San Elijo Dance and Music Academy

My daughter danced in the studio for 4 years, age 5 – 9, at first it was fun and she was young and we liked it that they were not pushing them too hard but as years went by we saw that she made no improvement and it was still an hour or two of play with no substantial learning, I asked the teachers that how we can improve and I wanted to talk to the owner and see maybe she can join their conservatory program, never heard back from them even after reminding the teacher and leaving messages with the receptionist. At that point we switched studios so our daughter can get proper training and reach her potentials.

This is the only dance studio in San Diego, I want my daughter at. The teachers are wonderful and are very experienced. My daughter has taken everything from, ballet and tap to contemporary and hip hop and all were taught in dynamic ways. I always feel like she will be respected as a dancer and a person.

I will reiterate what a previous Unilocaler said: Ms. Christina is amazing. She is the ONLY reason I kept my daughter in ballet and tap for as long as we did. Christina has more energy than a puppy and little girls adore her. We have been at the studio for years and I cannot remember Christina ever having a bad day or seeing her without a gigantic smile on her face. She is the kind of person you want your daughter around. No yelling, no intense dance pressure, just fun. She is by far the best asset SEDMA has, I hope they realize that.
We have been at SEDMA since the 2011 – 2012 season. My daughter was 3 at the time and we signed her up as a «Buttercup» in Ms. Christina’s class. My daughter is not going to be the next dance prodigy, nor do I want her to be (how many adult ballerinas can their possibly be in the world). My sole purpose for lessons was to entertain my 3 year old (now 5 year old) for an hour a week and, more importantly, the adorable dance pictures. And it was worth it. The costumes are all normal dance costumes, there is no creepy dressing up your toddler like a 25 year old lady of the night happening here.
I am not an intense dance mom and could care less about most things dance related. I have no way to say if what you pay for is market price, monthly you pay about $ 70, the end of the year recital in June runs about $ 200-​$ 300 after you pay for the costumes, registration and tickets (yep, parents have to buy tickets to see their kid dance). If you want a DVD or pictures from the recital expect to shell out another $ 35 for each. I realized the expense going into it, so wasn’t too shocked.
I will say that the communication is pretty archaic. They literally post the recital dates/​times on the window at the studio, no email, no facebook post, a literal piece of paper in a window. It is almost like you are at a dance studio in 1992. I have never had the phone actually answered when I call, but they will return messages. There are the occasional emails sent about when to register the kids for the next year or the nutcracker show the older kids put on (both are big $ makers for the studio).
Overall the studio is close to my home and my daughter loved Ms. Christina and all of her little dance friends. She has hung up her tutu, but I am glad she did it and I have the adorable photos to prove it.

As a parent of a dancer who has gone to couple dance schools, I was blown away by my experience at SEDMA. As most moms know, the most interaction we can ever get is what we see at the front desk. You’re not on the side lines shouting instructions to your kids, your not grilling coaches why your kid doesn’t play more. You are waiting patiently, while you TRUST your child is getting great instruction. (The teachers are amazing). But, during a extremely busy registration week, I watched the young woman at the front desk at SEDMA work wonders with parents. Example: «I’m not sure if the leotard fits» was met with «would you like to take it home and exchange it if it doesn’t fit» and «which fabric to your prefer»… .“My daughter isn’t in that class” was met with «Oops, I looked at the wrong page», and I heard her offer many times «lets have her take [a particular class] and see if she likes it first». Every challenge was met with a smile. No stress, no hassles, no blaming the parents for mistakes with an all too familiar smirk. In what could have been chaotic situation, a little dancer came to the office because her mom was not there, and the employee calmly called the mom and told her to take her time, and she would watcher her child, giving her some coloring books, all while handling the parents registration at the same time. This was the customer service of a time gone by. This is the way to treat people and keep them coming back. Way to get it right SEDMA.

My daughter has danced at SEDMA for years. As for the quality of the instruction, the success of SEDMAs alumni speaks to this. Frankly I read the poor reviews and see a psycho dance mom that believes that the entire universe revolves around her and her dancer child. Yes, there are issues with organization and communication and yes the facility may deserve some attention. If your child would like to have a personal, gem-​laden locker with a gold star on it, then go to another studio but know that you will be making sacrifices in the quality of instruction. I recommend SEDMA for both dance and music lessons for youth and adults. To you (negative) critics, I suggest you put on your dance shoes and try out one of the adult classes. You’ll get a great workout AND perhaps a well-​needed positive attitude adjustment.

