WOW! Really shocked! My daughter has been at Top Hat for years now. And, they set great emphasis on the dancers practicing their routines at home. This is why they have a taping day for the parents. This is not for us to have a memory of our cute little girl/boy dancing. Rather, it is for us parents to record the instructors dancing. This way the dancers can watch the video at home and practice for the recital. The directors and owners love dance and they LOVE to teach. I honestly think you should give it another shot. You will find that many other studios focus on cute jazz routines and hip hop. The dancers at Top Hat cannot take Jazz without first being introduced to ballet and tap. They are not into she's cute, lets put her in the company. You have to be invited in the company. No auditions, which in most studios, are a joke. Why?? Everyone makes it. I suggest maybe you do a little research and perhaps you will feel more comfortable. They don't move students to higher levels of classed unless they are ready. The recitals are wonderful. I also suggest that you attend one of their competitions. You will notice the quality of the dancers. Top Hat is a well oiled machine! I'm not speaking ill of other studios. But, I can assure you that I do believe you are mistaken. The dancers learn all about their muscles, bones, etc.. They really take their time teaching them how to stretch, AND, stress that they stretch at home for at least 20 minutes a day. They also do a great job educating the parents so that we can help the kids. They also take the art of dance very seriously. Many of their dancers have been on SYTYCD and some are well established entertainers. Hope you will give it a shot!
