Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:In response to this business's comments I would like to emphasize that I am still supporting, very strongly, my previous statement made initially and that every word mentioned should be published in its entirety for the public to read, so they may understand my experiences with this business First, emphasis should be placed on the director's reckless and thoughtless actions directed at the fragile emotions of young aspiring ballerinas The director directly told us that; “there was no junior company”, which is a blatant lie He further stated; “our daughter could not perform in the “Nutcracker” because she had missed a “Nutcracker” rehearsal over the summer, though they always start rehearsals in September/ October, making this another blatant lie Every year, half the “Nutcracker” cast is never present in the summerThe production's final casting is posted just weeks before the show, which is another lie, since the school is stating that the “Nutcracker” was “mostly already cast” during the summer Nonetheless, the treatment to our daughter was purely retaliatory in nature and were rationalized with lies, deceit, policies and regulations put into action only to the director's likings, benefitting themselves (directors) and not fairly or consistently applied to all students Throughout all these years, we and especially the children and parents have put so much work, effort, responsibility, sacrifice, dedication, commitment and not to mention volunteering our time for this business and today I have to say how disappointed and deeply saddened they have made all of us feelNow I can clearly see, as to why so many students and parents have left this school, as they have been so upset with the director's unprofessionalism, deception, exploitation of students and parents, which details are beyond the scope of this complaint, so will not be mentioned We, as parents are still trying to give our daughter, the best possible education both academically and artistically All of this, becomes a life's work and only parents can appreciate and understand the grief, pain and concern, that this business has brought to us as parents, our young children, as well as other families When summer time arrives, families take off from ballet classes for vacation in which, we have been doing for years The “Nutcracker” rehearsals usually starts when all the schools have restarted and like last year, practices started in October, Changes to policy that were mentioned during the summer, were never communicated to me, via email, phone or regular mail So, my question rely on; if my daughter was not in the “Junior Company” why have we been charged and payed the highest tuition for classes at the school under the Intermediate/ Advance (JrCo.) level all along? as stated in their published prices, only on their bulletin board, and/or was there a letter stating in writing of this termination from her Intermediate/Advance (JrCo.) classes? So, now comes into question, as to how the business made a determination in assuming that the student had quit? Students have come and gone over the years and the few dancers that remain in Intermediate/Advance (JrCo.) have taken longer breaks than we have and returned with no questions asked Every little ballerina's dream is, to be able to perform the roles and lead roles in a ballet performance in which, my daughter has been doing so for the past years with this business, in performing lead roles in the “Nutcracker” and the “May” performances very seriouslyShe has always been chosen and selected for lead roles purely on merit and skills as a dancer There is absolutely, no sense of entitlement, just the desire to be treated fairly It is ludicrous, to make an assertion that all of a sudden our daughter is “entitled” and “not serious” about her passion which is ballet Lastly, the hostile, threatening, retaliatory tone of the letter written by the business further corroborates their poor and negative attitudes towards anyone, who does not agree with them or abide to their commands This business should be reprimanded for their poor behavior,deceitfulness, and retaliatory actions towards children and parents and it is a shame that other parents have not stepped forward to make a complaint publicly about this business Sincerely, [redacted]
Re: Case # [redacted] Note to Revdex.com Hawaii: Again, we are in agreement to post our response on the Revdex.com website, however, it must be posted IN FULL so that any part of it is not taken out of context Below is our second response: We are in full agreement for publicly posting this complaint and our responses in full “First, emphasis should be placed on the director's reckless and thoughtless actions directed at the fragile emotions of young aspiring ballerinas.” - There are never reckless and thoughtless actions made when it comes to our students and families by any of our instructors Any aspiring ballerina is in class working hard each day Serious ballet students at higher levels do not take off entire summers If anything, most work even harder by taking daily class, or master classes, or workshops During summer, they are unencumbered by having school and homework “The director directly told us that; “there was no junior company”, which is a blatant lie No lie We can’t really have a Junior Company with two advanced students and two intermediate students We need about eight advanced students When more students move up to those levels we can re-establish the Junior Company The production's final casting is posted just weeks before the show, which is another lie, since the school is stating that the “Nutcracker” was “mostly already cast” during the summer Yes, we knew we were going to use our alumni in this year’s production as only a couple of our current advanced students met the technical demands required of the leading roles And because two dancers cannot do all the roles, yes, it was mostly cast It was only the decision of who would do which leads or corps roles at which of the performances Casting gets complicated, and we wait till later in order to give our own students (not guests or alumni) a chance to work for certain roles they may not quite be ready for yet It’s one way they are forced to step up and improve There is no credibility to her comment that - “Every year, half the “Nutcracker” cast is never present in the summer.” - It is doubtful she would know any such information about our student enrollment Furthermore, if, as she states, she takes off every summer, how would she be aware of this? We looked back at her daughter’s records and the summer previously (2013) she took off the month of June, and the summer before that she missed only two weeks Also, during those times Ms [redacted] daughter was not yet in the Intermediate level so the requirements were not as demanding “Lastly, the hostile, threatening, retaliatory tone of the letter written by the business further corroborates their poor and negative attitudes towards anyone, who does not agree with them or abide to their commands.“ - We have reviewed our previous response and do not see how it could be interpreted as being hostile or retaliatory; we made no such assertions We are a small business struggling to pay our rent, our teachers, our taxes, etc., each month We only meant to explain our side and, as any business would do, protect our business and our instructors’ reputations, especially considering how defamatory the complainant’s accusations and comments are We don’t have commands but we do have rules, as any good ballet school Yes, parents and students must abide by them or they have no business attending our school We do not need to “rationalize” anything Our policies and regulations are clearly stated on all enrollment paperwork They are the same policies that have been in effect since we began the business in We do treat our students and parents fairly or why would so many remain with us for six to ten years, the complainant’s daughter among them? For serious students training at the advanced level, there is definitely much sacrifice and commitment that is required Every student at this level (and at any other high caliber ballet school) has felt the pressure of those sacrifices and keeping up with schoolwork while maintaining their commitment and responsibility Ballet at the advanced levels is unlike any other extracurricular activity It is not easy and the students are to be commended for their hard work Again, this level is for serious ballet students only who may wish to pursue ballet as a profession, or as an instructor, or as a college major or minor, or wish to receive dance scholarships Where one has a passion, sacrifices are made willingly We also make personal sacrifices for our students, monetarily and time-wise, for which we are not compensated nor expect to be, so that our students may have opportunities to perform It was the reason to form a Junior Company Many parents misunderstand where the money comes from for any of our performances The Intermediate/Advanced tuition covers classes only, six days per week, not rehearsals outside of those classes or performances as the complainant assumes We do not have a board of directors who do fund-raising and grant writing for performances Productions are put on with money from our personal savings to give our students the performing opportunities they have come to expect We