Scripps Performing Arts Academy Carmel Valley

Our daughter has been in the Musical Theater 1 Class for Descendants and Ms. Joy has done and AMAZING job with all of the young kids. She has the patience of a saint and we are impressed with how well she and the Academy transitioned to a virtual environment. Thanks for an awesome experience even under the toughest circumstances.
Sep 17th, 2020

Nothing but good things to say about our experience at SPAA. About six years ago when we were looking for a new ballet studio for our daughter Erin (10 years old at the time), Ms Miah and SPAA were recommended to us as a top notch non-competition ballet focused studio. Erin chose SPAA over other studios we visited due to her interactions with Ms Miah and what she felt she could learn from her. Six years later and my daughter and her passion for ballet is thriving at SPAA, under the guidance of Ms Miah and her other teachers. Over the years she has progressed to pointe and moved from beginning to intermediate to advanced class levels when she was physically and emotionally ready. She has also expanded her love of ballet to include jazz, modern, contemporary, lyrical and tap. SPAA considers each child individually and nurtures the whole child, not just the dancer. She has also made incredible friends with her fellow dancers, including both younger and older dancers that took her under their wings and have been her biggest cheerleaders as she takes on more challenging roles in performances including the Nutcracker and the spring and June shows. It was so great to be back in the theater and see the kids dance again for the Nutcracker earlier this month. Erin has attended multiple winter and summer intensives at SPAA and, with Ms Miah's guidance and support, has also auditioned and got in to multiple summer programs with ballet companies and attended a 5 week program at Ballet West in Salt Lake during 2021 and will attend Boston Ballet's 5 week summer program in 2022. I could go on but the bottom line is that SPAA is an excellent dance studio family that supports the whole child, whether the child wants to dance for fun or is seeking a professional career in dance...it's always about the child and helping them be the best dancer they can be! Ballet has been the constant for my daughter over the last few years with the pandemic and it has taught her that dedication and commitment will help her excel in all areas of her life. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Jennifer Brown
Dec 30th, 2021

It has been truly a joy to watch my daughters grow and thrive as dancers over the years, all because of the wonderful environment at Scripps Performing Art Academy (SPAA). Both of them have danced at other local studios, with great confidence I do believe SPAA is a wonderful studio and I will highly recommend. SPAA offers different dance classes, my daughters have the opportunities to explore them during the summer and they love them all! By participating in various dance classes, summer intensive programs and dance performances, they have learned great dance technique and choreograph while building a portfolio of self-esteem and confidence. At SPAA, Miss Miah and all other wonderful teachers go above and beyond to make every student feel special, valued and part of a wonderful dance team (without any bad competitive vibe). My daughters look forward to their classes each week, both of them have created great friendship with their dance buddies. This is particularly precious during the Covid pandemic, SPAA has been able to continue their classes with excellent safety protocols, my daughters were able to attend their classes in person, and they danced beautifully in toughing performances of Nutcracker and a Year-end production, in an outdoor studio. Thank you Miss Miah and all of the SPAA teachers for nurturing the resilient and creative souls of all your dancers and giving them your love and support, especially during challenging time!
Jul 18th, 2021

