Virginia Ballet

We have been very pleased by the teaching at the Virginia Ballet Company. I have two children attending the school. They have learned so much in terms of dance and poise. I find the teachers really care about the students, meet them where they are and encourage them to achieve a lot. The shows are fantastic experiences for the whole family. My children have learned to be part of a team and responsibility. I have learned how things are done back stage… a really thrilling place to be. Their experiences have helped them academically, which is such a perk. My children have really learned to focus. Last year, the Impact dance group joined the Virginia Ballet. The Impact teachers added the Dynamic Flexibility class which has done wonders for my one dancer — making stretching fun!

Please read ALL of the reviews… not just the «recommended» Unilocal reviews if you would like an accurate picture of Virginia Ballet Company. This a great school! My daughter loves it, is learning a lot, and has made wonderful friends and adult mentors while dancing at VBC. The current Unilocal «recommended» reviews do not portray the heart and soul of VBC… Leads me to really distrust Unilocal

Pros:
Excellent instruction
Involved parents
Exceptional dancers with good attitudes
Sense of history
Considerate staff
Very fair casting
Neutral:
Utilitarian building

I «won» an online auction for 10 lessons at the Virginia Ballet Company.
When I attempted to redeem said certificate today, the registrar Lilia was beyond nasty (and that is paying her an immense compliment). She stated my daughter would be going to Class A, I listened; but attempted to explain to her that Class A was for 3 – 4 year olds and my daughter was 5. Her response was that I should be appreciative of the the «free» classes and accept that my daughter would receive the privilege of attending. When I informed her the classes were not free and that we had paid to participate in this online auction, she asked me how much I paid. When I let her know she balked and said stated that had I come in to register her through the school itself, I would have paid far more than that.
These «free» classes cost us $ 160, as previously stated, it was an online auction with the money going to my son’s school. The resolution was that my daughter would go in this coming Thursday (³⁄₁₃) for her placement exam. I was told by Lilia to not pay attention to the uniform guidelines as the probability of her being accepted into the 5 class was not probable.
This just solidifies my support for a business a few doors down… CARDINAL GYMNASTICS, where we have been happy for the last 3 years.
Save yourself the time and hassle. There are other ballet schools in the area as I quickly discovered this afternoon… Balance Ballet, To The Pointe. These are little girls, not prima ballerina’s and this facility is by no means the Washington Ballet.
Secondly, when they have someone as «pleasant» as Lilia manning a front desk… the impression itself is askew. It is like walking into a fitness gym and being met by a morbidly obese trainer who is barely intelligeable due to respiratory problems.

I am reviewing the performance of the Nutcracker that we attended this afternoon. My daughter, now in her 40’s attended Virginia for about 10 years from about 8 to 18 years old. She received excellent instruction, became a very accomplished dancer, and yes we attended many many performances throughout those years. It has been 25 years since I have seen a performance. Today we went with my son, his wife and their 7 year old daughter. What a winderful experience. After a hiatus of so many years, all seemed fresh and new. The excellent coreography has not changed much. The danccers range from 5 year olds to pre professional; all are showcased beautifully. The story flows. The costumes are colorful. My grand daughter was mezmerized. The venue at the Annandale performing arts center is supurb. I was so happy to see that Virginia Ballet is as good as ever, keeping to the traditions introduced the Tupines so many years ago.

My daughters have been going to Virginia Ballet for about eight years now, and we have been extremely pleased with the high quality of instruction and the family friendly atmosphere. It is truly amazing how my daughters have progressed under the VBC’s training program. Plus, it is the only studio in Northern Virginia that I know of that provides an opportunity for its dancers to participate in two full length ballets each year (Nutcracker in Winter, plus another in Spring that varies: La Sylphide, Swan Lake, Coppelia, Snow White, Don Quixote, etc.) VBC also goes out of its way to give each dancer the opportunity to perform significant roles in each production, and it has an excellent summer intensive program.
A previous commenter complained about the «drop in rate,» but the school is not oriented towards occasional clients. It is primarily a pre-​professional program, focused on developing young dancers (18 and under) over the course of years. We are enrolled in an annual plan and the rates are very reasonable considering the number of instructional hours per week my daughters receive, and the high quality of instruction.

Drop in rate is plain insulting especially for «try-​it-​before-​buy-​it» types.
Went to this studio for a drop in class as it appeared professional from the website and could save me a lot of time from commuting into the district for ballet classes.
I was told that the drop in rate for a 60 minute class was $ 30 for beginner level. I could not fathom paying that price when the WASHINGTON BALLET charges $ 15 drop in and $ 13 per class for class card. I walked out and will go right back to the WASHINGTON BALLET.
FYI to Virginia Ballet Company re: SALES. Don’t punish new clients by charging them double. Business will be much more bountiful if you focus on the needs of the dancer. $ 30 is just plain unjustifiable when there is quality education elsewhere. People would be more willing to join your regular schedule if you gave them a break for the first class. $ 30 just appears greedy.
I walk away when I get that feeling on the first meeting. :-)