Dance Conservatory of Pasadena

I’ve been coming here for a year, Patricia is such an amazing teacher! I learned so much in her class, I really recommend anyone who is interested in Ballet to try out her class, you won’t regret it!

My daughter started ballet by taking classes with Miss Caroline 4 years ago, when she was 6. My daughter, a shy only child, needed something to help her come out of her shell and, at the time, I had to open the door to the class, give her a gentle push, and close the door (and her dad had to stay home, or she would have just clung to him!). That is all it took – she LOVED the class, loved Miss Caroline, and was on her way. As time went by, we eventually – with Miss Caroline’s help, convinced her to add one class of Tech 1 with Miss Patricia along with a class from Miss Caroline, and then last spring we added a second class of Tech 1, so we were taking her 2 – 3 times a week for 3 – 4 classes. This September, the night before auditions, our still-​shy-​but-​not-​quite-​as-​terrified daughter surprised us by announcing she wanted to audition for a scholarship. We quickly re-​arranged that Saturday to audition. She ended up receiving a scholarship, which means she is there 4 – 5 days a week and she has moved to «pre-​pointe.» I am not a dancer or expert, but from what I see, having a couple of different teachers with slightly different methods and techniques and styles seems quite beneficial to my little dancer (and they are all kind, nurturing folks in their different ways).
Really, though, the biggest measure of the studio for my husband and me was my daughter’s request to audition. For our shy, hesitant child, that was the real evidence of how much Miss Caroline, Miss Patricia, Mr. Sasha, and the whole studio community had done to help her grow. And I mean the whole community – the slightly older, more experienced dancers who she has interacted with at rehearsals and such have been wonderful and welcoming. To see middle schoolers be such joyful, mature ambassadors of ballet is awesome. I seriously doubt my daughter will be a prima ballerina, but if this experience helps her become a more creative, thoughtful, and confident young person, isn’t that the real point anyway?

I am responding to Jennifer’s response. I guess now that this is public she has time to respond. I wish she had given me this courtesy when I had emailed her. When you say my daughter doesn’t show the level of proficiency to be awarded a scholarship, what do you mean? My daughter was awarded a scholarship by the very board you speak of. My whole issue was how in the middle of the year she lost her scholarship because of a pre-​planned trip that I told you about before accepting the scholarship in the fall. My daughter was screwed over and you didn’t care about her and her feelings, you only cared about ways to get our money. My sweet child was crushed over this. Taking away her scholarship in the middle of the dance year and her having to lose all of her friends, you should be ashamed of yourself. Her proficiency in dance has been noted by every audition she has ever done, ABT, NBC, etc… and she was just accepted into the prestigious Debbie Allen Nutcracker where literally hundreds of dancers auditioned. I will continue with my opinion that your studio is a joke and I just wish we hadn’t fallen for it.

When I was researching ballet studios for my daughter I visited here and observed a few classes when they were still on Arroyo Parkway. I do not like the «class card system» for young dancers similar to me attending a yoga studio. I would rather a student and their family commit for at least a semester — this allows for continuity as well as social and emotional relationships to be established between the instructor and students. I do realize this appeals to some but for my daughter and myself this was disappointing.
DCP is a newer studio and the newest ballet offering in Pasadena so it has a bit of buzz but only time can really tell what their placement of dancers will be in the future and over the long term. I do wish them absolute success as the arts in general could use a boost!
I did LOVE the parent waiting area and the clean look and décor of the place and I have heard the new parent waiting area is even more impressive. The nice parent waiting area is a welcomed addition that other studios in the area don’t offer but I am enrolling in ballet for my child and her instruction is the first priority the seating for me is much further down my list of considerations.

I can’t say enough about the Dance Conservatory of Pasadena. My daughter has been a student of Ms. Caroline for over a year now and my wife and I are completely satisfied.
Ms. Caroline is great with the kids and has been able to create several great dance recitals that include all age groups.
It’s a pleasure every time we come here.

Great Studio! Very family friendly!
Love the adult beginning ballet! Patricia Godfrey is an amazing teacher and gorgeous dancer! You will learn from her! True teaching skill is hard to find and Patricia has got it!
Miss Caroline is also a super star teacher! She is so so great with the little ones. Truly talented in being able to teach in a playful and developmentally appropriate way while upholding the discipline of ballet. This studio upholds the strict wonderful standards of the art without being demeaning or hurting self esteem like so many other studios. It’s unfortunate that ballet tends to be so stringent, many parents don’t want to subject their children to it. I’m so happy to find this studio because we are able to gain all the wonderful physical and mental discipline and benefits of ballet without the emotional detriment! Thank you DCP!
Also the lobby, waiting area is a big plus for us families waiting for our LOs to have their class. Other studios in town have no waiting area or just a dark hallway. :(not fun. The lounge gets crowded but at least it’s there and comfortable (coffee and water and magazines.)
Office staff is also very supportive and understanding and keep good track of your passes and when you are running out, etc. There are no initiation fees, you pay as you go and you can get discounts for buying passes in bulk if you go more than once a week.

My son loves Miss Patricia and her classes so much! He always comes home telling me how much fun he had. Miss Patricia has really helped him to advance his technique as well as his form. Without her I don’t think he would love ballet as much as he does. He tells me that she makes the classes fun and challenging at the same time. Miss Patricia is seldom ever strict with him except when he is attempting something that could be dangerous. I see him stretching at home and am impressed that she has taught him safety as well as conditioning.