We were in search of a dance program for our son and, after contacting several schools across the county, Scripps Performing Arts Academy (SPAA) stood above the rest in both vision and approach. Our son has always loved to dance and we knew he would need structure and guidance as well as flexibility to still be a kid. From the moment we first walked through their doors and still today, we have always felt warmly welcomed. SPAA provides quality education in all forms of dance as well as musical theatre and delivers it all in a way that supports whole person growth. In our nearly two years as part of the SPAA family, we have witnessed the delight of the littlest ones as they learn ballet and tap technique while singing along to their favorite songs; others meeting up with their friends in the lobby and sharing how excited they are to begin their classes and rehearsals; and the older students walking in with confidence as they warm up for their next class and rehearsal. Across age and skill level, students are met where they are each day. The emotional person is addressed along with the physical technique of each class. As for my son, he continues to be excited to go to his ballet classes and added musical theatre to his schedule this year. He is simply thriving there. We have watched him go from novice to showing promise and full of spirit. More recently, our older son expressed interest after seeing how much fun our younger son was having, and is now participating in a musical theatre class. He, too, is thriving. He is now working with his voice and playing characters at home all of the time and we have already seen his confidence level improve. If there was one thing you could count on your child(ren) taking away from their experiences at SPAA, it is a myriad of skills they will use throughout their life, most especially confidence. SPAA provides experienced and knowledgeable instructors who go out of their way to connect with their students, creating a warm environment for learning. In fact, it feels like a home away from home for both students and their families. SPAA does so much by way of classes, shows and productions, one would think they are a small army when, in reality, they are a tight-knit group, passionate about sharing their craft and educating young people through performance art. Their larger productions also give us families a wonderful way to get involved, helping with various parts of the shows, and allowing us to be part of our children’s fun.
Nov 22nd, 2020

10 Billion Stars. PLEASE READ THIS! YOU WILL LEARN ALOT IF YOU ARE A NEW TO DANCE STUDIOS OR LOOKING FOR A NEW DANCE/THEATRE HOME. In the beginning, my daughter and I went around to about 5 local dance studios to see where our best fit was and to sort of "interview" them. I have no dance background or perspective on what a dance studio could be, should be or even what we wanted. But boy did we learn that fast. We have watched our daughter dance here from age 6 ish and is now almost 12, still going strong. The ballet program for the littles is adorable and right on - no spray tans, lashes or inappropriate costumes - it's sweet. And no competitions. No pressure. All of her teachers were so loving and when I learned of their own professional dance backgrounds, I was AMAZED. Your little one will learn ballet technique (you won't believe what they can do so young!) and have fun and be nurtured and loved on. Now at a higher level - wow - I trusted the studio and her teachers for her transition into every level. You can trust these people. They aren't going to rush your child up the dance ladder. And, they aren't going to hold them back, unless there's a good reason. I've learned to be patient and so has my daughter who wanted to move up faster and have bigger roles in performances. It's been a fascinating, learning lesson - trust them, trust the process, learn patience, AND teach your children to do the same. Huge life lessons in expectations. A word about Miss Miah for the higher levels. One cool cat. A NYC Ballet background. Heart of gold. She has instinct with dancer ability and potential. She responds quickly to every email or text. She's thoughtful and deliberate. She's a real pro. If you have a question just ask her. I've needed "perspective" a few times. And she's so helpful. My daughter has the perfect amount of fear (in a coaching healthy way), respect, admiration and love for Miss Miah. Recently my daughter was invited to be "en pointe." Miss Miah recommended an x-ray to be sure her bones were ready for this. She does not advance a whole class, they aren't cookie cutters - she looks at each, individual student for when and how they can advance. She is cautious and careful. I also know that she works around the clock to make everything just right. A word about Miss Angela. We made an appointment to meet her like we did at all studios when interviewing, looking for our dance studio. She was the only one who led us away from the busy area and sat down to talk to us. No other studio owner did this. Then she asked my little to stand and show her certain positions. She looked at my daughter's legs and feet - at only 6 years old! We talked a long time about the dance industry, what it's become (mostly money-making competitions), their goal of keeping children children, maintaining the innocence and having HEALTHY bodies. This resonated with me. I didn't want HOOCHIE outfits, make up or music. She gave us big picture, she shared their studio philosophy. The other studios were all about "here's the schedule and pricing." Miss Angela will show up for you a million times over. She works her heart out to protect her studio, and our children. YOU CAN TRUST HER. A note about Musical Theatre and Jazz - our daughter is mainly in Ballet but she does take a jazz class with Miss Audrey and has an absolute blast. It's good for these ballerina's to move in a different way. She has also taken a Musical Theatre class (Highschool Musical) and it was a HUGE success. Non stop singing and dancing at home. We have all the DVD's, she learned so much - memorizing lines, staging, how to manage nerves, supporting her fellow performers, putting on a show, was fantastic!! You will love this studio!!!
May 14th, 2021