Pamela Trokanski Dance Workshop

I take my 4 year old daughter to pre-tap and pre-ballet classes here. We joined in the middle of a session and was welcomed even though my daughter had never danced before. She absolutely loves it! Ms. Pamela is very great at capturing her attention and I love how she is hands-on when trying to correct feet placement and posture. She is very quirky and wonderful with children. We saw her outside of the studio once and she recognized us and said hello.Ms. Virginia has a more methodical approach when teaching tap, and has great patience which I can appreciate. She also gives her students little candies during the holidays, which is very sweet.The studio has had a couple of few free showcases, and fairly inexpensive events and performances since my daughter has started attending. For Halloween they showed everyone how to do the Thriller dance. I am looking forward to her first recital in May!

An instructor told my 5-year-old daughter that she couldn't use the restroom because it was "ballet time." The same instructor said to me that she would not succeed in other places or sports because she couldn't stay in a spot when required. She started having tremendous anxiety when it was the day to go to the studio. I knew she was not welcomed there. She was enrolled for an entire season but wanted to attend only two sessions. We did not receive any tentative communication from the studio to check up on her.We switched to another dance school in town, and my daughter is doing great. I do not recommend Trokanski's for small children.

My 8 yr old came here for dance camp the week of spring break and for 4 weeks of summer dance camp. All were great. She learned more than just dance steps, she learned about the history of different dance styles and connecting sound to movement. They were great with covid protocols and safe. Always a warm welcome. Additionally, very reasonably priced.

Danced here with my housemates while I was in undergrad at UCD. They are best at ballet and jazz in my opinion, but had great zumba too. Pamela is phenomenal, and her crew is high quality!

I can here for a ballet drop in and the instructors were very welcoming and nice. It had been a while since I step foot in a studio for abut 8 years, but they made sure I was placed in the right level class. There are many dance studio rooms here and all types of dance (lyrical, ballet, hip-hop) however, no tap =(. The instructor gave many technique corrections which I like because I want to make sure I am executing each dance move correctly. I suggest if you want proper technique, GO HERE!

I've actually known Pam for several years as her dance student in high school. She has interesting quirks here and there (I can understand the profanity used by the receptionists). But as many yelpers have noted, I don't think that's acceptable. As long as you stay on Pam's good side, she'll take you under her wings and treat you like royalty. Denise is awesome, I wish I had more time to learn from her. Best ballet instructor ever, she makes me want to study ballet for life. Her body is amazingly toned. I'm jelly

My 5 year old daughter takes pre-ballet here and loves it. Everyone has been wonderful to us. My 15 year old daughter also takes the high school dance course with the studio owner and it's one of her favorite classes. I'm definitely happy with this studio and their staff!

I dance here, but I wish I didn't. The only reason I'm still at this studio is because of the ballet teacher, Denise. Let me explain:First, some of the receptionists are nice, but there are others who are rude. When I say rude I mean hateful and vulgar. There was a recent incident about dress code and when the dancer in question said good night to the receptionist the response she got was "f*ck off." Very professional. The owner of the studio, while claiming to value professionalism, is rude to customers as well. She is, at times, completely lacking tact.And there's a dress code. It has been on paper for years but never enforced for adult dancers. It's a silly thing, really; only black leotards and no ballet skirts. The scary part is how rigid and unyielding the owner is about it. She tries to kick people out and she disciplines them in public. These are adults, who in many cases pay a ton of money to dance there! What harm is a red leotard?The actual studio space is just ok. The owner does not allow rosin on the floors. This has created a hazard for pointe class, and many people have fallen, both in pointe and technique, including me. I will say though that after years she has finally begun putting liquid rosin on the ballet floor once a week which helps. The ballet barres are too close to the wall to properly stretch, and if you're doing turns at the barre you can pretty much guarantee that you'll be hitting the mirrors at some point.For me, the worst parts are the people. The owner is straightforward, but often crosses the line from straightforward to mean, in my opinion. Some of the front desk people are icy at best and hateful and vulgar at worst.Honestly, I'll keep dancing here at least until the end of April when the session is up because I don't want to lose the money. And I may consider remaining simply because I love the teacher, even though I am loathe to give my money to this establishment, but I cannot recommend this studio to others even if it is the only place in town to get such a wide variety of dance styles under one roof.UPDATE: Approximately one week after I posted this review, the owner of the studio met me at the door with a check refunding me the balance of my tuition for the session. Her stated reason was that I was rude to her employees and I was no longer welcome there. She even had her boyfriend who, in his words, was acting as security, stand outside and verify that I had left the parking lot.

I am saddened by the negative reviews of this wonderful place. Please note that they all were written at the same time, reflecting a conflict between a teacher and Pamela (the teacher is no longer at the studio).My daughter has danced here for 7 years. She has received excellent instruction from a number of different teachers. I have seen children and adults welcomed regardless of their dance ability, body type, or level of interest in dance. If you want to dance here, whether for fun, for exercise, or because you are on your way to a professional dance career, you are welcome. Pamela believes that dance is for every body--I have appreciated that there is no emphasis on a particular body type or an endorsement of super-thin bodies. This is also evident in Pamela's work with Parkinson's patients, older adults, and community groups. The training is about dance and not performance. There is exactly one student concert each year, and usually the costumes are modest and reasonably affordable. No place is perfect. Occasionally we have had teachers who are immature or who don't work well with kids. And Pamela is not for everyone. She has clear rules and she enforces them. My daughter has always thrived in this context. I know other children who dance here but never take classes with Pamela. There is sufficient variety that a dancer can choose which teachers to take.I recommend this dance studio. However, I also believe that there needs to be a good fit between a studio and dancer, and between a teacher and student. Try this studio with an open mind and see if that fit is good for you and your child.

We've had only great experiences here. My 10 year old daughter has taken tap and jazz and both were wonderful classes. There are some rules (certain dress rules, can't be over 10 minutes late, etc.) but as far as I can see in my 2 years there, they are not extreme at all. The owner is very inspiring and my daughter loved every day of her class. The office manager/receptionist is extremely kind, helpful, and patient which has been AWESOME (I am a single mom, sometimes forget my checkbook, running late, etc.), so it is a little odd to see reviews that certainly have nothing to do with her (maybe someone in the past).