Patricia is absolutely stunning as a dancer and I respect her so much. She is also pretty silly which is great because I’m silly too and ballet is hard and strict enough as it is. Laughing and fun during plies or whatever is just wonderful. As an adult student who took ballet for many years as a child and teen (so NOT a beginner by far), it is SUCH a relief to find a serious adult ballet class where I actually work hard and learn more and work on my pointe technique. I wish classes were cheaper, I would be here every class. I can’t say enough nice things about Patricia and taking ballet with her. Ballet is such an important part of me and I really feel like I’ve found a home here in that regard.

Nice. Organized. Professional.
I just enrolled my 5 year old. As a new parent I had a ton of questions, which were all answered with a smile. My daughter stepped into class today and we knew instantly that she would be signing up for more classes.
I was impressed with the teacher, who was teaching actual ballet and correcting postures. (So many classes at this age are just girls in tutus running around being butterflies). I was even more impressed with the other students who seemed to crave the discipline and structure of the class. I don’t mean to imply that the class was harsh in any way. The girls were all enjoying themselves, but were smiling at their own achievements and not goofing off with each other.
They sell a range of leotards, tights, slippers, etc. All were very reasonably priced. My daughter needed new slippers and was fitted within minutes.
The space is large and clean. Ample space for changing. Parking is easy.
The only drawback is that classes don’t start until age 3. My 2 year old was very jealous.

My fiancé (now wife) and I went to work with Piero della Santina for the first dance at our wedding at the Dance Conservatory of Pasadena.
As a guy who doesn’t dance very much (definitely not any ballroom style before), Piero was very patient and broke down the moves into very simple little steps. Piero did a great job working with us to create a wonderful dance that left our guests impressed. It did take effort, but it was all well worth it in the end.
I would recommend him to any couple that may be originally intimidated by the thought of a choreographed first dance at their wedding.

I love this studio! The staff is super friendly to me and are always helpful! The studio is always very clean and fresh inside. It has never been too cold of hot in any of the classes I take, which is great because blasting the air conditioner before a ballet class really messed up my muscles. I take Rowdens ballet class on Wednesdays at 9am or 7pm. Super great teacher!

The dance conservatory of Pasadena is great! The facility is top notch and so are the staff. My Lil ballerina was a student of miss Caroline when she attended kids Klub for pre-​k and she loved the class and miss Caroline… She asked about taking ballet with her for months and months before we finally enrolled her. She jumped in and it was like she never missed a beat, shows just how well of an instructor miss Caroline is. Can’t wait to see the fall showcase!

The Dance Conservatory of Pasadena has become our family’s Saturday morning routine. Our girls, ages 2 and 5 both attend classes with Miss Caroline and are absolutely in LOVE! Fabulous staff and facility, we are so happy we found you DCP!

The Dance Conservatory of Pasadena has been instrumental in turning my daughter on to dance! Outstanding ownership, staff, and instructors (Ms. Caroline, Ms. Mary, and Ms. Patricia) have really fostered an enjoyable learning experience and love for the art of movement. Attention is paid to proper technique and form while still emphasizing the joy in dance. I have not heard my daughter complain once about having to attend and she goes 4x a week! The scholarship program offered by DCP has really challenged her and allowed her to progress in her skills without an overbearing, strict atmosphere. DCP also allows all dancers to showcase their learning through intimate performances throughout the year. A great studio that is building a wonderful dance community!

Beautiful, clean well-​decorated facilities, with a body-​friendly sprung dance floor, friendly staff and very professional. As a retired dancer, I was extremely impressed with the quality of training for all levels at this school. The classes are taught by outstanding teachers, that bring so much technique and artistry to the classes, Patricia Godfrey and Francesco Martinez just to name a few. Love this dance studio.

My daughter was taking ballet at another studio, and I wanted to take beginning ballet too. I went to three different studios to find a class for myself (including where my daughter was taking classes), but I found DCP (in my case, Patricia and the staff) to be by far the most welcoming. I enjoy it and have learned so much that I’ve been doing it now for over a year! I ended up switching my daughter to DCP too and she LOVES going to classes – begs me to take her every day. Also, they are very strong on proper technique, and one thing I love about my daughter’s classes is that they take time to teach them about their bones, muscles, and good eating habits to ensure they become strong and healthy dancers, in addition to being well-​trained!

Wonderful Studio for kids and adults! Nurturing traditional teachers, beautiful studios and amenities. Miss Caroline is the child whisperer for your aspiring little ones. Miss Patricia is a technical whiz, that lady knows ballet. Francisco teaches a class that dances. Not into ballet? Try Bollywood with Achinta, I dare you not to smile through the whole class.

Beautiful studio! Lots of classes to choose from. I take ballet, really enjoy Francisco’s class.

My 4 year old daughter loves Miss Caroline’s class. She has so much fun here and learns proper technique. Throughout the year, there are multiple opportunities for performing at a reasonable price for participation (i.e., costume rentals, tickets, time commitment). The tuition rates and policies are really family-​friendly. For the casual beginner toddler/​preschool ballet dancer, this is perfect.

The interior of Dance Conservatory is beautifully decorated, warm and welcoming. Instructors are consummate professionals, and provide excellent training in a friendly, encouraging manner. Classes are great fun, and adult ballet includes beautiful musical accompaniment by talented pianists. I highly recommend this studio!