miss kelly's school of dance

i just think others should know.

my granddaughters went to kelly's shcool of dance in lyons falls , and now they go all the way to watertown for dance lessons and I am going to tell you why.

1.)miss kelly charges around 80 dollers for the recital costumes and you can buy the same exsact out fits at dance world studio store for about 20 dollers. they hang write there in the shop.

2.)miss kelly refuses to let parents watch children practice> dance world encorages you to stay and watch , the even have big windows so you can see from out side the room.

3.) with miss kelly you have to seach all over the county side to get slippers, shoes, leatards, ect .. at dance world you can buy them write thier and cheap. not only that they have some you can borrow , and buy second hand . you can even sell your childs old outfits in there store if you want to ..

4.) miss kelly's own kids out shine evry body else at the recital .. i find this annoying . at dance world every one is taught and treated equally

5.) miss kelly has been teaching all her classes her self without hireing any other teachers and she has been in business for id guess 20 years but she is still working out of an tiney upstairs libray room and has never built her own studio . why? when dance world has several rooms and lots of teachers so they can opperate with much smaller classes and give each student more attention.

6.)dance world is much cheaper then miss kelly's school of dance . even if its too far to drive the lower prices and higher quality make up for it.

7.)the recital I went to at south lewis school was low qaulity and all she had for a sound system was a casset tape player. with all the money she makes you would think she could buy some kind of a sound system . and kids are up on a school night till 11 oclock . dance world had thier recital this year at the N.Y. state office building and it was streached over three nights seperated by age so the kids didnt get so anxtious waitting to go on stage. and no body had to rewind the tape.

8.) dance world gave awards to every child not just to the teachers own mom!

I think every one should know dance world is real ballet lessons not just a vanity thing that takes all your money . i know every one says i complain too much but miss kelly seems to have a monopoly on culture . why should I keep this to myself. we dont have many options in a small town but we should have the oppertunity to have a choice after all these years surley miss kelly could be a little more profetional. she went to dance world herself when she was little.

My kids went to Kelly's for awhile and while I did leave to seek a more "serious" environment I will tell you that Kelly provides exactly the services that 99% of her students and parents want. Parents around here want to drop their kids off in September and then in June watch them perform on stage in a cute little costume and they don't care about technique or proper training.

I will tell you this though Busy, I am VERY familiar w. Dance World and have seen them perform many times and you are really not getting any better technique training up there. You would be far better off taking your kids to Rhonda Foote in Carthage (oh god stay away from Amy Earle's). Rhonda has helped many dancers go on to college and professional careers and has more than a Community College education as well as professional experience. My kids do not now or have they ever taken from Rhonda but I have seen her work many many many times and she is fair on pricing and runs a professional studio and company that also does community service. You really should check it out. I have met her and spoken to her on several occasions and she is always gracious.

Bumpkin wrote:

My kids went to Kelly's for awhile and while I did leave to seek a more "serious" environment I will tell you that Kelly provides exactly the services that 99% of her students and parents want. Parents around here want to drop their kids off in September and then in June watch them perform on stage in a cute little costume and they don't care about technique or proper training.
I will tell you this though Busy, I am VERY familiar w. Dance World and have seen them perform many times and you are really not getting any better technique training up there. You would be far better off taking your kids to Rhonda Foote in Carthage (oh god stay away from Amy Earle's). Rhonda has helped many dancers go on to college and professional careers and has more than a Community College education as well as professional experience. My kids do not now or have they ever taken from Rhonda but I have seen her work many many many times and she is fair on pricing and runs a professional studio and company that also does community service. You really should check it out. I have met her and spoken to her on several occasions and she is always gracious.

wow thank you for this information , i will definitly use your advice . glad some one didnt just blow me off as a complainer

Busy, I am always willing to help parents and kids who WANT to learn dance the right way in a professional setting. Most of Kelly's students and parents are completely happy the way things are and good for them, but for those of us that want more than this immediate area can give in the way of dance training and are willing to sacrifice convenience for the sake of their kids then I see nothing wrong with that. Most other parents do not want to be bothered with driving more than a few minutes or paying for more than 1 class a week and those are Kelly's core consumer group.

If your child is seriously interested in ballet there are also a number of studios in the Utica area that are really good and the Mohawk Valley Ballet Nutcracker performances are open to any students wanting to participate. Let me know if you would like specifics

Another good place for dance is Center Stage Dance. they practice in boonville. and there recital is at ADK school and it is amazing my little cousin dances there and absoultly loves it. im taking my daughter there when she gets old enough... i love watching the recitals. they do sum really special stuff to the graduating seniors and they bring back kids that are in college and they have special guests at teh recital. its just amazing wat they do

My girls go to kelly but i am not all that happy with what they learned verses what it cost. im willing to pay but want good results for it. Impossible you mentioned "center stage" out of boonville. where are they located? wwho is the teacher and do you have a phone # by chance. thanx in advance

