Baby Take a Bow

This is a really cute studio and very convenient to where I live. However, I had a few experiences where the instructor did not show up because of weather or traffic was bad coming from the city. Our last class was quite good, however. Miss Ashley was my daughter’s instructor and did an excellent job instructing the 3 and 4 year old ballerinas. My daughter had a lot of fun and the recital was darling! As your child grows older and if they are very interested in dance and shows talent for it, this would not be the studio to go to, but it is good for the littlest dancers.

We started my daughter at BTAB when she was 18 mos old because it was the only mommy and me dance class I could find. SHE LOVED IT. We stayed there until this past year when I got pregnant with my second child and could no longer do the Palatine to Winnetka drive with two kids. We put my daughter in a dance class closer to home. She hated it. Cried every week. We ended up pulling her out. I think all the time about going back to Baby Take a Bow where she loved to dance and was excited to go each week. They are further away, and more expensive. But, their instructors are wonderful and it is an environment where my daughter feels very comfortable. My only complaint would be the make up policy. There would always be a time or two when BTAB would not have class due to holiday, or if attendance was low that week– they would cancel. As a working mom, there were no times that worked for us outside of her regular scheduled Saturday class. We usually lost money on it because we couldn’t credit or roll it into the next session. Even with that though, I would still recommend for anyone with young dancers!

…Class times change week to week
…The recital outfits are ridiculously expensive and marked up at that.
…They take Spring Break during a week when no one else has Spring Break, and then you wind up missing classes when you are on Spring Break.
…If there should only be a few kids in class that day the teacher will cut the class time down so she can leave earlier. A 45 minute class becomes 15 minutes of warming up, 15 minutes of dance and out the door so that your kids don’t get «too tired”…they’re 8 they could do 12 classes a day!
…They don’t even teach the recital in class. You’re expected to do that at home with a video they provide.
It’s just not a tight ship. They will never last in a town like Winnetka where word of mouth is everything.

As soon as my daughter could walk I started looking into ballet class. We started by taking class at East Bank Club in the city, which was definitely more «playtime» than ballet, but then again that’s probably appropriate for 18 month olds. After moving to da burbs I enrolled her in a Princess Ballet class at Starland. She was one of the youngest kids in the class and probably a bit too young for it, but still loved it… mostly excited about the excuse to wear a tutu. And then I discovered Baby Take a Bow, which was even closer to my house, and decided to check out their summer session.
This dance studio couldn’t be any cuter and I’m tempted on a weekly basis to purchase all the tutus and dance attire that basically decorate this pink studio. They also have a TV in the waiting room and I really like being able to watch the class.
My daughter started off in the Tippy Toes class on Saturday mornings and we had a very mixed experience. They switched teachers every other week and Miss Ashley was fabulous. She was extremely patient, fun and had has much control as possible over a group of 2 ½ year old ballerinas. On opposite weeks we had a teacher who just wasn’t the best fit for teaching such little ones. She often lost her patience and my daughter, among others, was excused from the classroom for things as silly as not sitting on the «magic carpet.» I’ll be the first to admit my little one could use more structure and we’re working on her listening skills, but the instructor seemed to forget she was teaching a class of 2 year olds. I voiced my concerns to the owner, Kristen, and she was very responsive, understanding & promised to work with the instructor.
I decided to give Baby Take a Bow another try this fall and enrolled my daughter in the drop-​off dance class for a full hour and 45 minutes. It’s run more like a ballet camp with some dancing, art projects, snack time etc. She absolutely loves it and is constantly «practicing» her plies, first position, etc. She also tends to nap longer after a morning of ballet, which is worth every penny in my opinion. She had Miss Taylor the first week who is as amazing as Miss Ashley. When she mentioned she wouldn’t be teaching the following weeks I was concerned there wouldn’t be consistency in this class as well, which I find to be very important for this age. However, since the second week Miss Neil (sp?) has been teaching the class with the help of the receptionist, Miss Shelby. And my daughter has a blast with them. I highly recommend the class (especially to moms who’d like an hour and 45 minute break in the morning :)) and will likely be signing up my little ballerina up again in the future.