do so happily, knowing that performing helps them grow and improve as artists We are happy if we can make back the money we must take from our savings in order to cover the up front costs of these performances which include theatre rental, theatre personnel, lighting and stage manager, box office personnel (depending on the theatre), guest artists (if any) including airfare, hotel, per diem, program printing and layout, the very huge cost of advertising, posters, flyers, graphic art layout for all of those, insurance, etc Oftentimes, ticket sales and/or production fees do not nearly cover all we must put into the productions There are three of us running the school - it’s impossible for us do everything by ourselves It’s why we must request parent help, especially of those in the higher levels, not monetarily, but by working backstage or in the box office, bake sale, etc Ninety-nine percent of our parents are incredibly generous with their help - we do not yell at, mistreat, or disrespect any of them; that is yet another accusation We are thankful for all volunteers who step forward and we verbally thank them and make sure to give them a written note of thanks, especially for the hard work they provide at Nutcracker, Ms [redacted] and her family included “Now I can clearly see, as to why so many students and parents have left this school, as they have been so upset with the director's unprofessionalism, deception, exploitation of students and parents, which details are beyond the scope of this complaint, so will not be mentioned.” We do not have examples of these allegations so we cannot address them We are far from perfect but feel these are false, highly defamatory and potentially damaging statements to our reputations and our business We would like to know the manner in which the complainant believes we “exploit” our students and parents, and how we are deceptive This is the first time in years we have heard this type of accusation As for students leaving the school, that in itself is not unusual Each semester students come and go Advanced ballet is not for everyone In the last year, two long-time students graduated and left for college, and the year before that, three left for college and one to pursue dance professionally Each of those dancers attended our school for eight to ten years and danced consistently with the Junior Company Other students lost interest or decided to pursue other forms of dance, which happens so it’s better not to continue ballet because it’s too hard if one does not love it A couple of other students truly did not want to be at ballet but perhaps felt pressured to continue by their parents, three others have taken time off for injury - in ALL cases we were given notes or emails from the students or parents, and/or verbal explanations and/or doctor’s notes We have the notes and not one says anything negative toward us or our school or program As a matter of fact, the notes from the students themselves are highly complimentary, thanking us for the time we worked with them and very appreciative for all they learned from us, both in terms of dance and in terms of life lessons “Changes to policy that were mentioned during the summer, were never communicated to me, via email, phone or regular mail.” There was probably one change that had to do with our not having a Junior Company for the time being All other policies have been in effect pretty much since the business began in If a student does not participate in classes four weeks or longer and have given us no vacation notice we assume they quit and remove them from our email notices This student did not attend the school since the end of May (well over three months), and no letter, note, email or common courtesy of a phone call was given to the school No other Advanced level dancer took a longer break Those who took time off all gave proper notice to the school, which included the dates they would be missing The Intermediate and Advanced classes pay the same tuition because they have the same classes regardless of whether they are called the Junior Company or not It is the highest tuition because it consists of the most classes per week The assertion that we “should be reprimanded for their poor behavior, deceitfulness, and retaliatory actions towards children“ is highly unwarranted especially when not followed up with examples Perhaps the complainant can explain why she chose not to report in writing, phone call, or email that her daughter would take off the summer? Besides being in our policy, it is only common courtesy to let us know and perhaps we would not have concluded that she quit Why were our policies in reporting absences from both classes and rehearsals continuously disrespected? Many times it was we, or our receptionist who called to find out why her daughter was missing from class or rehearsal These policies were not new Since the daughter was participating in Junior Company performances it was even more important and expected to honor their responsibility to be at rehearsals, classes, and learn all new choreography We would never intentionally inflict grief or pain on any of our students We reiterate there is nothing retaliatory in our response This student and parents have been around seven years To suggest that any of us are abusive is highly disturbing They know and have seen how our teachers teach and conduct themselves with the students We are demanding teachers, but we love teaching, love working with young people as well as our adult students It’s not always easy teaching such a disciplined art form to those who are not willing to be disciplined If they had previous complaints or concerns with our teaching or our school, those concerns were never brought up As a reminder, we did not dismiss the student from the school We thought she had quit On her return in September, she was permitted to attend open classes If she had done so, she would have had the opportunity to work her way back into the Intermediate/Advanced level and most likely, the Nutcracker It is unfortunate the complainant has chosen this route instead It seems her only intention is to cause damage to our instructors’ reputations and to our business Since our last letter in response to this complaint, it has been brought to our attention the complainant’s posting of several malicious reviews on Yelp that are filled with defamation and personal attacks on our business as well as our teachers and director, and are written in the same hostile tone as these complaints are written They go far beyond what is appropriate and even Yelp has had many of them removed We are collecting screenshots of these posts as any business concerned about their reputation would do We feel very sad to see how the child is being taught to be vengeful when something doesn’t go her way, not to mention in the dance world, students and dancers must learn to deal with rejection more often than not We believe we have fairly and professionally addressed the matters brought up in the complaint, there is not much more we will say on this matter Thank you for your time, [redacted] , Assistant Director Hawaii State Ballet
September 18, 2014Revdex.com of Hawaii, IncBishop Street #615Honolulu, HI 96813Re: Case #***I am happy to outline our position on dancers in the higher levels of our school. We do not appreciate accusations of lying
about our own business made by people who haven't even been around all summer and are unaware of some changes we've made.Not permitted back into regular classes because she was gone for the summer-Taking off from training for an entire summer is not okay for students in the Junior CompanyThe Junior Company has always been for serious students in our Advanced/Intermediate classes and require a high level of commitment that includes being responsible for keeping in top condition, attending required classes, learning all choreography and applying any changes or corrections, and for performing in the monthly Ala Moana Center stage shows throughout the yearDancers don't take off the entire summer and simply walk back into the Junior Company. When a student reaches the Intermediate level (day per week requirement), they are NOT automatically in the Junior CompanyThat is determined by how they work, whether there is a true interest in improving as dancers versus being there for only social purposes, their technical ability, and their performance quality. The Intermediate level students have always been "apprentices" for the Junior Company.Our school views performing on stage as a privilege, especially when a paying audience is in attendance With that privilege comes more responsibility, dedication and commitment to the production and to the group by the directors and students and parents. This student feels "entitled" to performances.The "regular tuition" class is not called the Junior Company classIt is the Intermediate and Advanced classes from which hard working and talented students are invited to perform as part of the Junior Company. "Regular tuition class" means the discounted tuition a student pays once they are enrolled in the school and attend specifically required classes for their particular levelThe Intermediate/Advanced level is for serious students only and there is a specific scheduleThe "Class Card" tuition is for students who wish to make their own schedule or who may need to recondition after an injury or time off before returning