Center Stage is very good but like Kelly, she provides the type of service her clientele demands. If you want your child to get a good solid dance education there they will but many of the students there are not serious about dancing. Their parents are like those at Kelly's, they want to drop them off in Sept and watch them do a routine in May and don't make the kids practice at home or even take the classes seriously which is frustrating bc Rachel (the owner) is trying to put on a quality program there and she really cares about the kids and wants to put on a great show every year. Unfortunately when the parents put out the attitude that dance is not important and that you only need to show up and not put anything more into it then the ones who are in the class who do want to learn and do want to try are cheated.
My suggestion would be for you to call Rachel Remeczky from Center Stage (her number is in the Lowville section of the phone book, leave a message) and tell her what your child is doing now and what you expect from their dance education and see what you both can come up with together. In my experience private lessons are worth it if your child really enjoys learning. My kids take dance from Rachel and have always been taught that you go to class and put your whole self into whatever you are doing and if it is not fun anymore or you don't feel like it is worth putting out any effort for then you probably need to stop bc you just don't love it enough anymore.

I went to kelly's for 13 years.... I began as a pre-schooler and when i finally got done in my late teens i performed basicly the same routine that i did when i was 5. Her level of teaching isn't very advanced, and it was a waste of time and money. I took dance so i could actually learn to dance, and after 13 years of lessons i probably couldn't dance to save my life. Not to mention the poor attitude she showed the students as soon as the parents left. I wouldn't recomend going there to anyone...

Xena, that is too bad. Your story tells a different side of things, the dancer who wants a better, more challenging atmosphere but is afraid to ask their parents. I bet you can dance to save your life. Keep dancing for the love of it!!

Question: Does Kelly still have that really scary woman running her recital every year? That woman was a good reason we left. She was just SO MEAN to all the kids during the recital.

You are all liars!! Apparently you don't know who Kelly really is. She is a fantastic teacher who has a 2 year degree from Dean College and dance education. She cares emensly about her students and I as well as other parents at her studio are allowed to stay at the last class of each month. She does not charge 80 dollars per costume and she never took dance at dance world. Get your stories straight before you write things that arent true. I feel her rates are resonable and for those students who want to do more with dance she offers information on other dance studios where they can attend to further their dance education. Two of her students have gone onto further their dance careers. One is currently in a dance company in Boston, the other will be attending Dean College. Kelly students unlike other dance teachers are taught the essence of dance for fun and competition, not like some of the others who let their kids cheat or have the same dancer who danced with the instuctor be a judge for the competition they are in. So you better think twice about putting comments up on this site because you have no idea if Kelly or anyone else is reading your untasteful comments.

Bumpkin wrote:

Center Stage is very good but like Kelly, she provides the type of service her clientele demands. If you want your child to get a good solid dance education there they will but many of the students there are not serious about dancing. Their parents are like those at Kelly's, they want to drop them off in Sept and watch them do a routine in May and don't make the kids practice at home or even take the classes seriously which is frustrating bc Rachel (the owner) is trying to put on a quality program there and she really cares about the kids and wants to put on a great show every year. Unfortunately when the parents put out the attitude that dance is not important and that you only need to show up and not put anything more into it then the ones who are in the class who do want to learn and do want to try are cheated.
My suggestion would be for you to call Rachel Remeczky from Center Stage (her number is in the Lowville section of the phone book, leave a message) and tell her what your child is doing now and what you expect from their dance education and see what you both can come up with together. In my experience private lessons are worth it if your child really enjoys learning. My kids take dance from Rachel and have always been taught that you go to class and put your whole self into whatever you are doing and if it is not fun anymore or you don't feel like it is worth putting out any effort for then you probably need to stop bc you just don't love it enough anymore.

Bumpkin, i am just interested in where you got your dance education after high school from because i would like to know what classes you offer.=}

Also what have you been proffessionally trained in. If not i understand.

well then the teachers at dance world lie to me then

Gossip Girl, I have never said that I am a trained dancer and I am not but my oldest daughter just completed her 15th year of dance (2 were w/ Kelly) and my youngest just completed her 11th year (also 2 with Kelly). The only thing I am an expert in is paying the bills, and I am pretty good at that most of the time. My D has won regional titles in dance competitions and placed top 10 at the NYS Fair while dancing at Center Stage in Boonville as a competition student and a private student and she dances w/ a professional ballet company as well on the side.

Meena, I believe you are right about the Dance World thing. When my D's were at Kelly's she told me she got her earlier training w/ Sandy Fukes out of Oneida. Maybe though she attended Dance World at a different time. However, your comments about the same dancer who danced with the instructor being a judge at a competition? I think I know what you are referring to and while I was not there I can tell you that it is the responsibility of said competition to make sure there are no conflicts of interest on the judging panel. Like for instance, one of the judges at the comp was an aunt to one of Kelly's students that was also competing (tit for tat I guess). Also, Kelly has judged the Oneida County Fair in the past where my kids have performed and she is their former teacher and I didn't take any issue with it. Sometimes in life you have to pick your battles, I have nothing bad to say about Kelly. I believe I have defended her. She provides the service her client base desires. Nuff said. Oh and an $80 costume seems expensive I know but I have seen the costume books and trust me once you get to a certain size range it is hard to get a costume for less than $65 before shipping.

