Manhattan Movement & Arts Center

Great space for performances

MMAC has been a fantastic place for our 2 girls, age 5 and 3, to learn ballet, hip hop and tap. Claudine and her administrative staff are very helpful and very responsive to emails. They are very flexible with rescheduling makeups as well. My girls love learning with Ms. Angie and Ms Tonya. Our favorite part of the semester is the Showcase event, where all the children wear their costumes put on a real dance performance on a stage in front of a full house. It’s a big deal for the kids, and they are so proud to show what they’ve learned over the semesters. MMAC also throws a great summer camp for kids!

My twin 7 year old girls have been attending ballet and tap classes for the last 3 ½ years at MMAC and have had a wonderful learning experience. They adore Ms. Angie who has made ballet and tap so much fun. And I have been amazed at how much they have learned and how poised and accomplished they are on stage. Every semester there is a recital on stage for each of the classes which is great for both the kids and parents. The kids look so adorable in their costumes and are so excited to perform. My girls even performed their ballet routine for their school talent show this year and everyone was so impressed with their performance.
This summer my girls attended the summer workshop for children ages 5 to 12 and loved it. They were exposed to musical theater as well as different forms of dance, yoga, and circus acrobats. They were excited by all the different activities and every Friday they performed for the parents a short piece of musical theater.
Administration is always helpful in accommodating families and the staff could not be nicer. They also have a great café with delicious and reasonably priced food. The facility is clean, spacious and well maintained. I feel lucky that I found this place for my children.

If you are a famous ballerina you can bypass the wait list here however I went to see a friend’s piece in a college dance show and did not get in, and was lied to by box office staff. Won’t be returning here!

My 6 year old daughter has been attending ballet classes for the past two years. I have seen her bloom in social skills as well as dancing ability. Her teacher is amazing, patient, and easy to talk parent to teacher. As I continued bringing my daughter I’ve come to know the other staff who are always helpful, ask about my little boy who waits for his sister and stop to say hi to all the children as they come and go. They try to cater to the needs if the families adding classes or adjusting the schedule. Recently my daughter was asked to perform at a Gala and she performed a selection she learned at MMAC. Everyone was so impressed with her talent. I couldn’t have asked for a better program!

Beautiful theater. Well maintained facilities. Watched a dance show. Seats are comfortable and nice atmosphere. I will attend more shows at this location. I would love perform at this space one day.

I went to see the Four Voices ballet; this was my first time going to the ballet. I went to see my gf perform, so I feel a little obligated to give it 5 stars: D. I didn’t really know what to expect, and was a little skeptical, but I really enjoyed the show! It was a variety of different styles. I didn’t even know there were different styles (just goes to show that I am as ignorant of what she does for work, as she is of mine. haha) This is a ‘black-​box’ theatre; which means its a small box with black walls (I know, very confusing). This isn’t the fanciest place to see ballet, but I had a great time, and would go back.

won tickets to scream out loud it was spoken word with a rock band. while i was walking around i saw people taking danceclasses. the performance was great.

This place is great for aerial silks. Bobby and Polly are helpful and friendly instructors. They’re great at breaking down the moves and challenging you without pushing you too hard. They know what each student is capable of and cater to each and every one of their needs. A great place to get in the air to laugh, play and learn!

Open space! Eclectic programming. Great energy. Friendly staff. Tasty smoothies makes this the perfect place to visit for attending a dance/​karate/​meditation/​acrobat class or just taking in a performance…

Flipped upside down, hanging by mid-​air by a couple of ribbons, and desperately trying to move my body in the direction and manner as Becca, the spotter/​assistant instructor, directed, I’m having the time of my life!
I’m no athlete. I readily admit that my physical prowess leaves something to be desired. I’m clumsy. I get dizzy easily. I’m afraid of heights. In short, there was absolutely no reason why *I* should be taking an aerial silk class. And here I was, dangling upside down like a helpless little fly trapped in a spider’s web, convinced that *yes*, I can move gracefully through the air relying on ribbons.
I read a news article about aerial dancing last year and wanted to try it out ever since. I finally got a chance to do it recently and now I’m absolutely addicted.
Aerial silk (fabric) dancing is an incredible work-​out. It’s so so so much fun (the 1.5 open level lesson flew by) and it engages all of your muscles, especially the abs. I hate doing crunches and am generally negligent about doing much ab work, but I LOVE aerial silk dancing. I could feel myself getting stronger within the single session.
It doesn’t require as much upper body strength as you think it would. The moves really rely on having a solid core to hold yourself in position. I woke up the following morning with my muscles being pleasantly sore.
I joined the open level class, which has people of different levels. It worked out well for me as I got to see some of the more complicated moves. It’s really inspiring watching them and just makes you want to work harder so you can do them too. The small class size meant that we all got to use the ribbons. Bobby, the instructor, is so kind and encouraging.
It’s seriously addicting. I left my lesson thinking about when I could go back for more. It’s gym crack!

I’ve been searching for belly dance classes outside of the one I’ve been going to for the past 7 – 9 years. I followed the link to Manhattan Movement & Arts Center from Jehan Hanna’s website. As soon as I saw the Egyptian-​style class at 5:30, I HAD to sign up. The timing was perfect for a Saturday and the cost was only $ 15 for a 1−½ hour class.
The dance center is the real deal with state-​of-​the-​art facilities. There’s a café, lockers, changing area, and showers. Everything is clean and well-​lit. I loved seeing all the little ballet dancers in the front. The best part is: the second class is free!