The Philadelphia Dance Academy

As an adult, w/​former dance training (granted it was hip hop w/​a side of other classical types, ballet, lyrical) this is my venture back to my younger days. I have really missed dance and still to this day wish I was a backup dancer for Britney Spears or Janet Jackson. [dreaming…]
I love that there’s a ballet class suitable for adults, beginner or intermediate. I’ve tried both to determine which is more suitable for me now. It’s been 10 years and enjoyed ballet a lot when I was younger. However, I am not heavily trained and my turnout is comparable to someone standing parallel. My feet are more pigeon toed, so turning out is really not natural for me (hence, the hip hop ya’ll).
Beginner ballet — 60 minutes, teaches the basics and technique.
Intermediate ballet — 90 minutes, anyone from adult training only to students who used to be on point. Def a faster paced and challenging (in a good way). 60 minutes bar work and 30 minute floor work.
All of the students (and teachers) are open and don’t judge. That’s quite important because someone with an oh so unnatural ballet body (big boned, have thunder thighs and body built for sports), I feel comfortable here. I’m so glad I found this studio.
For those tiny dancers, this is a great studio/​academy to begin their career, or just to take a class. Highly recommend this studio for children and adults.

This is a wonderful dance studio that provides my daughter with very high quality instruction and great performance opportunities. Whether your child aspires to be a dancer or just wants the enjoyment of dance, this very positive environment is the place to go!

I love the PDA! I have been taking the adult ballet classes for two years now and I’ve noticed a tremendous improvement in my dancing abilities as well as my posture. I started with the beginning class, which was perfect for my ability since I had only danced as a young child. This was such a great course to get me back into the spirit of dancing and it’s a good alternative to going to the gym. The instructors are wonderful teachers who are patient and willing to explain everything in detail if you feel unsure.

My daughter and I both take classes here. She’s 4 and in their beginner ballet program — creative movement. It’s perfect. It’s a professional, well run school without being too serious. My daughter loves going to class and looks forward to going every week. I was there for parents’ observation and was very impressed by what the teacher could get a group of 3 and 4 year olds to do. They were well behaved and actually learning real ballet technique in way they could understand.
As for myself, I danced for 15 years bf I went to college. At 35, I decided I missed dancing tremendously but was obviously completely out of dancing shape. I signed up for the adult modern class and i love it. It’s challenging but not over the top. Each person just works at their own pace whether a complete beginner or just out of practice such as myself. The class is very small so I get a lot of individual attention and it’s just an overall fun atmosphere. It’s only an hour a week, but I feel more flexible and stronger. I would definitely recommend this school for anyone who wants to give dance a try or anyone who wants to get back into it. You can even just go and try a class out and see if it’s for you.

I danced on and off for about 6 or 7 years when I was younger. I was no professional, but no slouch either. Usually one of the better dancers in my classes. But then, in college, other priorities took over and I didn’t have the time or money for ballet anymore.
Fast-​forward to my mid-​twenties. I was ready to unretire. But where to go? The problem was, while I was far from a beginner, my body just couldn’t do what it used to (nor could my brain remember most of the terms for what my body used to do). I took a few classes at Koresh but I just couldn’t keep up and it was rather demoralizing.
What I needed was a no-​nonsense, gravelly-​voiced personal trainer who could get me back into peak shape during a 2-​minute training montage set to driving and inspiring music.
But I couldn’t work that out (and I don’t have a grey sweatsuit anyway), so I did the next best thing and signed up for an adult intermediate class at the Phila Dance Academy. It struck a good balance between Papa Bear’s porridge (Koresh’s pro/​semi-​pro classes) and Mama Bear’s (the absolute-​beginner/​just-​for-​fun type classes). The class was just challenging enough, with a friendly and supportive atmosphere. The instructor was great and made me feel really comfortable. Also, it was a small class, which allowed for a lot of individual attention.
While I ultimately ended up leaving ballet behind and moving on to different types of dance, I had a good experience at PDA and I definitely recommend them.