Empower School of Movement

What dancers say

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  LILLY

  Google

  · 2mo ago· 1 reviews

  the “black tax” is a real thing. the fee for people of color who want their daughter surrounded by dancers who look like her, who have the same aspirations as her and won't bat an eye at the costs. i noticed that empower charges nearly 50-80% more than other local (durham/raleigh area) black dance studios.For example, if you were to take 2-3 classes at empower you would typically have to pay 600 bucks a month, whereas for walltown lets say, for 2-3 classes you’d only have to pay $110-$160 a month. Now you would expect that with your costs, things would be significantly better than other studios. You would stand out in a good way. But ive found that to not be the case for not only me, but other families that have left the studio. Having people purchase attire directly through you guys when we all know that there are comparable items that can be found on amazon or other cheaper places for 30-50% less than what you all are charging made no sense to me. How is it that people pay all this money and things havent changed. The only thing that changed was the name of the studio.

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  Sarah White

  Google

  · 6mo ago· 1 reviews

  My daughter went to this studio expecting to have the time of her life. When I got her from her dance class, she came out crying. She was saying how nobody talked to her and nobody was helping her learn the moves! (Not even the instructors either!) What a disgrace! I immediately took her out of the class and I will not be coming back. Also, not to mention that the classes are way too expensive. It was almost $600 just to take 2 - 3 classes. That’s an insane amount of money. This studio is a waste of time and I do not recommend.

  Response from Empower School of Movement

  Hey Sarah, thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. I’m truly sorry to hear this was your daughter’s experience — that is not what we want for any dancer or family who comes into our space. We weren’t aware of this situation, and it doesn’t align with the way we typically support dancers in our classes. We monitor our classrooms closely, and we have a dismissal process where we check in with each dancer and parent before they leave. We will be following up with our team to understand what may have happened and where the communication broke down, because every child deserves to feel seen and cared for. I also hear your concerns around pricing. We work hard to ensure our programs reflect the quality of instruction, the environment we’ve built, and the opportunities our dancers receive — and we’re continually working on making that information clearer for families. We’re in a big season of growth and transition, and while we’re proud of the direction we’re moving in, we know there’s always room to strengthen our processes. Your feedback helps us do that. If you’re ever open to talking directly, we’re here to listen.

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  Vastly

  Google

  · 6mo ago· 1 reviews

  This was by far the most tragic experience i’ve been through. My little girl loved dance and was excited to finally become apart of a dance studio of girls that looked like her. She loved it, well while it lasted. When i looked at the prices of the simple classes I gasped. No way on earth was I paying almost 400 a month for a couple of classes where there sometimes wasn’t even a teacher! Charging that much for a place that isn’t organized and favors dancers is just cruel. Wanna walk in the parade? $100. Wanna attend the recital? over $500 for tickets and costumes! What a waste of money. They talk so much about wanting to be inclusive while charging triple the amount you would pay at literally any other dance studio. Me and my child will not be attending this waste of money and time studio when we can find better at literally any other studio in the triangle. PLEASE SAVE YOURSELF THE MONEY AND TIME! We need to do better and stand up against people like this who are overpricing their offerings just because of the black inclusivity gimmick. This studio has potential but as of right now it needs to be shut down and open back up when this lunatic learns how to offer what’s worth those horrendous prices.

  Response from Empower School of Movement

  Hey, I appreciate you sharing your experience. I want to acknowledge your frustrations — I understand this comes from a heartfelt and hurtful place, and I’m truly sorry to hear that your daughter didn’t feel supported. We care deeply about every student and family, and it saddens me to know that wasn’t your experience here. It is our goal to ensure that every child and parent has a positive, encouraging, and empowering environment where they can grow in confidence and feel seen — that’s at the core of our mission. We take that commitment seriously. In regards to pricing, our programs are structured around the level of instruction, opportunities, and environment we provide. We also understand when things feel unclear, and this year we’ve worked to communicate our pricing more transparently. We share clear breakdowns with every family and offer scholarship opportunities for those who need financial support. The work we do comes from years of training, education, and intentional care. Our mission has always been to help young dancers develop confidence, identity, and a strong sense of self through movement — and we continue to grow and strengthen our systems to support that vision. Every dancer’s experience matters to us, and feedback like this guides the improvements we’re making as we move forward. If you’d like to discuss your experience further, I’m open to the conversation and willing to listen. Thank you again for your feedback.