to the heavier physical demands of daily class and rehearsals. These students may attend "open" classes, which are combined with the "regular tuition class" on Mon/Tues/Wed/Thurs/Sat, so in no way is the teaching "way different" They are the exact same classes. The only separate, "closed," Advanced/Intermediate class is on Friday when we usually rehearse the Junior Company.We have no reason to lie about any aspect of our business. Yes, we have students enrolled under "regular tuition" in the Advanced/Intermediate levelTheir class attendance, attitude, and work ethic qualify them to be there Whether or not they will be performing in the Nutcracker will be determined by their attendance, continued hard work, and their qualification to perform the requirements of a specific role in the ballet.This student missed the entire summer that involved new choreography, rehearsals for Ala Moana, and performances for Ala Moana. She and her parents choose to ignore our specific rules as to reporting absences from classes and rehearsals, and giving vacationnotices in writing. The last we heard was they were going on a 2-week vacationThere was no note, email or phone call that they would take off the entire summer, even though they were on the island for much of it, therefore we assumed she had quit We don't feel the student is serious enough to participate in our Junior Company and her indifferent attitude sets a poor example for the other students Therefore, she is permitted to purchase class cards and attend "open" classes. Only she can decide if she will change her behavior to work hard and attend all classes to work her way back into the Intermediate level.AdvertisingThe published prices on our bulletin board are for our currently enrolled students who have worked up to the level in which they are enrolled, not for the general publicWe are a private school and we still approve any student who comes into the school no matter which level they attend For example, no one can walk in off the street and go into a JrIII class or JrV class or Intermediate class Each level has specific requirements We do not publish our prices on our website or other "public" social media.We operate a good, clean, wholesome, family-friendly business with a great reputation and have done so for years This is the first Revdex.com complaint against our business in all these yearsIf we find this complaint, brought by this student and publicly posted by the Revdex.com, should do any damage whatsoever to our business, we will seek legal remedy. As a matter of fact, this very complaint proves the self-centered mentality of this student and family and only reinforces our decision.Furthermore, we question how the Revdex.com says they take no position as to the validity of the complaint The simple act of publicly posting this complaint on the Revdex.com website serves only one purpose - to discredit the reputation of our business and of people who have given years of their lives to working selflessly with young people on this island who want to do the workIf the Revdex.com takes no position, how can they so irresponsibly post something like this for public scrutiny?Nutcracker What a coincidence that the student is returning just in time for Nutcracker rehearsals to begin. They think all they have to do is return, even without having worked for the last three months, and expect to participate in the NutcrackerThis is not representational with how it would be in the real dance world.Yes, we did rehearse Nutcracker during the summer because we had guest dancers in classes so we took advantage of the opportunity to map out our casting. Yes, the production is mostly cast alreadyWhat purpose would we have to lie about this? If we did not rehearse,there would be no reason to say we didPerhaps her "friend" was absent those days and did not know we had rehearsed.We have withheld "enrolled" attendance from another student for the same reasonsWe simply do not believe they are an asset to the Junior Company, to the school, or set a good example for our other students because of their poor attitude and work habits. The parents of this student also choose not to respect our rules in as far as seeing their child attends all required classes, calling in absences, and giving proper vacation notices.We never intend to hurt anyone's feelingsStudents need to learn there are consequences for their behaviorIf they do not wish to go by the rules, if they do not wish to work 100%, if they continuously show bad attitude and speak rudely about our school and instructors, then they do not belong at this school. If their feelings are hurt, then perhaps they need to change their behaviorAny parent or student who feels our policy is unfair must first make an effort to actually know our policy. After seven years in the school, one would think the parents would be aware of each and every ruleIt is also sad that they chose to discredit our business rather than take responsibility for themselves and their child's behavior.Sincerely,*** ** ***, Director *** ***, Assistant Director
Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:In response to this business's comments I would like to emphasize that I am still supporting, very strongly, my previous statement made initially and that every word mentioned should be published in its entirety for the public to read, so they may understand my experiences with this business.
First, emphasis should be placed on the director's reckless and thoughtless actions directed at the fragile emotions of young aspiring ballerinas. The director directly told us that; “there was no junior company”, which is a blatant lie. He further stated; “our daughter could not perform in the “Nutcracker” because she had missed a “Nutcracker” rehearsal over the summer, though they always start rehearsals in September/ October, making this another blatant lie. Every year, half the “Nutcracker” cast is never present in the summer. The production's final casting is posted just weeks before the show, which is another lie, since the school is stating that the “Nutcracker” was “mostly already cast” during the summer.
Nonetheless, the treatment to our daughter was purely retaliatory in nature and were rationalized with lies, deceit, policies and regulations put into action only to the director's likings, benefitting themselves (directors) and not fairly or consistently applied to all students.
Throughout all these years, we and especially the children and parents have put so much work, effort, responsibility, sacrifice, dedication, commitment and not to mention volunteering our time for this business and today I have to say how disappointed and deeply saddened they have made all of us feel. Now I can clearly see, as to why so many students and parents have left this school, as they have been so upset with the director's unprofessionalism, deception, exploitation of students and parents, which details are beyond the scope of this complaint, so will not be mentioned.
We, as parents are still trying to give our daughter, the best possible education both academically and artistically. All of this, becomes a life's work and only parents can appreciate and understand the grief, pain and concern, that this business has brought to us as parents, our young children, as well as other families.
When summer time arrives, families take off from ballet classes for vacation in which, we have been doing for years. The “Nutcracker” rehearsals usually starts when all the schools have restarted and like last year, practices started in October, 2013.
Changes to policy that were mentioned during the summer, were never communicated to me, via email, phone or regular mail. So, my question rely on; if my daughter was not in the “Junior Company” why have we been charged and payed the highest tuition for classes at the school under the Intermediate/ Advance (Jr. Co.) level all along? as stated in their published prices, only on their bulletin board, and/or was there a letter stating in writing of this termination from her Intermediate/Advance (Jr. Co.) classes? So, now comes into question, as to how the business made a determination in assuming that the student had quit? Students have come and gone over the years and the few dancers that remain in Intermediate/Advance (Jr. Co.) have taken longer breaks than we have and returned with no questions asked.
Every little ballerina's dream is, to be able to perform the roles and lead roles in a ballet performance in which, my daughter has been doing so for the past 7 years with this business, in performing lead roles in the “Nutcracker” and the “May” performances very seriously. She has always been chosen and selected for lead roles purely on merit and skills as a dancer. There is absolutely, no sense of entitlement, just the desire to be treated fairly. It is ludicrous, to make an assertion that all of a sudden our daughter is “entitled” and “not serious” about her passion which is ballet.
Lastly, the hostile, threatening, retaliatory tone of the letter written by the business further corroborates their poor and negative attitudes towards anyone, who does not agree with them or abide to their commands.
This business should be reprimanded for their poor behavior,deceitfulness, and retaliatory actions towards children and parents and it is a shame that other parents have not stepped forward to make a complaint publicly about this business.