FYI, I believe Center Stage will be holding fall registration on Sept 2-3 (probably starting around 3) at the Boonville Health and Fitness Center Studio. Do whatever you feel is best for your child. That is what people somtimes forget. This is about the kids.

what types of dance did ur daughter place in? but ik for a fact that parents of kelly's are very happy with her performances, prices, etc. but ik for a fact that parents are not allowed 2 look at costume catalog price lists. Does your teacher allow parents to see costume catalog price lists?
Also kelly had mentioned this year parents can swap or trade costumes to help save money on dance costumes.Or use their old costumes that are in good shape. Also Kelly never took from Sandy but from her daughter. Also i have heard if parents have a problem with costume pricing, Kelly will offer other options such as, a parent making costumes for the group or using old costumes. But if parents feel costumes are too expensive they shouldnt put their kids in so many dances.

Gossip Girl, Obviously Kelly does try to work with the parents on costumes then. Probably not so much with the larger groups of kids though bc that can be difficult.

My daughter has won first place overalls in tap, clog, and lyrical at various regional competitions and placed top 10 at the State Fair w/ tap and top 25 w/ clog acts.

In case anyone is not familiar w/ the State Fair Talent Comp it is a very diffcult thing to get even in the Top 25. If you make Top 25 you have to dance in Syracuse 3 separate days, with thousands of people walking by and most of the time in blistering heat but after 13 years I can tell you sometimes pouring rain and freezing cold. Over the course of the Fair there will be about 250 acts of all talent genres competing, not just dance. If you even make it to the Top 25 (Finals) you can be very proud bc many dancers never do in their whole career.

Center Stage has had acts in the Top 25 every single year she has been open, usually many in the Top 25 and more often than not she has acts place in the Top 10. Also before she had her own studio and was with Donna Foote she had acts that she choreographed that won regional and placed at the State Fair. The first year my D danced w/ Center Stage she placed 3rd overall in her first regional competition. The following year she placed 1st overall in the same comp. She did not compete last year bc of a heavy schedule w/ the ballet company but the year before she placed 1st out of 80 acts at a regional competition in Syracuse. None of this is cheap or without sacrifice and is not the path for every child but if that is what your child is looking for Rachel will help her get there.

I could have sworn she told me she was with Sandy bc she said she went out to Oneida for lessons and at that time Wende had her studio in NY Mills. She may have gone to Sandy for tap (her specialty) and Wendy for ballet and jazz (her specialty). During what would have been Kelly's teen years Wendy had her own studio (they did not become United Academy for the Performing Arts til early 90's-very late 80's- my cousin studied with Wende from age 3-18)and also taught at Sandy's sister Char's studio, Empire School of Dance.

you k wat, i think im goin 2 call kelly and let her know about this site and have her look at it and see wat she says about it. Perhaps she will decide to reply in the newspaper and give her background on dance and who she took from because it wasnt just from wendy, but studied under another teacher from age 3 to 13. And another teacher from age 14 to graduating from high school. I believe she only spent her last two years in high school with wendy. While also taking from Miss Anna. I have a feeling if Kelly see's this, she's is going to "chalk it up" to someone making up stories about her who dont even know her personally. Kelly has also had in the past, students who placed in the top ten at the new york state fair and kelly also placed when she was a teen dancing with debbie coe. Kelly chooses not to go to the state fair every year because she doesnt like putting students on the tiny stage at the lewis county fair.

I don't blame her on the subject of the Lewis County Fair stage. It is horrible. You should tell her about this site bc I think every business owner deserves to know what the public wants from them. I don't see how you feel people are making up stories. I am just relaying what she told me about her dance training. I did not ask her for a FULL RESUME, apparently you did. My kids were happy there but our needs changed so we went elsewhere. Big deal, happens all the time. I think you are picking out what you want bc I AM TRYING TO TELL YOU THAT SHE IS GIVING HER CUSTOMERS EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT. There is nothing wrong with that. But if someone, like the OP, wants something else then they should be free to go elsewhere, inquire about other places without being made to feel like they are being unreasonable. And if the OP feels that certain aspects of Kelly's business are not to her liking then certainly Kelly should know about it and think about why this particular person felt this way. SO CALL HER PLEASE!!!

Oh, and BTW, I am pretty sure that Kelly is too classy and mature to take anything said on this board seriously let alone call the Herald or Journal and say "OMG, someone is bashing me on a message board. Will you write an article to respond and save my repuation?" Can't see it happening. But then again, you say I have never even met the woman so if you think she is the type who cares about what is on a stupid message board that no one knows about then GO FOR IT. And, Gossip Girl, your Screen name kind of outs the fact that you are probably about 12 years old bc no one over the age of 15 would even think about using that name.