Georgia Academy of Dance & the Performing Arts (“GAD”)

RESEARCH-BASED REVIEW, NOT A FIRST-HAND VISIT. Everything below comes from the public sources listed at the end, accessed on 2026-10-11. No one from this site has taken or watched a class here for this review. Teaching-quality scores rely on published credentials and public reviews and are provisional.

Scorecard

Score change (2026-10-11): new review → 8.1. Why: first scored review of this studio (no previous score).

[FIRST-HAND NOTE: Jason, placeholder]

Jason has called GAD “the best.” That opinion is not part of this score: GAD was scored with the same rubric as every other studio. If Jason adds a first-hand note, label it first-hand, date it, and follow the §5.4 rules (a first-hand visit can only change the score through a documented re-score).

Quick facts

• What “GAD” is: the studio’s own abbreviation for Georgia Academy of Dance & the Performing Arts (e.g., “GAD PTC location”, “GAD students”) [2][9]. Its non-profit performing company is Georgia Dance Theatre (GDT); GAD is GDT’s “official school” [2][8].
• Address: 1000 Southpark Drive, Peachtree City, GA 30269 (Southpark Business Park); mailing PO Box 3163 [1]
• Phone: (770) 631-3128; business email [email protected] [1]
• Hours (site): Mon–Fri 4–8 PM, Sat 9 AM–2 PM [1]. The Google-derived listing shows Mon–Thu 3:30–9:30 PM [12].
• Founded: 1990 by founder Sherri Davis (now Founder/Advisor); current Director/CEO is Josh Reynolds, a former Atlanta Ballet dancer [2][3][4]
• Second location: a separate Google-derived listing exists for GAD at 1111 Lower Fayetteville Rd, Newnan (3.8/10) [13]. The current site lists only the PTC location [1], so the Newnan site’s status is unconfirmed.

The short version

• The deepest published faculty in the area: detailed bios for leadership and most educators, including a teacher holding the Cecchetti Advanced Professional Certificate, a PBT-certified instructor for Progressing Ballet Technique, former professional ballet dancers, and a resident physical therapist (DPT) [3][5][7][6].
• Facilities: “over 15,000 square feet,” “professional dance sprung flooring with marley,” floor-to-ceiling mirrors and viewing windows [2].
• Transparent: monthly tuition by class length, $35 registration fee, late/NSF fees, a 30-day written withdrawal rule, and “We do not charge performance or recital fees” are all in the published 2026–27 brochure [9]. Costume amounts are not published.
• Google-derived 4.7/52 for the PTC listing [12]; the older Newnan listing is 3.8/10 [13]; BBB A+ (not accredited) [15].
• Good for: serious classical ballet, a path to pre-professional and company performance (Nutcracker, Master Works), and multi-style kids’ classes from age 2. Maybe not for: families wanting a relaxed, low-commitment studio; the policies are strict.

What the studio offers

Early childhood (ages 2–6), classical ballet, modern, jazz, tap, hip hop, contemporary, lyrical, leaps & turns, Broadway, dance team, cheer dance, acro, Progressing Ballet Technique, a pre-professional program and a conservatory program, adult dance classes, music lessons (piano, guitar/bass/ukulele, voice, songwriting, music technology), summer camps (3–6, 7–10) and summer intensives (9+), and performances with Georgia Dance Theatre [11][2][7]. Pointe placement is by evaluation after age 10 with minimum ballet-class requirements; placement is “strictly decided by the professional staff” and “typical” time per level is at least two years [9].

What parents and students say

The newest Google-derived reviews visible (all Sep 2024, just before our 24-month window) praise the teachers’ expertise and encouragement, “age-appropriate costuming,” performances “the best in the area,” and “knowledgeable and caring instructors” [12]. A Google-derived ballet directory summarizing 53 reviews highlights strong technique, serious pre-professional training, performances, and a well-run studio [14]. The separate Newnan listing (3.8/10) includes a 2017 1-star review calling the instructors cold, costumes cheap and the directors “out of line,” alongside positive short reviews from 2017 and 2022 [13]. No reviews dated inside the last 24 months were visible, so the recent-experience score is a neutral 5.

Credentials, youth safety & red-flag check

• Background checks / SafeSport: not published on any page read. The policies require parents or caregivers to supervise children on the property at all times, restrict videotaping and social posting of other students, and say staff “may physically assist your child with hair” [9][10].
• Strict policies (know before enrolling): dress-code or class-requirement violations are “grounds for class dismissal and permanent removal”; dress rehearsals are mandatory; a student removed early from a performance or rehearsal by a parent “will not be allowed to return” [9].
• Costumes: fees are due October 15 and are non-refundable after October 16, and a student with any unpaid balance will not receive a costume or perform [9].
• Liability waiver language is part of enrollment [9].
• Competition results: GAD is a performance/company-focused school; no studio-level competition results were found. Georgia Council for the Arts and NEA grants and commendations are cited by GAD for GDT (self-reported) [9][8].
• BBB lists an older address (453 Highway 74 S) and the PO box [15].

Pricing

Published 2026–27 rates [9]: 30-min class $60/month; 45-min $70; first 1-hour $73, second 1-hour $68; first 1.5-hour $80, second 1.5-hour $75; registration $35 per season; multi-class discounts by request; late fee $15; returned check $35, chargeback $30, declined card $10; re-enrollment fee $35 (no re-enrollment after Feb 1). Costume fees (amount not published) cover costume, headpiece, accessories and some props; no recital fee, but performance tickets are sold separately (prices not published). Partial extra tuition is charged for May rehearsals.