Re: Case #[redacted] Note to Revdex.com Hawaii: Again, we are in agreement to post our response on the Revdex.com website, however, it must be posted IN FULL so that any part of it is not taken out of context. Below is our second response: We are in full agreement for publicly posting this complaint and our responses in full. “First, emphasis should be placed on the director's reckless and thoughtless actions directed at the fragile emotions of young aspiring ballerinas.” - There are never reckless and thoughtless actions made when it comes to our students and families by any of our instructors. Any aspiring ballerina is in class working hard each day. Serious ballet students at higher levels do not take off entire summers. If anything, most work even harder by taking daily class, or master classes, or workshops. During summer, they are unencumbered by having school and homework. “The director directly told us that; “there was no junior company”, which is a blatant lie. No lie. We can’t really have a Junior Company with two advanced students and two intermediate students. We need about eight advanced students. When more students move up to those levels we can re-establish the Junior Company. The production's final casting is posted just weeks before the show, which is another lie, since the school is stating that the “Nutcracker” was “mostly already cast” during the summer. Yes, we knew we were going to use our alumni in this year’s production as only a couple of our current advanced students met the technical demands required of the leading roles. And because two dancers cannot do all the roles, yes, it was mostly cast. It was only the decision of who would do which leads or corps roles at which of the performances. Casting gets complicated, and we wait till later in order to give our own students (not guests or alumni) a chance to work for certain roles they may not quite be ready for yet. It’s one way they are forced to step up and improve. There is no credibility to her comment that - “Every year, half the “Nutcracker” cast is never present in the summer.” - It is doubtful she would know any such information about our student enrollment. Furthermore, if, as she states, she takes off every summer, how would she be aware of this? We looked back at her daughter’s records and the summer previously (2013) she took off the month of June, and the summer before that she missed only two weeks. Also, during those times Ms. [redacted] daughter was not yet in the Intermediate level so the requirements were not as demanding. “Lastly, the hostile, threatening, retaliatory tone of the letter written by the business further corroborates their poor and negative attitudes towards anyone, who does not agree with them or abide to their commands.“ - We have reviewed our previous response and do not see how it could be interpreted as being hostile or retaliatory; we made no such assertions. We are a small business struggling to pay our rent, our teachers, our taxes, etc., each month. We only meant to explain our side and, as any business would do, protect our business and our instructors’ reputations, especially considering how defamatory the complainant’s accusations and comments are. We don’t have commands but we do have rules, as any good ballet school. Yes, parents and students must abide by them or they have no business attending our school. We do not need to “rationalize” anything. Our policies and regulations are clearly stated on all enrollment paperwork. They are the same policies that have been in effect since we began the business in 1983. We do treat our students and parents fairly or why would so many remain with us for six to ten years, the complainant’s daughter among them? For serious students training at the advanced level, there is definitely much sacrifice and commitment that is required. Every student at this level (and at any other high caliber ballet school) has felt the pressure of those sacrifices and keeping up with schoolwork while maintaining their commitment and responsibility. Ballet at the advanced levels is unlike any other extracurricular activity. It is not easy and the students are to be commended for their hard work. Again, this level is for serious ballet students only who may wish to pursue ballet as a profession, or as an instructor, or as a college major or minor, or wish to receive dance scholarships. Where one has a passion, sacrifices are made willingly. We also make personal sacrifices for our students, monetarily and time-wise, for which we are not compensated nor expect to be, so that our students may have opportunities to perform. It was the reason to form a Junior Company. Many parents misunderstand where the money comes from for any of our performances. The Intermediate/Advanced tuition covers classes only, six days per week, not rehearsals outside of those classes or performances as the complainant assumes. We do not have a board of directors who do fund-raising and grant writing for performances. Productions are put on with money from our personal savings to give our students the performing opportunities they have come to expect. We do so happily, knowing that performing helps them grow and improve as artists. We are happy if we can make back the money we must take from our savings in order to cover the up front costs of these performances which include theatre rental, theatre personnel, lighting and stage manager, box office personnel (depending on the theatre), guest artists (if any) including airfare, hotel, per diem, program printing and layout, the very huge cost of advertising, posters, flyers, graphic art layout for all of those, insurance, etc. Oftentimes, ticket sales and/or production fees do not nearly cover all we must put into the productions. There are three of us running the school - it’s impossible for us do everything by ourselves. It’s why we must request parent help, especially of those in the higher levels, not monetarily, but by working backstage or in the box office, bake sale, etc. Ninety-nine percent of our parents are incredibly generous with their help - we do not yell at, mistreat, or disrespect any of them; that is yet another false accusation. We are thankful for all volunteers who step forward and we verbally thank them and make sure to give them a written note of thanks, especially for the hard work they provide at Nutcracker, Ms. [redacted] and her family included. “Now I can clearly see, as to why so many students and parents have left this school, as they have been so upset with the director's unprofessionalism, deception, exploitation of students and parents, which details are beyond the scope of this complaint, so will not be mentioned.” We do not have examples of these allegations so we cannot address them. We are far from perfect but feel these are false, highly defamatory and potentially damaging statements to our reputations and our business. We would like to know the manner in which the complainant believes we “exploit” our students and parents, and how we are deceptive. This is the first time in 31 years we have heard this type of accusation. As for students leaving the school, that in itself is not unusual. Each semester students come and go. Advanced ballet is not for everyone. In the last year, two long-time students graduated and left for college, and the year before that, three left for college and one to pursue dance professionally. Each of those dancers attended our school for eight to ten years and danced consistently with the Junior Company. Other students lost interest or decided to pursue other forms of dance, which happens so it’s better not to continue ballet because it’s too hard if one does not love it. A couple of other students truly did not want to be at ballet but perhaps felt pressured to continue by their parents, three others have taken time off for injury - in ALL cases we were given notes or emails from the students or parents, and/or verbal explanations and/or doctor’s notes. We have the notes and not one says anything negative toward us or our school or program. As a matter of fact, the notes from the students themselves are highly complimentary, thanking us for the time we worked with them and very appreciative for all they learned from us, both in terms of dance and in terms of life lessons. “Changes to policy that were mentioned during the summer, were never communicated to me, via email, phone or regular mail.” There was probably one change that had to do with our not having a Junior Company for the time being. All other policies have been in effect pretty much since the business began in 1983. If a student does not participate in classes four weeks or longer and have given us no vacation notice we assume they quit and remove them from our email notices. This student did not attend the school since the end of May (well over three months), and no letter, note, email or common courtesy of a phone call was given to the school. No other Advanced level dancer took a longer break. Those who took time off all gave proper notice to the school, which included the dates they would be missing. The Intermediate and Advanced classes pay the same tuition because they have the same classes regardless of whether they are called the Junior Company or not. It is the highest tuition because it consists of the most classes per week. The assertion that we “should be reprimanded for their poor behavior, deceitfulness, and retaliatory actions towards children“ is highly unwarranted especially when not followed up with examples. Perhaps the complainant can explain why she chose not to report in writing, phone call, or email that her daughter would take off the summer? Besides being in our policy, it is only common courtesy to let us know and perhaps we would not have concluded that she quit. Why were our policies in reporting absences from both classes and rehearsals continuously disrespected? Many times it was we, or our receptionist who called to find out why her daughter was missing from class or rehearsal. These policies were not new. Since the daughter was participating in Junior Company performances it was even more important