Evolutions School of Dance - Calgary

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

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