can stop. There is no pressure to out perform classmates. It is a comfortable and enjoyable class. Dena is very personable and approachable. I love her class!
Another great class is the Core Syngergy class. It incorporates cardio and the Lotte-​barre method. It is an hour of insane muscle sculpting. Highly recommended!

Last year, I had an insatiable desire to put back on my ballet slippers. Now, by «put back on,» I mean, I can’t even fit into those suckers anymore because the last time I wore them I was 13.
… Flashback:
Mom: «That’s right you have to choose.»
Me: «I can’t!»
Mom: «Oh you can… and you will.»
Me: «Okay, okay. I guess I’ll stick with soccer and tennis and give up dance.»
And that was the end of ballet… and jazz… and tap… and well, you get the picture, I was obviously spreading my athletic abilities thin back then.
Fast forward to last year. I enter Capezio and immediately wonder why I’m not anorexic. After dropping way too much money on leotards, leg warmers, new slippers and all things ballet, I headed over to Joffrey to make sure I could get into their adult classes.
Joffrey is the première school for adults who want to continue their dance studies without going all Black Swan.
Well, there are some instructors here that could definitely make you go Black Swan, but I avoid them like the Black Swan plague.
I love Jessica’s classes. I go on Tuesdays, Thursdays and the occasional Saturday when she teaches.
If you know your positions, how to do a simple pirouette and can touch your toes, you can take her Beginner Ballet classes.
Looking forward to graduating into Ballet II and Pointe. But, don’t worry, I won’t be starving myself anytime soon!

I took Jessica’s class, and man was it perplexing. For an hour and a half we did nothing but random drills. There was absolutely no emphasis on proper technique, and I felt like Jessica put little to no thought into her instruction (if you can call it that).
My suggestion is to take your money elsewhere. Alvin Ailey and BDC have much better ballet classes.