and expected to honor their responsibility to be at rehearsals, classes, and learn all new choreography. We would never intentionally inflict grief or pain on any of our students. We reiterate there is nothing retaliatory in our response. This student and parents have been around seven years. To suggest that any of us are abusive is highly disturbing. They know and have seen how our teachers teach and conduct themselves with the students. We are demanding teachers, but we love teaching, love working with young people as well as our adult students. It’s not always easy teaching such a disciplined art form to those who are not willing to be disciplined. If they had previous complaints or concerns with our teaching or our school, those concerns were never brought up. As a reminder, we did not dismiss the student from the school. We thought she had quit. On her return in September, she was permitted to attend open classes. If she had done so, she would have had the opportunity to work her way back into the Intermediate/Advanced level and most likely, the Nutcracker. It is unfortunate the complainant has chosen this route instead. It seems her only intention is to cause damage to our instructors’ reputations and to our business. Since our last letter in response to this complaint, it has been brought to our attention the complainant’s posting of several malicious reviews on Yelp that are filled with defamation and personal attacks on our business as well as our teachers and director, and are written in the same hostile tone as these complaints are written. They go far beyond what is appropriate and even Yelp has had many of them removed. We are collecting screenshots of these posts as any business concerned about their reputation would do. We feel very sad to see how the child is being taught to be vengeful when something doesn’t go her way, not to mention in the dance world, students and dancers must learn to deal with rejection more often than not. We believe we have fairly and professionally addressed the matters brought up in the complaint, there is not much more we will say on this matter. Thank you for your time, [redacted], Assistant Director Hawaii State Ballet
Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:In response to this business's comments I would like to emphasize that I am still supporting, very strongly, my previous statement made initially and that every word mentioned should be published in its entirety for the public to read, so they may understand my experiences with this business First, emphasis should be placed on the director's reckless and thoughtless actions directed at the fragile emotions of young aspiring ballerinas The director directly told us that; “there was no junior company”, which is a blatant lie He further stated; “our daughter could not perform in the “Nutcracker” because she had missed a “Nutcracker” rehearsal over the summer, though they always start rehearsals in September/ October, making this another blatant lie Every year, half the “Nutcracker” cast is never present in the summerThe production's final casting is posted just weeks before the show, which is another lie, since the school is stating that the “Nutcracker” was “mostly already cast” during the summer Nonetheless, the treatment to our daughter was purely retaliatory in nature and were rationalized with lies, deceit, policies and regulations put into action only to the director's likings, benefitting themselves (directors) and not fairly or consistently applied to all students Throughout all these years, we and especially the children and parents have put so much work, effort, responsibility, sacrifice, dedication, commitment and not to mention volunteering our time for this business and today I have to say how disappointed and deeply saddened they have made all of us feelNow I can clearly see, as to why so many students and parents have left this school, as they have been so upset with the director's unprofessionalism, deception, exploitation of students and parents, which details are beyond the scope of this complaint, so will not be mentioned We, as parents are still trying to give our daughter, the best possible education both academically and artistically All of this, becomes a life's work and only parents can appreciate and understand the grief, pain and concern, that this business has brought to us as parents, our young children, as well as other families When summer time arrives, families take off from ballet classes for vacation in which, we have been doing for years The “Nutcracker” rehearsals usually starts when all the schools have restarted and like last year, practices started in October, Changes to policy that were mentioned during the summer, were never communicated to me, via email, phone or regular mail So, my question rely on; if my daughter was not in the “Junior Company” why have we been charged and payed the highest tuition for classes at the school under the Intermediate/ Advance (JrCo.) level all along? as stated in their published prices, only on their bulletin board, and/or was there a letter stating in writing of this termination from her Intermediate/Advance (JrCo.) classes? So, now comes into question, as to how the business made a determination in assuming that the student had quit? Students have come and gone over the years and the few dancers that remain in Intermediate/Advance (JrCo.) have taken longer breaks than we have and returned with no questions asked Every little ballerina's dream is, to be able to perform the roles and lead roles in a ballet performance in which, my daughter has been doing so for the past years with this business, in performing lead roles in the “Nutcracker” and the “May” performances very seriouslyShe has always been chosen and selected for lead roles purely on merit and skills as a dancer There is absolutely, no sense of entitlement, just the desire to be treated fairly It is ludicrous, to make an assertion that all of a sudden our daughter is “entitled” and “not serious” about her passion which is ballet Lastly, the hostile, threatening, retaliatory tone of the letter written by the business further corroborates their poor and negative attitudes towards anyone, who does not agree with them or abide to their commands This business should be reprimanded for their poor behavior,deceitfulness, and retaliatory actions towards children and parents and it is a shame that other parents have not stepped forward to make a complaint publicly about this business Sincerely, [redacted]
Re: Case # [redacted] Note to Revdex.com Hawaii: Again, we are in agreement to post our response on the Revdex.com website, however, it must be posted IN FULL so that any part of it is not taken out of context Below is our second response: We are in full agreement for publicly posting this complaint and our responses in full “First, emphasis should be placed on the director's reckless and thoughtless actions directed at the fragile emotions of young aspiring ballerinas.” - There are never reckless and thoughtless actions made when it comes to our students and families by any of our instructors Any aspiring ballerina is in class working hard each day Serious ballet students at higher levels do not take off entire summers If anything, most work even harder by taking daily class, or master classes, or workshops During summer, they are unencumbered by having school and homework “The director directly told us that; “there was no junior company”, which is a blatant lie No lie We can’t really have a Junior Company with two advanced students and two intermediate students We need about eight advanced students When more students move up to those levels we can re-establish the Junior Company The production's final casting is posted just weeks before the show, which is another lie, since the school is stating that the “Nutcracker” was “mostly already cast” during the summer Yes, we knew we were going to use our alumni in this year’s production as only a couple of our current advanced students met the technical demands required of the leading roles And because two dancers cannot do all the roles, yes, it was mostly cast It was only the decision of who would do which leads or corps roles at which of the performances Casting gets complicated, and we wait till later in order to give our own students (not guests or alumni) a chance to work for certain roles they may not quite be ready for yet It’s one way they are forced to step up and improve There is no credibility to her comment that - “Every year, half the “Nutcracker” cast is never present in the summer.” - It is doubtful she would know any such information about our student enrollment Furthermore, if, as she states, she takes off every summer, how would she be aware of this? We looked back at her daughter’s records and the summer previously (2013) she took off the month of June, and the summer before that she missed only two weeks Also, during those times Ms [redacted] daughter was not yet in the Intermediate level so the requirements were not as demanding “Lastly, the hostile, threatening, retaliatory tone of the letter written by the business further corroborates their poor and negative attitudes towards anyone, who does not agree with them or abide to their commands.