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  Ryan M

  Google

  · 9mo ago· 4 reviews

  We really wanted to love this school, but so many factors made it hard. We did 2 seasons at other local studios before enrolling in Empower. We - like many of you thinking of enrolling - were dead set on finding a school focused on developing Black dancers. (This was my wife's mission, as she is a formally trained dancer and felt underrepresented as a child/adolescent navigating her way through dance). Empower seemed to be the beacon of hope, exactly what we were looking for for our daughter. We had experience at other studios (no issues, just was looking for a studio with more of "us"). Thankfully, that experience worked to our benefit. The biggest reasons why we will not be re-enrolling:. - Communication - Spotty and disorganized, at least compared to what we were used to from other studios. -Cost. We were swept away by the "Fame" vibe as you walk in - dedicated studios with live piano accompanying classes. Locker rooms, costume room, etc. But after comparing, the costs are nearly 50-80% more than other local schools. Classes - We are taking an hour long ballet/tap and a supplemental 1 hour class at another studio (with 4.9 stars on google vs Empowers 4.3 at the time of this review) for nearly the same price as one 30 minute class at Empower. The recital fees? Were over 4x as much as other studios. (Despite cost, better production and organization at the competitor vs at Empower) Attire for classes MUST be purchased through them, although the same/comparable items can be found on Amazon or at other retailers for 30-50% less. The costume fees? Again, more expensive. Want to walk in the Christmas parade? Be prepared to pay more than the norm again. Recital Tickets? 3-4x more expensive. We know this, because we started questioning these increasing costs and my wife posted about this in a popular local Facebook moms group. She received dozens of replies from dance Moms at other Durham/Raleigh studios comparing their costs. Empower was more expensive than them all, in all categories, by ALOT. Same location being used for recitals in some instances, but paying less than half in recital fees and costuming. The consensus was that Empower families are being taken advantage of. We CAN pay these fees, but we were left asking "WHY is this school so much more expensive?" too often and never saw a real reason, besides what we started calling Empower's "Black Tax" - the fee for people like us, who want their daughter surrounded by dancers who look like her and won't bat an eye at the costs. Teachers were great, but my daughter had great teachers at other studios too. The marketed focus on "our community" was cool, but her classes were diverse, just like they are at other schools. (Aka - the student population leans POC, but as the local population grows and more people outside of the "community" learn about this school, its becoming more diverse. She is in diverse classes elsewhere, with quality teachers at half the cost.) She's in company at another studio. Has travel and performance opportunities (within the US and international). Has community engagement. Has a group of friends, who may not ALL look like her, but the love and support they have for each other makes that point moot. Essentially, we get more at other studios and are paying less. We WOULD have paid the "Black Tax" if there was an explanation, but anytime a parent asked why the costs were so much, we got vague answers. Im praying more Black parents look elsewhere and aren't reeled in by the optics like we were. There are other local schools who NEED our presence, they want and welcome the diversity. We don't need to pay out of our behinds to insulate ourselves to find community.

  Response from Empower School of Movement

  Hey Ryan, thank you for taking the time to write such a thoughtful and detailed review. I can tell you came to Empower with a lot of hope and intention for your daughter, and I’m truly sorry that your experience didn’t match what you were looking for. That matters to me. The truth is, the vision for Empower has always been big — intentionally designed to support dancers not just in their technique, but in their confidence, identity, and development as whole people. And you’re right: there have been seasons where the execution didn’t fully live up to that vision. We were growing fast, without the expertise of staff in key roles, and that created gaps that should not have been there. A lot has changed since then. We’ve made major shifts in leadership, organization, communication, and structure, and we are now moving in the direction we were always meant to. The doors are opening back up to the level of excellence I know how to create and sustain. I hear your concerns about pricing too. Our programs are structured differently than many studios, and we’ve worked hard this year to simplify our pricing and clearly outline what families receive — from instruction, to performance opportunities, to the environment we’ve built. The goal is always for families to understand the full value, not feel confused or overwhelmed by it. I’m glad your daughter has found a place where she’s thriving. Every dancer deserves that. The doors are always open for you to stay connected with us. And I appreciate the heart behind your review — even the hard parts. Feedback like this keeps us grounded and pushes us toward the level of work I know Empower is capable of and committed to. Thank you again for sharing your experience.

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  Kristin Miller Clauson

  Local GuideGoogle

  · 2y ago· 13 reviews

  Our family LOVES Empower! It is such a special place for kids to learn about dance and about life. The owner/director Nicole knows each and every one of the studio dancers personally, and has an unbelievable ability to zero in on their unique skills, personalities, and challenges/opportunities -- and build on each in the most supportive way. Studio/office leads Jamie and Kyra are also extraordinary and have shown our family so much kindness. As long as our gal is dancing, we'll be a part of Empower. 10/10 would recommend!

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  Renee Knight-Tate

  Local GuideGoogle

  · 3y ago· 35 reviews

  We love this place! Our daughter had so much fun there.

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