Ms. Christina, how my daughter loves thee!
You teach her how to dance and she loves you so!
This dance school is great! We love the instructor, Ms. Christina. She is funny and a real professional as well.

I can’t speak to SEDMA’s overall ability to advance young dancers according to their or their parents’ aspirations, but I can say that both the owners and the instructors seem to honestly care. My 3 girls aren’t amazing dancers, but they’ve been treated well, and given opportunities to dance and have loved it. Their instructors have been, to a person, caring and supportive. This has been a great place for the last two years for them and their confidence.

My daughter started dancing here about 6 years ago. It’s one of the largest performing arts studios around. They don’t focus on «flash», but more so on the quality of the basics. The faculty that has been assembled here are all highly sought after. Many of them are asked to teach seminars across the country and even overseas. They offer a variety of dance disciplines including classical ballet, hip hop, jazz, tap and contemporary.
Every winter, the studio presents one of the finest «Nutcracker» ballet’s performed by students. The time and energy that the staff and owners put into this performance is astounding. It allows the students to experience the big stage with all the lights and effects that are mostly reserved for professional artists.
Finally, you know your child will be getting a strong performing arts experience here when they audition for national summer intensive programs such as the American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey and the School of American Ballet, to name just a few, and are accepted time and time again. My daughter auditioned for the first time last year. We didn’t expect anything going into this process being our first try. However, the acceptances came rolling in one after the other. The process continues this year with similar results.
I couldn’t be happier to have chosen this studio for my daughter. She has gained physical strength, agility and grace through the various classes she has taken. More importantly It has increased her self esteem and confidence to a whole new level. My daughter has found a passion for dance that she will carry forever.
I have since enrolled my younger daughter and son for classes. They too have gained much since enrolling. If any of the previous posts have turned you off to this studio, I suggest you take a personal look for yourself. You’ll be glad you did.

Although my daughter had a wonderful dance instructor the owners are a little much to be desired. They called my husband and myself multiple times and were very unpleasant on the phone. When I first came in with my daughter there was no one there to greet us or make us feel welcome. We weren’t sure what to do or where to go. So unorganized! Then we get several phone calls after the classes we paid for were over asking if we wanted to sign up again. The first call my husband told the woman I was in the hospital and I would contact her once I was home and doing better. Then tonight we received a second call. The woman was so rude and inconsiderate. To treat paying customers like that and to have such a strange experience in the studio itself, we will definitely not be going back. I would strongly suggest that if you want to sign your daughter up for dance classes you drive past this studio and do some research to find a studio where the customer is treated with interest, respect, friendliness, and common courtesy.

Unilocal readers should know that SEDMA is much more than those three poor reviews. SEDMA’s studios are swimming with students, and parents camp out all day to register their kids for their popular classes. They host a huge Nutcracker performance each holiday season that is loads of fun for those performing and in the audience. I’ve had my daughter attend dance classes at YMCA, Stage Door, and I prefer SEDMA by far.

The information from the comments below are inaccurate. I am a proud dancer of this studio for over 10 years, an have been dancing at this studio since they opened, when I was 5. They took me in as a young inexperienced dancer and have evolved my curriculum in dance to the extreme. The technique in jazz, hiphop, and contemporary has grown through out the years from fair to about average. It is a nice, safe, and friendly environment. Ballet is phenomenal. We have teachers trained from around the United States, having danced as lead/​principle dancers in major companies. The last year couple of years we have had 6 students travel to New York and study at the School of American Ballet Theater (SAB) summer program, along with students being accepted into Joffrey for their contemporary and ballet summer programs, and other students studying over the summer at San Francisco and Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB). We have had students also accepted into the Malashock contemporary summer program in San Diego. Through out the past years we have lost teachers and gained some, from this experience we are able to adapt to new techniques and styles. This year we have found our sediment group of teachers that are stupendous and really push all of the students past their own abilities. Overall, dance is not an nice «tea party» sport, it is competitive and their will be drama between students and teachers will PUSH students. So to say a teacher needs therapy when they have yelled at your child to improve then go find another sport that is not as competitive.

This is difficult as the teachers that our child had were top notch. The facility, considering what the owners receive in monthly income, has much to be desired. Communication and response to inquiries, poor. Organization/​coordination, fair. Although the owners are accommodating when you ask about new classes. Owners are passionate about this business however they could be a bit more organized/​considerate of their hard working customers…