Ballet Hawaii

I took my young niece to see her very first ballet at Ballet Hawaii's The Nutcracker last week! As an arts enthusiast who just relocated from San Francisco, I am thrilled that Hawaii has a robust arts scene.The Nutcracker features Ballet Hawaii and the Honolulu Symphony, set in the Kingdom of Hawaii 1895. Having seen The Nutcracker performed in other cities, it was so amazing seeing this classic Christmas Ballet with a Hawaiian theme!The best part was my young niece was awe-struck and captivated by the beautiful performance. Well done, Ballet Hawaii!I hope to make this an annual Auntie and Niece Christmas tradition.

NO ALOHAFirst, let me say that I had no problems with the classes. My daughter attended Creative Movement classes for the young kids (3-4yrs), and she loved every minute. The instructor seemed nice, and the students seemed to really love her.Things to know:1. If you tell them that their student will have to travel to the Mainland because their grandfather has fallen seriously ill, and will therefore have to miss a few classes, they will respond by asking for a donation.2. Once their student returns from saying goodbye/burying their grandfather, they will not be able to make up the classes they've already paid for....Unless you purchase additional classes, or make a commitment to do so by paying a deposit.Note: My daughter was not able to perform in their annual Spring Showcase due to aforementioned missed classes and rehearsals, but here is what I learned from the process: Regarding their Spring Showcase:1. They will charge you a fee for the Spring Showcase, but will not tell you what it's for until you ask. It is for "production fees", as they "do not charge the students for their costumes and such."2. At a later time, they will ask you to fundraise and contribute donations, because they "do not charge for the students' costumes and such." After you've paid a production fee.3. You will not be able to watch your student at the Showcase...Unless you purchase a ticket.4. Even if you purchase a ticket, you will not be allowed to photograph/record your child's performance. This is so they can sell you a "professional" recording later.So, like I said my daughter really enjoyed her classes. Our situation may not apply to you (I hope it doesn't) and may not affect your decision to attend. But I also wanted to share with you the things I learned from what we went through, in case it helps someone else. The instructor seems nice and is a legitimate dance instructor, but the administration is beyond the pale of your typical non-profit operator.

My expectations were a bit higher for the performance. The production got better as it led up to the second act. A couple good moments but overall I was underwhelmed.

Apart from being exposed to ballet while living in Europe and studying culture and the arts there, ballet still remains for many, an acquired taste.Had the pleasure of experiencing Ballet Hawai'i's "Romeo & Juliet" at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. I didn't have any expectations, however I was impressed to witness the high level of excellence and technicality to detail that Ballet Hawai'i presented. I specifically enjoyed the beautiful scenes showcasing just Romeo and Juliet, their fluidity, passion and convincing devotion. A very tragic love story indeed that need not have been if Juliet just told Romeo of her plans beforehand. Though seriously, a timeless story that behooves us to live for today and cherish every moment. I surely did. Bravo Ballet Hawai'i!#Yelp 365: 025/365

LOVE the classes and teachers here! Not a huge fan of the administrative staff... kinda rude and pushy but if you can dodge them and go into class, do it!

I'm a parent and my five year old daughter takes classes here. She likes it, and it is wonderful to watch her dance.BUT, we have not been very happy with the school's efforts to extract additional money from parents. For instance, they ask the girls to sell packages of internet discount coupons as a fundraiser. This is not the Girl Scouts, and it is not something you ask a five year old to do! If I wanted her to be in a salesman's training academy, I would have signed her up for one. Then, they also ask parents to pay $21 for each ticket to see their kids dance in a recital. What? It's not like its a public performance of the Nutcracker. This is like when you were a kid, and you worked on your performance with your teacher, and then the parents were invited to see it. You don't charge the parents for that. If Ballet Hawaii needs more money from parents so they can pay their rent and instructors (and my understanding is that a lot of people are volunteers there, which is great), then they should just charge us more. I feel like I'm just getting off a flight on a discount airline...

Me: "I just wanna dance!" World: "No, you're too old... adults can't learn how to dance. you're crazy."Me: "NOOOOOOO"Livingsocial: "The world's cray cray. You can dance. In fact, here's a discount!"Me: "My hero!"Because the world has been a mean bully for so long, it has been 5 years since I've stepped foot in a dance studio, and 10 years since I've stepped foot in a ballet studio. I was a little bit rusty.That's ok though. There are two classes here for beginning and intermediate adult classes. The beginning class really is for someone who has never danced before. However, I benefitted from taking one to remind myself of the basic technique. The intermediate class more or less contains retired dancers like myself and those who have started dancing and have been taking classes for about a year. The studio is located on the first floor of the building across the street from the police station. There is plenty of parking available at the roof of the building, but the garage is a little difficult to maneuver. They have changing rooms and restrooms with water fountains and a small kitchenette area if you are trying to fit this class into your busy schedule. If you don't have the right clothing, they are pretty lax about letting you take the class regardless. If you show up to a daytime class though, they have a store open to buy clothes/shoes. They have three clean well equipped studios with pianos, portable barres, and spring floors. Us adults don't have a lot of options where we want to dance, but this is by far the best option I've found in my 3 years living on the island. It doesn't hurt to just drop in and try a class or two.

Ballet Hawaii is a lovely gem of a training studio for my daughter who loves dance. Lesley is an amazingly organized 'do-it-all' for the organization and keeps me updated with progress via timely emails. My daughter is in her 2nd year taking ballet at this studio and loves her teacher Ms. Siko. I find the place clean, parking is easy and plentiful up on the rooftop, waiting areas comfortable, and the staff are pleasant. The opportunities that this place offers for my little child to expand on her dance expression in the studio and on stage is invaluable.

Wonderful performance of the Nutcracker. Principals were excellent. Enjoyed the live orchestral music.

Although I loved the Ballet Hawaii performance of the Nutcracker, with creative costuming and beautiful choreography, I must say that the venue was completely inappropriate. Deciding to have the performance in Blaisdell Arena, instead of the Blaisdell Concert Hall, which was under renovation, proved to be the worst idea. We spent a lot of money to get the "best" tickets on the bottom floor and I must say that the rows of seats were so close together that our knees were hitting the row of seats in front of us. Additionally, it was impossible to see any of the dancers unless they leapt into the air because the bottom level was flat. We were never once able to see the feet of any of the dancers. What a disappointing experience. We saw dozens of people leaving the Arena at intermission. This was a waste of time and money.