Frequently asked questions

Dancers start with us at age 2 and keep going through the teen years, and we teach adults too. Ages 2 and 3 dance alongside a grown-up in our Dance With Me class, and independent classes start at age 3.

No. Beginners are welcome at every age, and classes are grouped so a first-timer is never the only new dancer in the room. Plenty of our dancers start at 8, 9 or 10, and our adult classes are full of people who took their very first class as grown-ups.

No, and that is on purpose. We are a non-competitive studio: no auditions, no competition team, no travel weekends, and no ranking your child against anybody else. Dancers learn real technique, work hard, and perform in our yearly recital.

Not at all. Our classes are for kids who want to move, not for a body type. Teachers meet each dancer exactly where they are and build from there, and every child in the room gets the same encouragement.

Yes. Your first class is free, with no commitment and no card required. Tell us your dancer's age and we will put them in a class that fits, so you can both see how it feels before you enroll.

Studio tuition runs from $53 to $73 a month per class depending on how long the class is, and the price is listed on every class in our schedule. There are a few other costs across the season, including a registration fee, a recital costume, and recital tickets. Call or email us and we will walk you through the whole year before you commit, so nothing shows up as a surprise.

Placement is by age and experience, never by audition. Pick the class that matches your dancer's age on the schedule, and if you are not sure, tell us the age and we will point you to the right one. The teacher confirms the fit in the first week or two and moves a dancer if a different class suits them better.

Usually you can still join. We take new dancers through the season whenever there is room in a class, and teachers help a newcomer catch up on what they missed. Send us your dancer's age and we will tell you what has space this week.

This is normal and we see it every single season. Give it four to six weeks: most children who spend day one attached to a parent's leg are running into the room by the end of the month. Our teachers are used to it, they will never force a child into the circle, and you can talk to us any time it feels rough.

Yes. Boys are welcome in every class we offer, at every age. If your son wants to try tap, hip hop, tumbling or ballet, sign him up the same way anyone else would.

For a trial class, leggings or shorts and a t-shirt they can move in, with hair pulled back. Bare feet are fine to start. Please do not buy anything until you know your dancer is staying in the class.

It depends on the class: ballet needs a leotard, tights and ballet slippers, tap needs tap shoes, jazz needs jazz shoes, and hip hop needs clean, non-marking indoor sneakers. Come by the studio and we will measure your dancer, then you order online through our Nimbly shop and it ships to your door.

We are at 1630 General Booth Blvd, Suite 106, Virginia Beach, VA. Come a few minutes early for the first class so your dancer can meet the teacher before the music starts, and give us a call at 757-418-1294 if you have questions about pickup.

Dance Makers has been teaching Virginia Beach families for nearly 20 years, and founder Ms. Jennifer Pappas still runs the studio. If you would like to meet your dancer's teacher before you enroll, just ask and we will set it up.

Ask us when you enroll and we will tell you exactly how viewing works for your dancer's class time. We want you to see what your child is learning, so nothing that happens in our classrooms is a mystery to parents.

Let the studio know ahead of time when you can, so the teacher is expecting an empty spot. Call or email us about a make-up and we will tell you what is available for your dancer's class.

Our classes are small on purpose, and the youngest age groups are the smallest of all so every child gets hands-on attention. Ask us about the specific class you are considering and we will tell you exactly how many dancers are in it.

Often yes, and we will do our best. Placement goes by age and experience first, so if the two children are in different age groups they may land in different classes. Tell us who they want to dance with when you register and we will look at what is possible.

One class a week is plenty for a recreational dancer, and it is where most of our families start. If your dancer catches the bug and wants to add a second style later, ask us about the multi-class family discount.

Let us know and we will take care of it, no awkwardness. Call us before you decide, though: when something is not working, a different class time or a different style very often fixes it.

Yes, we hold a recital every year, and dancers in our preschool program also perform twice at their own school. It is the highlight of the season for most families, but if it is not right for yours, talk to us early so we can plan around it.

There is a costume for each dance your child performs, a recital fee, and tickets for the show itself. Our preschool program has a $55 performance fee covering two performances at your child's school. Ask us for the recital cost sheet before the season starts and you will have the full picture in advance.

Tuition pays for class time. The recital is a separate production with a venue to rent, a stage to light, and staff to run the show, so ticket sales cover the performance rather than the classes.

There is a dress rehearsal before the show and we ask that dancers make it, since it is the only run-through on the real stage. We publish recital and rehearsal dates early in the season so you can get them on the calendar, and costumes are ordered through the studio so you are not hunting anything down.

We do. Our teachers bring ballet, tap, jazz and tumbling into preschools all over Virginia Beach, so your child dances during the school day and you skip the extra drive. Tuition is $63 a month for the first dancer, there is a $35 registration fee, and dancers perform twice a year at their school.

Yes. We run daytime combination classes built around the homeschool schedule for younger and older dancers, mixing ballet and tap fundamentals during school hours.

Yes, and beginners are genuinely welcome. Adults take tap, a ballet barre workout, and a hip hop and jazz mix in five week sessions, starting at $109 for one class a week.

We do. Camps and short sessions are a low-commitment way to try dance, especially over the summer, with options for little ones from age 3 and a tap fitness session for adults.