Five Flags Dance Academy

"My daughter started dancing when she was 4 years old, and ever since then she has loved dancing and going to the studio. I'm so glad I found the right place for her to dance."

"Our two year old, now there year old daughter and our family have loved every minute spent at this dance Academy. Five flags dance Academy, embraced us and treated all of us like family. We unfortunately have to move due to the military, but otherwise would have been lifelong members this studio. Piper will miss Mr Chris , Ms Ashley and Ms Leslie very much!!"

"The short version: my experience with this studio was rude, unwelcoming, cliquey, and left my daughter distraught-- insisting she did NOT want to go back again. When we arrived for our first class no one took any time to explain anything. No one was at the desk to ask questions to. I wasn't told which room the class was in, who the teacher was, how we would know the room/teacher was ready for students to enter, where we should wait...we just walked into a hubbub and were left to figure it out ourselves. After noticing at the first two lessons that the other students in the class would wait in a side room I asked the teacher if my daughter could wait there also. She gave me an unwelcoming look and said those girls were back there because they were 'just putting their stuff down'. However, they were all clearly sitting around chatting waiting for the class to begin. She hadn't really answered my question, so I asked again, and the teacher begrudgingly said my daughter could wait there also. It really felt I had offended some sensibility in the teacher for even proposing that my daughter wait in that room. The next week, only three girls showed up for the class-- my daughter and two girls 1-2 years older than her. This was her third dance lesson in her ENTIRE lifetime, shared with two much more experience dancers. As soon as she left the studio she burst into tears and was inconsolable for a good 10 minutes. She finally calmed down and reported that the teacher kept wanting her to string together numerous dance moves-- moves she had barely been introduced to individually. The more experienced dancers were held up as the way she should be doing it, however, clearly her skill was no where near that level. She became upset and overwhelmed at the unrealistic expectations and the teacher just told her to "Stop making excuses." Trying to explain that you don't know how to do what is being asked, is not "making excuses." Also, this is beginner dance for 6-8 year-olds, not try-outs for the Bolshoi, back off and show some understanding. We did NOT go back to finish the remainder of the classes. Update years later: I have had two interactions that bolster my impression of this studio. One is with a dance instructor who had worked there previously. She confirmed that it was a very high pressure studio and said she wouldn’t really recommend it. I also met a teenage girl who had attended Five Flags for many years. She was pretty adamant in saying she wouldn’t recommend it to young kids and even elaborated by saying that she was currently attending therapy largely due to the stress and pressure she felt as a student there from a young age. Yikes."

"My daughter started dancing at this studio before she was even 2. She will be 8 next month and this studio and dancing has made such a positive impact on her life. It has built her confidence, made her a social butterfly and taught her about discipline and commitment. Miss Ashley and Chris go above and beyond to make her feel comfortable in class and help her to exceed. It is the best studio on the emerald coast. The class is affordable and fun and everything I ever wanted for my daughter. I am so happy I found this studio so many years ago and so excited for her future."

"My daughter started ballet at another studio when she was 2 and hated it- she was reluctant to walk in the class every week and it was like pulling teeth to get her ready to attend class. We switched her over to Five flags after I spoke with Ms Ashley on the phone. It was in the middle of the season and she let my daughter start right away. My daughter used to be very timid and shy around unfamiliar people but she has completely come out of her shell at this studio!! She Loves dance now and she is so excited to attend class every week now. The recitals are well done and professional and the studio communicates regularly through emails so I'm never in the dark. We are so grateful to Ms Ashley for welcoming us and can't wait for her to improve her dancing and dance with FFDA for years to come!!"