In regards to Mr. James Livingston's complaint against the Back Stage Dance Center, I can only assume he is right on the money with his description of events and level of dissatisfaction with this dance facility. I too have found owners Stacy and Michelle to be rude and quite pompous. I speak from experience, as I recently extrapolated my daughter from dance lessons at this same dance facility.

I found a wide variety of fees to be exaggerated in price and nothing short of extortion. For example, after paying for a season of dance lessons and recital gown, Backstage Dance Center had the nerve to charge us a recital fee of $40. C'mon! Haven't I paid enough to see my daughter dance in a recital? In addition, the owners make ridiculous schedules with no regard to working parents. For example, my daughter's recital tickets could only be purchased at a certain time and place that differed from other parents. Is this kind of micro-management, rude environment, and fee structure necessary for a kid's dance facility? And even though we purchased the recital gown, we decided not to have my daughter participate in the recital. We also decided not to go back to the Backstage Dance Center ever again.

My wife and I were extremely dissatisfied with the whole experience and the unnecessary rigor in which the facility is ran. We were also greatly concerned about the physiological damage it may cause to my daughter. I praise Mr. Livingston for speaking out. I used to be a professional guitar instructor working at a reputable music school in New London, CT. I had many students and the school put on two recitals a year. Never did we charge the parents to have their kids participate in the recitals and never did we insult the parents, charge extravagant fees, or make the students feel insecure or incompetent at any time. It's just not fair to the hard working parents who make hard sacrifices for their children. Shame on the Backstage Dance Center. I hope more parents continue to speak out.