Other review platforms (checked 2026-10-11)

Blocked or unavailable (not worked around): Yelp blocks automated access, so no Yelp figures are used. Facebook pages need a login; only the page links listed by the studio or Google-derived data were noted, and no Facebook ratings are used. No Birdeye profile was found in search. BBB profile pages block automated access; BBB data comes from BBB’s own search results. No studio-level competition results were found on an independent results site; competition claims are the studio’s own and labeled self-reported.

What recent reviewers say (keyword analysis)

• Window: 2024-10-11 to 2026-10-11 (last 24 months). Sample: 0 reviews (no dated reviews inside the window were visible on the pages read).
• Top compliments: none.
• Top complaints: none.
• Recent-experience score (RCE): 5.0/10 (0 positive vs 0 negative theme mentions; samples under 10 reviews are pulled toward a neutral 5; n=0 gives exactly 5). Only reviews visible on the pages read are counted; this is not a random sample. Search snippets were not counted.

Score breakdown (dance-studio rubric §5.14)

The rubric weights below make up 90% of the score; recent customer experience (keyword analysis) is the other 10%. Overall is capped at 9.0. Unknown criteria score 5. See /how-we-score/. | Criterion | Weight | Score | Evidence | |—|—|—|—| | Instructor credentials & training | 20% | 9 | Detailed bios; Cecchetti Advanced Professional Certificate; PBT-certified instructor; ex-professional ballet dancers; resident DPT [3][5][7][6][4]. No Dance Masters of America membership found. | | Program breadth & age range | 15% | 9 | Ages 2 to pre-professional/conservatory + adults; 13 dance class types; music; summer intensives; company [11][2] | | Facilities | 10% | 9 | 15,000+ sq ft, sprung floors with Marley, mirrors, viewing windows [2] | | Transparency (tuition, recital/costume fees, contracts) | 15% | 8 | Tuition, fees, withdrawal and refund terms published; “no recital fees”; costume amounts and ticket prices not published [9] | | Reputation (parent & student reviews across platforms) | 20% | 8 | 4.7/52 PTC (Google-derived) + 3.8/10 older Newnan listing; BBB A+ [12][13][15] | | Youth safety & policies | 10% | 6 | Supervision and photo/video rules published; no background-check or SafeSport policy found [9] | | Longevity | 10% | 10 | Since 1990 (36 years) [2] | | Recent customer experience (keyword analysis, last 24 months) | 10% | 5.0 | n=0; 0 positive vs 0 negative theme mentions | | Overall | | 8.1 | 0.9 × 8.45 (weighted average of the rubric rows) + 0.1 × 5.0 = 8.105 → 8.1 |

Bottom line

On the published record, GAD is the strongest dance school serving Peachtree City: unmatched faculty documentation, real facilities, long history and clear tuition terms. It loses points only for an unpublished background-check/safety-training policy, unpublished costume and ticket amounts, and no visible reviews from the last 24 months. Families should be comfortable with a strict, classical, performance-heavy culture.

Sources (accessed 2026-10-11)

1. GAD official site, About. https://gadance.com/about/
2. GAD official site, History & Mission. https://gadance.com/history-mission/
3. GAD official site, Artistic Staff. https://gadance.com/artistic-staff/
4. GAD faculty bio, Josh Reynolds (Director/CEO). https://gadance.com/josh-reynolds/
5. GAD faculty bio, Hayden Gittner (Cecchetti certificate). https://gadance.com/hayden-gittner/
6. GAD faculty bio, Dr. Meghan Morales (Resident Physical Therapist). https://gadance.com/dr-meghan-morales/
7. GAD official site, Progressing Ballet Technique (“taught by a PBT certified instructor”). https://gadance.com/progressing-ballet-technique/
8. GAD official site, Policies & Tuition. https://gadance.com/policies-tuition/
9. GAD Policies Brochure 2026–2027 (PDF). https://gadance.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GAD-Policies-Brochure-2026-2027.pdf
10. GAD official site, Dress Codes. https://gadance.com/dress-codes/
11. GAD official site, home/menu. https://gadance.com/
12. Exa Places list (Google-derived), PTC dance studios. https://exa.ai/library/places?q=3a787d29507351bd
13. Exa Places listing (Google-derived), GAD Newnan. https://exa.ai/library/place/f4g344fn22j
14. balletclasses.org studio page (Google-derived summary). https://www.balletclasses.org/studio/georgia-academy-of-dance-and-the-performing-arts-peachtree-city-ga/
15. BBB search results, “Georgia Academy of Dance”. https://www.bbb.org/search?find_country=USA&find_text=Georgia%20Academy%20of%20Dance&find_loc=Peachtree%20City,%20GA
16. Nextdoor business page. https://nextdoor.com/pages/georgia-academy-of-dance-peachtree-city-ga/

Research-based, not a first-hand visit. Data labeled “unconfirmed” (search snippets, machine summaries) is shown for context only and never moves a score.

Disclosure: no compensation, free classes, discounts, or affiliate relationship. Nothing here was published or sent to the studio. No minors are named and no information about photos of minors is included. Found an error? See /corrections. How we score: /how-we-score/.