Reviews of Evolutions School of Dance (Dance School)

Jaime Borjas

Great School of Dance This will be our daughter's 3rd year at Evolutions and we are glad we decided to register her here, the academy is a great place for kids to learn different dance disciplines, the staff is very professional, their studios are great. Their communication protocols are spot on, with a parent dedicated website where you can see all the details of your child. The Christmas events and Year End recitals have been awesome, where we've been able to see the skills that kids and not so kids have learnt during the year. We would definitely recommend evolutions to anyone looking for a dance academy.

Reanna Parsons

A school like none other!

S Tanchico

After bouncing around from studio to studio, we finally found what we were looking for. Evolutions is such a positive and supportive studio... highly recommended!!

Rachel Malone

Evolutions is an amazing dance studio for children of all ages. They support and encourage young dancers in an age appropriate manner. We love the directors and teachers!

Kathy Sushko

I am beyond impressed with the level of professionalism, dedication and thoughtfulness of the Evolutions School of Dance Faculty. When searching for a school that teaches the fundamentals of dance and exposing preschoolers to the world of dance, ESD checked off all the boxes! I am a teacher and "retired" dancer... I know something about teaching and dance. This team brings it all together! They have demonstrated to be able to engage children in dance in an energizing, structured and welcoming environment. They have made a personal connection with my daughter, this means the world to me. She is learning the proper technique of dance, building friendships and making meaningful connections with adults. It is an amazing community of humans who love dance. My family loves being part of this community!

Jessica Dickson

My daughter loves her classes here and the instructors are wonderful!

Katie McCurdy

One of my desires as a parent is to expose my children to as many activities as possible, in a fashion that is not overwhelming or over scheduled. Ideally, these extracurricular activities would focus on community, culture, the arts, and athletics. When I first started looking at dance programs for my young children, I was initially drawn to ESD because of the availability of their sessional classes. It seemed as if these short-termed classes would provide a “flavor” of dancing, without the big commitment that many other prestigious dance studios often require. Additionally, they frequently incorporated art and storytelling. Our daughter LOVED these classes and was absolutely attached at the hip to her wonderfully kind teacher. She developed her love of dance and proclaimed at the tender age of 4 that she was a ballerina. From these wonderful experiences, we have continued at ESD and chose to enrol in their full-year program. I have not deviated from my personal parenting philosophy; however, I can attest that this dance studio has a focus on the wellness and growth of the whole child. This dance studio is absolutely capable of developing high-calibre athletes, yet our experience is that the overall environment is one in which the happiness of the students is of paramount importance. This is evident even within their competitive program, of which we are part of. The focus remains on the dancers having fun.

Agata Witczak

Absolutely love this dance studio! My daughter is fairly shy and not overly outgoing so I was a bit worried how she would do in a class on her own. I have to say her teacher was so warm, welcoming and amazing with children that she loved going to class each week! At the end of year recital I was convinced she would not go on stage, well, I had to pick my jaw off the ground when I saw her dancing on stage happily. We did a full year at this studio and are signed up for our next year already! Highly recommend this studio.

Ayah&loki Wagner

2 years at the studio and couldn’t be happier. Met my forever friends and so has my child! Also the dance teachers are lovely and have the best interest of your child in mind always. Feels like home!

Lisa Hutch

We've been a part of the ESD family since 2012, and now have two daughters who log many dance hours there each week. Both of our girls have had the opportunity to perform and compete, and are training hard this year for the Cecchetti ballet exams. Our eldest has also been involved with the studio’s Inspire (junior instructor) program, where her leadership and mentorship skills have developed significantly. We first chose ESD because of both the proximity to our house (they are nice and central) and the impressive biographies of both the Directors of the studio and their roster of dance teachers. We have become "lifers" for so many reasons, but some main reasons could be distilled as follows: Education: Education comes first at ESD; the dancers are treated to an education in the art form of dance, not just run through choreography for the purposes of winning trophies. My girls have learned about storytelling, body-mechanics, and self-love, building their knowledge, skills, experience, and confidence as they have been guided through ESD's curriculum. Ethos: The people behind ESD are all so very impressive. With years of dance experience, dance education, dance certifications, and cross-education including dance teachers with backgrounds in education, mental health, and various health-care fields, our girls are so fortunate to learn from this faculty. The faculty are caring, supportive, and create a nurturing and challenging environment for our girls. We could not ask for anything better in this respect. Community: We have all been fortunate to form positive and long-lasting relationships and friendships through the ESD community. Collegiality is a focus. ESD has organized community out-reach performances within the greater community of Calgary, as well as various events within the dance community to connect their students to other dancers. The connection with the studio was a big part of what got our girls (and us parents) through a really challenging 2020, and we’ll forever be grateful for that.