“ - We have reviewed our previous response and do not see how it could be interpreted as being hostile or retaliatory; we made no such assertions We are a small business struggling to pay our rent, our teachers, our taxes, etc., each month We only meant to explain our side and, as any business would do, protect our business and our instructors’ reputations, especially considering how defamatory the complainant’s accusations and comments are We don’t have commands but we do have rules, as any good ballet school Yes, parents and students must abide by them or they have no business attending our school We do not need to “rationalize” anything Our policies and regulations are clearly stated on all enrollment paperwork They are the same policies that have been in effect since we began the business in We do treat our students and parents fairly or why would so many remain with us for six to ten years, the complainant’s daughter among them? For serious students training at the advanced level, there is definitely much sacrifice and commitment that is required Every student at this level (and at any other high caliber ballet school) has felt the pressure of those sacrifices and keeping up with schoolwork while maintaining their commitment and responsibility Ballet at the advanced levels is unlike any other extracurricular activity It is not easy and the students are to be commended for their hard work Again, this level is for serious ballet students only who may wish to pursue ballet as a profession, or as an instructor, or as a college major or minor, or wish to receive dance scholarships Where one has a passion, sacrifices are made willingly We also make personal sacrifices for our students, monetarily and time-wise, for which we are not compensated nor expect to be, so that our students may have opportunities to perform It was the reason to form a Junior Company Many parents misunderstand where the money comes from for any of our performances The Intermediate/Advanced tuition covers classes only, six days per week, not rehearsals outside of those classes or performances as the complainant assumes We do not have a board of directors who do fund-raising and grant writing for performances Productions are put on with money from our personal savings to give our students the performing opportunities they have come to expect We do so happily, knowing that performing helps them grow and improve as artists We are happy if we can make back the money we must take from our savings in order to cover the up front costs of these performances which include theatre rental, theatre personnel, lighting and stage manager, box office personnel (depending on the theatre), guest artists (if any) including airfare, hotel, per diem, program printing and layout, the very huge cost of advertising, posters, flyers, graphic art layout for all of those, insurance, etc Oftentimes, ticket sales and/or production fees do not nearly cover all we must put into the productions There are three of us running the school - it’s impossible for us do everything by ourselves It’s why we must request parent help, especially of those in the higher levels, not monetarily, but by working backstage or in the box office, bake sale, etc Ninety-nine percent of our parents are incredibly generous with their help - we do not yell at, mistreat, or disrespect any of them; that is yet another accusation We are thankful for all volunteers who step forward and we verbally thank them and make sure to give them a written note of thanks, especially for the hard work they provide at Nutcracker, Ms [redacted] and her family included “Now I can clearly see, as to why so many students and parents have left this school, as they have been so upset with the director's unprofessionalism, deception, exploitation of students and parents, which details are beyond the scope of this complaint, so will not be mentioned.” We do not have examples of these allegations so we cannot address them We are far from perfect but feel these are false, highly defamatory and potentially damaging statements to our reputations and our business We would like to know the manner in which the complainant believes we “exploit” our students and parents, and how we are deceptive This is the first time in years we have heard this type of accusation As for students leaving the school, that in itself is not unusual Each semester students come and go Advanced ballet is not for everyone In the last year, two long-time students graduated and left for college, and the year before that, three left for college and one to pursue dance professionally Each of those dancers attended our school for eight to ten years and danced consistently with the Junior Company Other students lost interest or decided to pursue other forms of dance, which happens so it’s better not to continue ballet because it’s too hard if one does not love it A couple of other students truly did not want to be at ballet but perhaps felt pressured to continue by their parents, three others have taken time off for injury - in ALL cases we were given notes or emails from the students or parents, and/or verbal explanations and/or doctor’s notes We have the notes and not one says anything negative toward us or our school or program As a matter of fact, the notes from the students themselves are highly complimentary, thanking us for the time we worked with them and very appreciative for all they learned from us, both in terms of dance and in terms of life lessons “Changes to policy that were mentioned during the summer, were never communicated to me, via email, phone or regular mail.” There was probably one change that had to do with our not having a Junior Company for the time being All other policies have been in effect pretty much since the business began in If a student does not participate in classes four weeks or longer and have given us no vacation notice we assume they quit and remove them from our email notices This student did not attend the school since the end of May (well over three months), and no letter, note, email or common courtesy of a phone call was given to the school No other Advanced level dancer took a longer break Those who took time off all gave proper notice to the school, which included the dates they would be missing The Intermediate and Advanced classes pay the same tuition because they have the same classes regardless of whether they are called the Junior Company or not It is the highest tuition because it consists of the most classes per week The assertion that we “should be reprimanded for their poor behavior, deceitfulness, and retaliatory actions towards children“ is highly unwarranted especially when not followed up with examples Perhaps the complainant can explain why she chose not to report in writing, phone call, or email that her daughter would take off the summer? Besides being in our policy, it is only common courtesy to let us know and perhaps we would not have concluded that she quit Why were our policies in reporting absences from both classes and rehearsals continuously disrespected? Many times it was we, or our receptionist who called to find out why her daughter was missing from class or rehearsal These policies were not new Since the daughter was participating in Junior Company performances it was even more important and expected to honor their responsibility to be at rehearsals, classes, and learn all new choreography We would never intentionally inflict grief or pain on any of our students We reiterate there is nothing retaliatory in our response This student and parents have been around seven years To suggest that any of us are abusive is highly disturbing They know and have seen how our teachers teach and conduct themselves with the students We are demanding teachers, but we love teaching, love working with young people as well as our adult students It’s not always easy teaching such a disciplined art form to those who are not willing to be disciplined If they had previous complaints or concerns with our teaching or our school, those concerns were never brought up As a reminder, we did not dismiss the student from the school We thought she had quit On her return in September, she was permitted to attend open classes If she had done so, she would have had the opportunity to work her way back into the Intermediate/Advanced level and most likely, the Nutcracker It is unfortunate the complainant has chosen this route instead It seems her only intention is to cause damage to our instructors’ reputations and to our business Since our last letter in response to this complaint, it has been brought to our attention the complainant’s posting of several malicious reviews on Yelp that are filled with defamation and personal attacks on our business as well as our teachers and director, and are written in the same hostile tone as these complaints are written They go far beyond what is appropriate and even Yelp has had many of them removed We are collecting screenshots of these posts as any business concerned about their reputation would do We feel very sad to see how the child is being taught to be vengeful when something doesn’t go her way, not to mention in the dance world, students and dancers must learn to deal with rejection more often than not We believe we have fairly and professionally addressed the matters brought up in the complaint, there is not much more we will say on this matter Thank you for your time, [redacted] , Assistant Director Hawaii State Ballet
September 18, 2014Revdex.com of Hawaii, IncBishop Street #615Honolulu, HI 96813Re: Case #***I am happy to outline our position on dancers in the higher levels of our school. We do not appreciate accusations of lying
