Kansas City Young Audiences

What do you get when you combine a group of eager to learn kids with adults that love their craft and want to teach at a reasonable price? KCYA!!They have all sorts of classes from ballet, instrument, creative movement, acting, musical theater and improv. They have classes for all ages.Semesters are spring and fall with extra camps over spring and summer breaks. The teachers are fun but are there to teach. My 5yo learned how to present a monologue, stage directions and how to walk as a model all while playing and having fun.If you have kids interested in theater, music or dance I highly recommend these professionals!

Professional-level dance instruction at affordable prices. I would highly recommend anyone with kids interested in dance consider this option.My daughter is only 3 and the classes were a bit too focused, serious, and expectations for behavior and quiet-levels were a bit much for kids that age, but if her interest in ballet remains going forward, I'll definitely and gladly return with her.

I was directed to Kansas City Young Audiences as an option for a ballet class for my twin toddlers. I am so happy that we followed through! My two-and-a-half year-old daughters enthusiastically participated in the Parent-and-Me Dance Class on Saturday mornings, and we loved it! Our class met once a week on Saturday mornings from 0930-1010. The length of class was perfect, because toddlers are not known for their discipline or patience. The formula of class, starting with stretches and practicing basic ballet skills, was key. This was a wonderful class. It focuses on the basics and techniques of dance rather than being a silly class that is a mere excuse to dress toddlers in tutus and tiaras. My daughters merrily spent their Saturday mornings with aspirations of being ballet dancers, not entertaining fantasies of fairy princesses (not that there is anything inherently wrong with fairy princesses; that is simply not what we signed up to do). The Parent-and-Me Class is for dancers within the age range of two to four years. My daughters were two-and-a-quarter at the beginning of the term. At the first class, my fear was that I had made a horrible mistake è rolling children that were too young. But they were eager. And what children lack in precision they make up for in enthusiasm. By the third class, they were not only picking up on the directions and techniques but they were eagerly practicing ballet at home! They love to do their relevé walk and their coupé passé and "run run run grand jetté"! Miss Katie is a wonderful teacher. She is kind but firm about expectations, and even very small children of merely two can learn ballet from her. In fact, I feel like my daughters learned more about following directions from this class than I would ever have been able to reach them at home. They want to please her, and so they follow her directions and they learn. I am eager to sign my daughters up for the next session. At this age, it is impossible to know if they will develop the love and talent for ballet to continue on with it, but for now they are having fun. It is my job to support that and encourage a love of the performing arts in this embryonic stage. And the movement skills from dance are such that they will benefit physically, even if they never grow to become ballerinas.

My daughter has been taking dance here for a year. We started together with a Parent and Me class, and then she moved on to Pre-Ballet II without me. She has had Miss Katie for both classes, and she absolutely loves her. Classical training is important to me. So many dance studios focus on competitions and routines instead of emphasizing the fundamentals of dance. It is also important to me that when there are recitals, the costumes are age-appropriate. I found both of these things and more at KCYA. The instructors are top notch, and they have a passion for their students and their art. I highly recommend KCYA to anyone who is looking for a high quality arts education for their child.

We attended an art exhibition and performance by the youth. It was tremendous. The building is beautiful. (Former Office Max building) Art donated by disabled artist was on display. The whole person had a silent auction comprised of items donated by participating artist. Shakespeare's Hamlet is the current performance. Blessings...

FANTASTIC BALLET INSTRUCTION - - - Our family's only experience with KCYA has been with my daughter's ballet class, but I must say, I have been nothing but impressed by the quality of the teaching. This is a very traditional ballet class, and while the teacher is strict, the children (boys and girls!) all adore her, and she has a wonderful rapport with even the youngest students. I have been amazed by the progress that my daughter, and the other children, make throughout a semester of lessons, and I look forward to many more years of ballet lessons for my daughter at KCYA.