Tanner Dance, University of Utah

Patience A

Tanner's Dance program is characterized by attributes that might be pro or con, depending on the eye of the beholder. -Tanner has inclusive programming, opportunities for people with disabilities, and some impressive resources at its disposal, including live piano a lot of the time. -The location on the U of U campus offers an elegant, accessible studio but problematic traffic/parking. Once you're in the area, you never know if it will take you 15 minutes or an hour to get to and from. -Opportunity to dabble in dance at any age without having to meet prerequisites. Not rigorous dance or a pathway to develop seriously as a dancer. -Stage performances at theatrical venues and pretty costumes. This highly appeals to parents who want their kid to "play dance". Many enrolled dancers do not have exemplary fitness, foundations, or technique. (Think overweight adolescent with a 30° leap, out of sync corps, etc. But again, it is inclusive and welcoming, so... eye of the beholder.) -Tanner runs multiple performances of their spring recital which can be hard for young kids, especially relative to how otherwise non-strenuous their program is. Parents in our group felt that Kingsbury 2 days in a row for both matinee and evening performances was too much for the lower elementary ages. -Their school year session is all-year only. Great for some. For kids pursuing varied interests, it can be inconvenient to balance with soccer, basketball, skiing, etc. -The summer session is 6 weeks long. Summer 2022 parents were discouraged from watching even at the preschool level due to Covid. (This was not concurrent with a local mask mandate and was not congruent with expectations of any of the other various summer activities we participated in.) -Tanner solicits donations for various service-oriented projects. These might seem great or virtue signaling. Again, eye of the beholder. -The website has constant broken links. Overall Tanner is for the recreational/community dancer. We feel we need to move on to Ballet West or a private studio if the goal is progressing in skill versus dabbling. At their youth performances, the music, staging, costumes, and inclusivity have been impressive but the caliber of dance has not. 2-3 stars for the dance component 3-4 stars for the other stuff

Xiaohui Liu

It is a great place for dance and preschool.