Connie DeSousa

I grew up as a dancer and now I’m thrilled that my daughter is interested in dance. We are so excited to have found Evolutions School of Dance. I absolutely love that the owners Stephanie and Vanessa instill such great values in their dancers like confidence, teaching their dancers to handle themselves with grace under pressure, learning to work as a team, respecting yourself and others, knowing there is always room for improvement and being able to take criticism & corrections with humility. All of these values will be so beneficial later in their grown up lives. -C.D., Mom to an incredibly talented aspiring dancer

Laura Shannon

Evolutions has been a wonderful entry point for my Preschooler into the world of ballet. She enjoyed their "Small & Tall" class when she was two years old and now is always very excited for her weekly preschool ballet class at 3yrs old. The school always has on different activities for the kids to participate in (sugar plum fairy tea, free day of dance.. etc) that allows the school to feel more like a community. It is well organized, priced fairly with excellent teachers and communication to parents. I would definitely recommend this to anyone; especially people who themselves are not familiar with the dance world but have children that want to participate!

Anu Sharma

My daughter has been dancing ballet for over ten years old, starting at the age of three, with the RAD Baby Ballet program in Abu Dhabi. Last year, during the pandemic, we decided it was a good time to move our family home, after twelve years of ex-pat life. Unfortunately, with the pandemic, and all the uncertainty and upheaval in the world, our timing wasn't the best. So we looked for ways to make the transition easier, and began looking for a dance school for her, to use her love of dance and movement to help her to settle in. She had grown to love the teachers and her classmates in her old school, so she had already set a high bar for her new school. After contacting several different dance schools, and doing a few trial lessons, she was starting to feel a bit deflated, as nothing felt 'right'. Luckily, I was referred to Evolutions studio. When I spoke with Stephanie on the phone, I knew immediately that Evolutions was different from the rest. Stephanie was personable and friendly, with a positive energy that came through over the phone. She asked me so many questions about my daughter, her dance history and personality. I did not grow up dancing, so I was unfamiliar with the Cecchetti syllabus, but Stephanie took the time to explain how it differed from the RAD program, and answered all the questions I had. I loved learning that Evolutions was a family operation, and I have seen how well they all work together, to support the dancers in their classes. My heart lifted, seeing my daughter come out of her first trial class, with a smile. After leaving behind the world she knew and starting over in a new country, where everything was foreign, she immediately felt welcomed and settled into her ballet class at Evolutions. This feeling has carried on, and she looks forward to each and every class. Her teacher, Ms. Nat, always finds a way to make her feel special and communicate to her that she is doing well. Through the last round of restrictions, I saw how hard the school worked to help students continue to feel connected to dance, which is a real challenge to do over Zoom. I was so impressed with their dedication to look after not only the students' dance skills and development, but also their mental health. Amazing! I also appreciate all the dedication and work going on behind the scenes, to ensure the Alberta Government was made aware of all the safety precautions in place, to help keep dancing a safe activity, during this current climate. This demonstrates a commitment to dance, that goes beyond just the Evolutions studio. My daughter was beaming, after her first class back, to receive a welcome back present from the staff--this thoughtfulness means so much! I am so pleased that we were able to find Evolutions, and would highly recommend them to any family. It is easy to see that my daughter's health, happiness and love of dance are all priorities at Evolutions.

Ashley Hill

My daughter loves going to dance at Evolutions. Her teacher is super patient and encouraging and she has a great time in ballet.

Matt Blais

Respectful and professional. Thank you for providing a creative space that is safe and positive.

Nicole Wasylenko

I love working for a dance studio that supports one another and our students to be the best versions of ourselves. At Evolutions our goal is to make every single person feel welcome, supported and loved.

Erin Aldcroft

We are now in year 3 at Evolutions. My daughter loves her classes and the teachers. Everyone is so kind and you can tell they love what they do! If I ever have any questions they are always answered in a timely manner. We absolutely love it there and are so excited for the next year

Stephanie T

Wonderful instructors, wonderful environment! They focus on the whole dancer and encourage community and inclusiveness among all of thier students.