about our own business made by people who haven't even been around all summer and are unaware of some changes we've made.Not permitted back into regular classes because she was gone for the summer-Taking off from training for an entire summer is not okay for students in the Junior CompanyThe Junior Company has always been for serious students in our Advanced/Intermediate classes and require a high level of commitment that includes being responsible for keeping in top condition, attending required classes, learning all choreography and applying any changes or corrections, and for performing in the monthly Ala Moana Center stage shows throughout the yearDancers don't take off the entire summer and simply walk back into the Junior Company. When a student reaches the Intermediate level (day per week requirement), they are NOT automatically in the Junior CompanyThat is determined by how they work, whether there is a true interest in improving as dancers versus being there for only social purposes, their technical ability, and their performance quality. The Intermediate level students have always been "apprentices" for the Junior Company.Our school views performing on stage as a privilege, especially when a paying audience is in attendance With that privilege comes more responsibility, dedication and commitment to the production and to the group by the directors and students and parents. This student feels "entitled" to performances.The "regular tuition" class is not called the Junior Company classIt is the Intermediate and Advanced classes from which hard working and talented students are invited to perform as part of the Junior Company. "Regular tuition class" means the discounted tuition a student pays once they are enrolled in the school and attend specifically required classes for their particular levelThe Intermediate/Advanced level is for serious students only and there is a specific scheduleThe "Class Card" tuition is for students who wish to make their own schedule or who may need to recondition after an injury or time off before returning to the heavier physical demands of daily class and rehearsals. These students may attend "open" classes, which are combined with the "regular tuition class" on Mon/Tues/Wed/Thurs/Sat, so in no way is the teaching "way different" They are the exact same classes. The only separate, "closed," Advanced/Intermediate class is on Friday when we usually rehearse the Junior Company.We have no reason to lie about any aspect of our business. Yes, we have students enrolled under "regular tuition" in the Advanced/Intermediate levelTheir class attendance, attitude, and work ethic qualify them to be there Whether or not they will be performing in the Nutcracker will be determined by their attendance, continued hard work, and their qualification to perform the requirements of a specific role in the ballet.This student missed the entire summer that involved new choreography, rehearsals for Ala Moana, and performances for Ala Moana. She and her parents choose to ignore our specific rules as to reporting absences from classes and rehearsals, and giving vacationnotices in writing. The last we heard was they were going on a 2-week vacationThere was no note, email or phone call that they would take off the entire summer, even though they were on the island for much of it, therefore we assumed she had quit We don't feel the student is serious enough to participate in our Junior Company and her indifferent attitude sets a poor example for the other students Therefore, she is permitted to purchase class cards and attend "open" classes. Only she can decide if she will change her behavior to work hard and attend all classes to work her way back into the Intermediate level.AdvertisingThe published prices on our bulletin board are for our currently enrolled students who have worked up to the level in which they are enrolled, not for the general publicWe are a private school and we still approve any student who comes into the school no matter which level they attend For example, no one can walk in off the street and go into a JrIII class or JrV class or Intermediate class Each level has specific requirements We do not publish our prices on our website or other "public" social media.We operate a good, clean, wholesome, family-friendly business with a great reputation and have done so for years This is the first Revdex.com complaint against our business in all these yearsIf we find this complaint, brought by this student and publicly posted by the Revdex.com, should do any damage whatsoever to our business, we will seek legal remedy. As a matter of fact, this very complaint proves the self-centered mentality of this student and family and only reinforces our decision.Furthermore, we question how the Revdex.com says they take no position as to the validity of the complaint The simple act of publicly posting this complaint on the Revdex.com website serves only one purpose - to discredit the reputation of our business and of people who have given years of their lives to working selflessly with young people on this island who want to do the workIf the Revdex.com takes no position, how can they so irresponsibly post something like this for public scrutiny?Nutcracker What a coincidence that the student is returning just in time for Nutcracker rehearsals to begin. They think all they have to do is return, even without having worked for the last three months, and expect to participate in the NutcrackerThis is not representational with how it would be in the real dance world.Yes, we did rehearse Nutcracker during the summer because we had guest dancers in classes so we took advantage of the opportunity to map out our casting. Yes, the production is mostly cast alreadyWhat purpose would we have to lie about this? If we did not rehearse,there would be no reason to say we didPerhaps her "friend" was absent those days and did not know we had rehearsed.We have withheld "enrolled" attendance from another student for the same reasonsWe simply do not believe they are an asset to the Junior Company, to the school, or set a good example for our other students because of their poor attitude and work habits. The parents of this student also choose not to respect our rules in as far as seeing their child attends all required classes, calling in absences, and giving proper vacation notices.We never intend to hurt anyone's feelingsStudents need to learn there are consequences for their behaviorIf they do not wish to go by the rules, if they do not wish to work 100%, if they continuously show bad attitude and speak rudely about our school and instructors, then they do not belong at this school. If their feelings are hurt, then perhaps they need to change their behaviorAny parent or student who feels our policy is unfair must first make an effort to actually know our policy. After seven years in the school, one would think the parents would be aware of each and every ruleIt is also sad that they chose to discredit our business rather than take responsibility for themselves and their child's behavior.Sincerely,*** ** ***, Director *** ***, Assistant Director
Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:In response to this business's comments I would like to emphasize that I am still supporting, very strongly, my previous statement made initially and that every word mentioned should be published in its entirety for the public to read, so they may understand my experiences with this business.
First, emphasis should be placed on the director's reckless and thoughtless actions directed at the fragile emotions of young aspiring ballerinas. The director directly told us that; “there was no junior company”, which is a blatant lie. He further stated; “our daughter could not perform in the “Nutcracker” because she had missed a “Nutcracker” rehearsal over the summer, though they always start rehearsals in September/ October, making this another blatant lie. Every year, half the “Nutcracker” cast is never present in the summer. The production's final casting is posted just weeks before the show, which is another lie, since the school is stating that the “Nutcracker” was “mostly already cast” during the summer.
Nonetheless, the treatment to our daughter was purely retaliatory in nature and were rationalized with lies, deceit, policies and regulations put into action only to the director's likings, benefitting themselves (directors) and not fairly or consistently applied to all students.
Throughout all these years, we and especially the children and parents have put so much work, effort, responsibility, sacrifice, dedication, commitment and not to mention volunteering our time for this business and today I have to say how disappointed and deeply saddened they have made all of us feel. Now I can clearly see, as to why so many students and parents have left this school, as they have been so upset with the director's unprofessionalism, deception, exploitation of students and parents, which details are beyond the scope of this complaint, so will not be mentioned.
We, as parents are still trying to give our daughter, the best possible education both academically and artistically. All of this, becomes a life's work and only parents can appreciate and understand the grief, pain and concern, that this business has brought to us as parents, our young children, as well as other families.
When summer time arrives, families take off from ballet classes for vacation in which, we have been doing for years. The “Nutcracker” rehearsals usually starts when all the schools have restarted and like last year, practices started in October, 2013.
Changes to policy that were mentioned during the summer, were never communicated to me, via email, phone or regular mail. So, my question rely on; if my daughter was not in the “Junior Company” why have we been charged and payed the highest tuition for classes at the school under the Intermediate/ Advance (Jr. Co.) level all along? as stated in their published prices, only on their bulletin board, and/or was there a letter stating in writing of this termination from her Intermediate/Advance (Jr. Co.) classes? So, now comes into question, as to how the business made a determination in assuming that the student had quit? Students have come and gone over the years and the few dancers that remain in Intermediate/Advance (Jr. Co.) have taken longer breaks than we have and returned with no questions asked.
Every little ballerina's dream is, to be able to perform the roles and lead roles in a ballet performance in which, my daughter has been doing so for the past 7 years with this business, in performing lead roles in the “Nutcracker” and the “May” performances very seriously. She has always been chosen and selected for lead roles purely on merit and skills as a dancer. There is absolutely, no sense of entitlement, just the desire to be treated fairly. It is ludicrous, to make an assertion that all of a sudden our daughter is “entitled” and “not serious” about her passion which is ballet.
Lastly, the hostile, threatening, retaliatory tone of the letter written by the business further corroborates their poor and negative attitudes towards anyone, who does not agree with them or abide to their commands.
This business should be reprimanded for their poor behavior,deceitfulness, and retaliatory actions towards children and parents and it is a shame that other parents have not stepped forward to make a complaint publicly about this business.
