Li's Dance Studio

 

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Alice W.

Arcadia, CA

4/29/2008

A modest dance studio run by Li Zhang, a former principal dancer of the Shanghai Ballet and winner of several international prima ballerina competitions. The studio is bare and built by Zhang's husband. True, it lacks many amenities that any larger, "professional" studio would offer, but don't let the appearance or size fool you.

Its been 6 years or more since I've danced at Li's, but ballet training here will galvanize you into all aspects of dance. Li is strict, but over the years it seems as though she's loosened her grip. She teaches in broken English and is a native Mandarin speaker, but if you are serious about buildling a solid foundation in ballet, don't let the language barrier put you off.

I took private lessons as well as group lessons. She had rather unorthodox ways of doing flexibility exercises. Questionable tactics, really, and I wonder if she uses them today. Students begin on ballet shoes and progress to pointe.

Many students compete in shows such as Showstopper and all students perform in at least one annual recital.

Probably the most famous alum is Jia H., from Kaba Modern, seen in MTV's  "America's Best Dance Crew."

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