My son attended CU Ballet for three years and participated in the Nutcracker each year. I saw so many examples of cruelty toward students in that time that we chose to study elsewhere. The prices are high, the pressure on parents and students also high, but the level of instruction is very low. The directors seem only to care about their production rather than the growth of the kid or the art form of dance. They claim to be a pre-professional academy, but very few go on to a profession in dance. In fact, the students are actively discouraged from doing the kinds of summer intensives at high profile schools that would make it possible for them to have a career. And if a student is not thin enough, or even a little nervous about performing, they are drummed out of the school. The kids are encouraged by the teachers to be cliquish. Save your money and your sanity and take your child somewhere else!