Kirkpatrick’s School of Dance

I have danced as an adult student at several different studios on the Peninsula and I have been very impressed with Kirkpatrick’s. I had the opportunity to perform in their show this year and I was very impressed by how well behaved the students were backstage (this has not been my experience at other studios) and how tight knit and supportive the dance families are. There were a few people I met for the first time backstage at the show, but they still gave me a lot of encouragement. I know many people who danced at this studio when I was growing up and it is really nice to see that the studio has respected and followed the traditions of the founders.
I saw a few reviews on here where people mentioned that the teachers and owners their own self-​promotion, which is the COMPLETE opposite from what I noticed. The prices are very comparable to other studios in the area, possibly even on the lower end.
I noticed a review mentioning that the studio does not allow the parents to watch the class every week. I danced at a school where they allowed parents to watch an unlimited number of classes and it seemed to be a real disservice to the dancers. Being a child with a parent hovering over can be a serious obstacle in the learning process.

My daughter really enjoys the class and the teacher for Ballet. This is her 2^nd year. The prices are very very reasonable. Thanks.

I completely DISLIKE this school and I have only had my daughter there for two years. The prices are ridiculous for the kind of stuff they teach our children! I was appalled when I came to watch my little girl in class on day when all I saw her do was run around! The teachers there do not even have their bachelors degree in dance except one of the owners. I have to say that for the most part the people there are nice except a girl with brown hair at the office who ALWAYS gives me looks as if she has better things to do then bother with me. Also last year when I came to the performance summer, I could not believe that some of the teachers there (one being my daughter’s) that they were cursing like it was nothing and as a parent I try and set a good example for my children. I have seen their more advanced dancers and they are (I am very sad and sorry to a say) have little technique and I would know this because I was a ballet dancer in a company when was in my 20’s. This place is definitely not worth your hard worked money. I sagest STRONGLY that you take your dancers to a place that can tell you their credentials and background as dancers plus also a place where the more advanced dancer can show off the teachers best work. I am not signing her back up at this so called dance school ever again.

You should checkout other dance schools on the peninsula before enrolling your daughter at Kirkpatrick’s.
The Kirkpatrick teachers, especially the director and her daughter, are only interested in their own self promotion. They show the lack of professionalism and an inability to foster children’s growth in dance education.
They allow older girls to bully the younger girls and have blatant lack of respect for parents.

My daughter has danced at Kirkpatricks for 15 years. It has been one of the best experiences in her life! She has received great technical training and so is able to participate in professional dance companies and workshops. The teachers have always been great and very supportive. The choreography for all of the dance productions is amazing! Kirkpatricks has been a second home for my family. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in dance!

We have been very disappointed after nine months at Kirkpatrick’s School of Dance. We found it to be expensive, and the staff seems completely uninterested in the parents wishes. Maybe we were the only ones who wanted to see our daughter’s class every week, rather than just the last week of the month. The other weeks they had the window blinds closed.
They spent almost every class learning one routine for the recital, and still most of the kids (6 – 7 years old) didn’t know it. The teachers were acting it out in the wings, so the kids were all looking over there instead of at the audience.
The recital was also very expensive. Our daughter’s costume was $ 70, and tickets to the event were $ 20 each! The routine was 2 ½ minutes long, and the entire show lasted 25 minutes. When we got there, we were informed that there was no photography allowed during the show, but that we could purchase the DVD of the performance for $ 35. Do we have to buy it? of course not. Will we? Probably, and they know it. So we’re in $ 180 for that recital, after paying $ 600 for the lessons, and our daughter learned one dance.
Need a babysitter and have the money? This is your place. Want to really learn dance? Look elsewhere.

I was a Kirkpatrick’s student for 12 years; from age 6 to age 18. I took combo classes as a child, and then studied only ballet. In addition, I was a teacher’s assistant for many years of preschool aged children. I loved my Kirkpatrick’s experience. We often had professional ballet dancers with impressive resumes leading the advanced ballet classes. Being a dancer is an indelible part of my identify and it wouldn’t have been the case without the encouraging and dedicated leadership from Kirkpatrick’s teachers and staff.

Kirkpatricks is a great place for dance. My daughter took ballet, tap, and jazz there starting at age 4. She loved every form of dance and met great friends. I loved it as well, because to this day, I have an extended family there. The teachers there are wonderful! I would and do suggest this dance studio to anyone interested in gaining confidence, poise, wonderful training, and life long friends and family.
By a mother and daughter who loved every single year of it!!!
Thank You so much for all the wonderful memories!!!

I love Kirkpatrick’s!
I tap dance… and that’s it. I stopped doing ballet at age 5 when I was still taking all my dance classes at the community center by my house. I took 2 classes of tap there, too, and never quit. I started in Tap II? I think? In 3^rd grade and continued all the way through senior year of high school. Miss Stacy (Stacey? Great, I feel like an idiot) is AMAZING. she was my teacher most of the time.
I still remember sections from most of our show-​dances, including Beat It, which was definitely the most exciting, even if we were pretty young.
I’m actually going to drop by to say hello over my spring break in a few weeks while I’m back in the Bay!

No one-​on-​one instruction makes this place suck. Small kids do not focus well for long periods of time. The instructors do nothing to keep the kids on track. You are wasting your money if your child does not apply themselves diligently, as the teachers and staff just don’t care. Bring this up to a staff member and they will tell you «maybe you need to find another school». F*ck Kirkpatrick’s.

I took ballet and tap classes at Kirkpatrick’s for about 3 years, starting at around age 3. The classes were definitely fun and I would have stuck to it for longer had it not been for the itchy costumes!
I have a few friends who have taken classes at Kirkpatrick’s until senior year in high school; if they’re willing to stay with the school for 15 years, without a doubt, I’m sure they would recommend the school to others.
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Kirkpatrick’s is going to be in the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade in NYC this year!