Sincerely,[redacted]
Re: Case #[redacted] Note to Revdex.com Hawaii: Again, we are in agreement to post our response on the Revdex.com website, however, it must be posted IN FULL so that any part of it is not taken out of context. Below is our second response: We are in full agreement for publicly posting this complaint and our responses in full. “First, emphasis should be placed on the director's reckless and thoughtless actions directed at the fragile emotions of young aspiring ballerinas.” - There are never reckless and thoughtless actions made when it comes to our students and families by any of our instructors. Any aspiring ballerina is in class working hard each day. Serious ballet students at higher levels do not take off entire summers. If anything, most work even harder by taking daily class, or master classes, or workshops. During summer, they are unencumbered by having school and homework. “The director directly told us that; “there was no junior company”, which is a blatant lie. No lie. We can’t really have a Junior Company with two advanced students and two intermediate students. We need about eight advanced students. When more students move up to those levels we can re-establish the Junior Company. The production's final casting is posted just weeks before the show, which is another lie, since the school is stating that the “Nutcracker” was “mostly already cast” during the summer. Yes, we knew we were going to use our alumni in this year’s production as only a couple of our current advanced students met the technical demands required of the leading roles. And because two dancers cannot do all the roles, yes, it was mostly cast. It was only the decision of who would do which leads or corps roles at which of the performances. Casting gets complicated, and we wait till later in order to give our own students (not guests or alumni) a chance to work for certain roles they may not quite be ready for yet. It’s one way they are forced to step up and improve. There is no credibility to her comment that - “Every year, half the “Nutcracker” cast is never present in the summer.” - It is doubtful she would know any such information about our student enrollment. Furthermore, if, as she states, she takes off every summer, how would she be aware of this? We looked back at her daughter’s records and the summer previously (2013) she took off the month of June, and the summer before that she missed only two weeks. Also, during those times Ms. [redacted] daughter was not yet in the Intermediate level so the requirements were not as demanding. “Lastly, the hostile, threatening, retaliatory tone of the letter written by the business further corroborates their poor and negative attitudes towards anyone, who does not agree with them or abide to their commands.“ - We have reviewed our previous response and do not see how it could be interpreted as being hostile or retaliatory; we made no such assertions. We are a small business struggling to pay our rent, our teachers, our taxes, etc., each month. We only meant to explain our side and, as any business would do, protect our business and our instructors’ reputations, especially considering how defamatory the complainant’s accusations and comments are. We don’t have commands but we do have rules, as any good ballet school. Yes, parents and students must abide by them or they have no business attending our school. We do not need to “rationalize” anything. Our policies and regulations are clearly stated on all enrollment paperwork. They are the same policies that have been in effect since we began the business in 1983. We do treat our students and parents fairly or why would so many remain with us for six to ten years, the complainant’s daughter among them? For serious students training at the advanced level, there is definitely much sacrifice and commitment that is required. Every student at this level (and at any other high caliber ballet school) has felt the pressure of those sacrifices and keeping up with schoolwork while maintaining their commitment and responsibility. Ballet at the advanced levels is unlike any other extracurricular activity. It is not easy and the students are to be commended for their hard work. Again, this level is for serious ballet students only who may wish to pursue ballet as a profession, or as an instructor, or as a college major or minor, or wish to receive dance scholarships. Where one has a passion, sacrifices are made willingly. We also make personal sacrifices for our students, monetarily and time-wise, for which we are not compensated nor expect to be, so that our students may have opportunities to perform. It was the reason to form a Junior Company. Many parents misunderstand where the money comes from for any of our performances. The Intermediate/Advanced tuition covers classes only, six days per week, not rehearsals outside of those classes or performances as the complainant assumes. We do not have a board of directors who do fund-raising and grant writing for performances. Productions are put on with money from our personal savings to give our students the performing opportunities they have come to expect. We do so happily, knowing that performing helps them grow and improve as artists. We are happy if we can make back the money we must take from our savings in order to cover the up front costs of these performances which include theatre rental, theatre personnel, lighting and stage manager, box office personnel (depending on the theatre), guest artists (if any) including airfare, hotel, per diem, program printing and layout, the very huge cost of advertising, posters, flyers, graphic art layout for all of those, insurance, etc. Oftentimes, ticket sales and/or production fees do not nearly cover all we must put into the productions. There are three of us running the school - it’s impossible for us do everything by ourselves. It’s why we must request parent help, especially of those in the higher levels, not monetarily, but by working backstage or in the box office, bake sale, etc. Ninety-nine percent of our parents are incredibly generous with their help - we do not yell at, mistreat, or disrespect any of them; that is yet another false accusation. We are thankful for all volunteers who step forward and we verbally thank them and make sure to give them a written note of thanks, especially for the hard work they provide at Nutcracker, Ms. [redacted] and her family included. “Now I can clearly see, as to why so many students and parents have left this school, as they have been so upset with the director's unprofessionalism, deception, exploitation of students and parents, which details are beyond the scope of this complaint, so will not be mentioned.” We do not have examples of these allegations so we cannot address them. We are far from perfect but feel these are false, highly defamatory and potentially damaging statements to our reputations and our business. We would like to know the manner in which the complainant believes we “exploit” our students and parents, and how we are deceptive. This is the first time in 31 years we have heard this type of accusation. As for students leaving the school, that in itself is not unusual. Each semester students come and go. Advanced ballet is not for everyone. In the last year, two long-time students graduated and left for college, and the year before that, three left for college and one to pursue dance professionally. Each of those dancers attended our school for eight to ten years and danced consistently with the Junior Company. Other students lost interest or decided to pursue other forms of dance, which happens so it’s better not to continue ballet because it’s too hard if one does not love it. A couple of other students truly did not want to be at ballet but perhaps felt pressured to continue by their parents, three others have taken time off for injury - in ALL cases we were given notes or emails from the students or parents, and/or verbal explanations and/or doctor’s notes. We have the notes and not one says anything negative toward us or our school or program. As a matter of fact, the notes from the students themselves are highly complimentary, thanking us for the time we worked with them and very appreciative for all they learned from us, both in terms of dance and in terms of life lessons. “Changes to policy that were mentioned during the summer, were never communicated to me, via email, phone or regular mail.” There was probably one change that had to do with our not having a Junior Company for the time being. All other policies have been in effect pretty much since the business began in 1983. If a student does not participate in classes four weeks or longer and have given us no vacation notice we assume they quit and remove them from our email notices. This student did not attend the school since the end of May (well over three months), and no letter, note, email or common courtesy of a phone call was given to the school. No other Advanced level dancer took a longer break. Those who took time off all gave proper notice to the school, which included the dates they would be missing. The Intermediate and Advanced classes pay the same tuition because they have the same classes regardless of whether they are called the Junior Company or not. It is the highest tuition because it consists of the most classes per week. The assertion that we “should be reprimanded for their poor behavior, deceitfulness, and retaliatory actions towards children“ is highly unwarranted especially when not followed up with examples. Perhaps the complainant can explain why she chose not to report in writing, phone call, or email that her daughter would take off the summer? Besides being in our policy, it is only common courtesy to let us know and perhaps we would not have concluded that she quit. Why were our policies in reporting absences from both classes and rehearsals continuously disrespected? Many times it was we, or our receptionist who called to find out why her daughter was missing from class or rehearsal. These policies were not new. Since the daughter was participating in Junior Company performances it was even more important and expected to honor their responsibility to be at rehearsals, classes, and learn all new choreography. We would never intentionally inflict grief or pain on any of our students. We reiterate there is nothing retaliatory in our response. This student and parents have been around seven years. To suggest that any of us are abusive is highly disturbing. They know and have seen how our teachers teach and conduct themselves with the students. We are demanding teachers, but we love teaching, love working with young people as well as our adult students. It’s not always easy teaching such a disciplined art form to those who are not willing to be disciplined. If they had previous complaints or concerns with our teaching or our school, those concerns were never brought up. As a reminder, we did not dismiss the student from the school. We thought she had quit. On her return in September, she was permitted to attend open classes. If she had done so, she would have had the opportunity to work her way back into the Intermediate/Advanced level and most likely, the Nutcracker. It is unfortunate the complainant has chosen this route instead. It seems her only intention is to cause damage to our instructors’ reputations and to our business. Since our last letter in response to this complaint, it has been brought to our attention the complainant’s posting of several malicious reviews on Yelp that are filled with defamation and personal attacks on our business as well as our teachers and director, and are written in the same hostile tone as these complaints are written. They go far beyond what is appropriate and even Yelp has had many of them removed. We are collecting screenshots of these posts as any business concerned about their reputation would do. We feel very sad to see how the child is being taught to be vengeful when something doesn’t go her way, not to mention in the dance world, students and dancers must learn to deal with rejection more often than not. We believe we have fairly and professionally addressed the matters brought up in the complaint, there is not much more we will say on this matter. Thank you for your time, [redacted], Assistant Director Hawaii State Ballet