Lisa Gaston

We have been coming to Evolutions since our oldest who will turn 7 this year was just a tiny “Small and Tall” dancer and now all three of our kiddos take class. When I think about Evolutions and what drew us to the studio (and what keeps us at the studio, even driving all the way from Tuscany) these words come to mind: Family, Quality, Mindfulness, Safe and Clean (which has always been the case even prior to the pandemic), and Inclusive (for example: Small and Tall isn’t called Mommy and Me for a reason and it’s little things like that are so appreciated). The studio is our kids’ happy place, we never struggle to get them there, they are always always happy and excited to go and that says it all to me!

Tiffany Montgomery-Cennon

We have been attending evolutions since my child was 2( shes now 5.5) we have continued going because of the amazing educated teachers and huge sense of positive community they do so naturally. They offer the best of both worlds, in the sense of technical teaching as well as nurturing the individual child as a whole. They are so respectful and understanding of children’s different temperament and work on the individual child to feel successful and confident. They don’t feel like a business, but feel more like a family

Karina Ritchie

My daughter looks forward to her ballet class every week! Ms Lyla is wonderful with the the girls!

Erika Paterson

A really bad experience for me and my son. We signed up for the 'small and tall' class thinking it would be good fun and something to do. The one star is that they had a good class time for 1-3 year olds. But this class was geared towards the older students and the younger ones were seen as an inconvenience to the instructor. Unless of course you have a 1.5 year old who likes to sit on the ground and pretend to be a flower every. single. week. My son is way more active than that and has no interest in being a flower or a butterfly fortunately. However, they use the corner of the studio as storage with the big exercise balls and yoga blocks, it looks messy and causes chaos. These were much more fun to play with for kids this age but annoyed the teacher so much that she sent an email to the whole class saying essentially we were failing our kids by allowing them to play with these. From a real teacher to the dance teacher: remove the distractions if you want better attention, don't blame the parents, lol. This was beyond her. Maybe the place is great with older kids but this definitely seemed like a class that they just wanted to collect our money. 20+ kids plus 20+ adults (there was way more than the 12 student limit they advertise) in one studio doing the same thing every week, it was absurd.

Kelly Nelson

This is our sixth year with Evolutions and both of my girls LOVE their dance family and literally would never want to dance anywhere else. Stephanie and Vanessa as well as all of their loving staff have worked hard to create a wonderful and encouraging environment for kids to explore their love of dance. Smaller class sizes and a huge emphasis on teaching core dance skills make them a cut above everyone else. I am super proud to be a part of the Evolutions Dance Family

mom inyyc

Our 12 year old dancer started at Evolutions a little over a year ago, with a technical class to enhance her training at another studio. So happy with the training and welcome she received that come September, she picked up 5 more classes. Just last week, after a year of loving dance with Evolutions (even through dancing from home during Covid closures), our daughter informed us that she plans to move all her training to Evolutions next season! I think much of what makes Evolutions so special is being owned and operated by sisters who grew up in the dance world, who now make growing well-rounded dancers their livelihood. Stephanie, Vanessa and Natalka are truly passionate about and committed to what they do, and it shows in every way. Evolutions excels at providing training that goes beyond dance syllabus to include body, mind and spirit. Small class sizes allow excellent technical training and individual attention, plenty of opportunities to grow and be challenged, and a wonderfully supportive and inspiring dance family of fellow dancers, faculty and administration. We’re so grateful our daughter has found everything she’s been looking for in a dance school and dance family with Evolutions, and as parents so have we. There’s truly nothing better than picking up your child after the hard work of dance classes or rehearsals, and finding them happy, pooped, and totally fulfilled - bravo Evolutions!

Ann Yarema

It was very important to me for my daughter to develop excellent ballet technique by taking ballet exams. I chose Evolutions because their teachers are high quality and they offer ballet exams. This technique shines through all different styles of her dance.

Laura Hinz Thomson

We have been at Evolutions for two years now and absolutely LOVE it. This is a dance school that emphasizes all of the best things about dance- creativity, teamwork, confidence, and fun. The teachers genuinely love what they do and the studio directors make the students and their parents feel like family. Amazing school, we plan to continue dancing here for years to come!

Jillian Williamson

My loves this school and all her teachers

Lisa Yellin

From Fairy Tale Ballet to Beginner Ballet, summer camp programs to the Performance Division, we have been able to watch our child blossom under each and every teacher. Her self confidence and creativity has grown with each class alongside her strength and skill. We love that in so many ways big and small, ESD makes it a point to teach its dancers the importance of supporting and inspiring one another. The love, dedication and enthusiasm that ESD has for its students and the art of dance is unmistakable.

Joanne MacPherson

We have been very pleased with our experience at Evolutions! Our daughter enjoys her class tremendously.