Castro Valley Performing Arts 3575 Somerset Avenue, Castro Valley, CA 94546

"This studio has been life changing for my daughter. I cannot recommend CVPA highly enough. My daughter Madeline attended a different local studio from the age of 2-10. My biggest regret is not moving her to CVPA sooner. As she got older, there were very few corrections being given by teachers there and she was not being challenged. They were very focused on competition rehearsals and did not offer enough technique classes to help her grow as a dancer. CVPA is the exact opposite of her old studio. They are technique focused and raise well rounded dancers competent in all styles of dances. They offer a great competition program, but make sure their dancers have access to lots of technique classes to not just memorize choreography but improve all their skills simultaneously. We changed studios during the beginning of the pandemic when classes were on Zoom. She did a week of free trial classes before we signed up. During the week trial my daughter received more corrections by teachers on Zoom than she received in person in a year at her old studio. I also had more contact with the CVPA owner in the first week than I did in 8 years of dance at the old studio. My daughter had literally made up her mind after the first class that CVPA was the studio for her. The teachers here put their heart and soul into every class and care deeply about all of the dancers. The difference in my daughter's dancing is like night and day. The caring dance family that has been created here is like no other. If you are looking for a well rounded, technique- focused studio with amazing teachers to take your child to the next level, look no further than CVPA."

"First, this review is long overdue. My daughter began her journey with CVPA approximately one year ago. She has been dancing ballet since the age of 3, which she has continued to grow in. Two of the things she has been training in are jazz (3rd year now) and hip hop (2nd year now). Prior to this last year before joining CVPA, she was not taught proper technique, vocabulary or even how to count correctly with music. The studio she danced at before joining CVPA did not communicate any concerns. When I finally realized how behind my daughter was it blew my mind and caused much frustration and tears. Janet (CVPA owner) took my daughter in and has personally spent time retraining her and reversing the poor and bad habits that were not corrected where she danced prior to CVPA. I have witnessed her do this for all her new students. I cannot say enough good things about the teachers, owner, and students in Castro Valley Performing Arts. My daughter has been on an emotional journey this past year, and CVPA has given her the tools and communication to help get her in the right direction. The teachers and Owner are wonderful communicators, and they truly take the time to instill correct form, alignment, technique, dance vocabulary, good attitude, amazing choreography, and so much more. Specifically, Ms. Janet, Ms. Gia, Ms. Kim, Ms. Kristina, Ms. Hannah, Ms. Michelle, Ms. Karisa, and Ms. Jenelle have all greatly influenced my daughter through this transition. Thank you all for believing in my daughter and welcoming our family to your studio. Ms. Cassidy, who recently began teaching at CVPA is also amazing. She has instructed my daughter in the past for ballet, and I feel was the only reason my daughter maintained good ballet training during our time prior to CVPA. Ms. Amanda is also absolutely amazing. While my daughter did have a hard time learning Latin Jazz, as it was something I'm not sure she was able to comfortably embrace, it is clear as day that Ms. Amanda is a wonderful instructor. I am so incredibly happy that she is working with such a strong team of teachers. If you are looking for a studio that teaches proper technique, etiquette, dance vocabulary, amazing choreography, and how to properly train their dancers, then this is the place to be. I would like to add that I drive all the way from Livermore for my daughter to attend this studio. I never imagined commuting my children for a sport. Worth every moment!"

"My daughter who is now 16yrs old has been attending CVPA since she was 3yrs old and she loves it. Ms.Janet who is the owner of the studio is one the most hardworking and caring people i know. Her students mean everything in the world to her. I'm always proud to say daughter attends CVPA when i talk about her dancing."

"CVPA is the best studio in town. I have never seen an owner who cares so much about her teachers, dancers and their families. My daughter has danced through several places in town. However, without any doubt, CVPA is the best. I could tell horrible stories about selfish owners at other studios in town, but I keep that to myself. Both my daughter and son take classes through CVPA. Since at least 2007 I love the many classes to choose from. I love the boutique- it’s so convenient to be able to order everything we need. It just simplifies everything. COVID really taught me a lot about people. I have seen the best and worst of people. And Janet, CVPA owner, really invested so much financially, as well as mentally and time, in the safety of everyone in the studio. She has completely renovated all of the studio spaces with top of the line air filtration. She has created an outdoor studio! I really cannot believe the financial investment she has made in the health and safety of our kids. She held classes outdoors at parks for months! She continued to run the boutique out of her home when she was unable to continue at the physical location due to covid changes. Order online, pick up at her home. Seriously, it could not be more convenient. Even more convenient than Amazon lol. She has organized parades for graduating students, held excellent Zoom classes when no one could meet in person, continues to offer top of the line dance education through Zoom for those who are not ready to go in person. For in person classes there is a COVID screening & temperature check & masking. All teachers are vaccinated. This just grazes the surface of what Janet has done for our kids. She is superwoman. I don’t believe she sleeps. She is the best role model I could have ever asked for my kids. Honesty, passion, hard work, dedication, commitment, caring for community, persistence, patience— She literally embodies them all. The COVID key word for excellent educators is PIVOT. And that’s what Janet has done masterfully. We have all had to be flexible throughout COVID, and CVPA is just now opening up to in person. So things are fluctuating as classes go into the studios. For sure whichever email address is listed under registration would have received notification of a class location change. I have never seen any studio, or really most businesses, so on top of communicating information to studio families. The boutique prices are normal, nothing extravagant. There are fun pieces too. I saw a complaint about no returns. Yes, due to COVID The boutique has been absolutely no returns and Janet has always been clear about that. I’m not sure what the single negative reviewer is talking about- I feel that there is something lost in translation. How can you rate a business so low, when you haven’t even participated yet? If I haven’t heard from a business by phone, I would send an email. Sometimes communications get lost. Who knows what happened- why assume the worst? Honestly, Janet is an incredible woman who has created a world-class dance studio. I am so proud to be part of the CVPA family."

"My daughter takes beginning / intro classes at the center street location. Miss Jessica and Miss Sophia are amazing instructor's. You can tell when someone has a gift in dealing with children. These two have that gift. They interact very well with all of the children they instruct. They are very patient, pleasant and skilled teachers. This is a great choice if you want to get your child involved in dance."