national museum of dance & hall of fame

If you love dance...a very special place. Changing exhibits, classes, and presentations. Again you are asking too much.

My husband and I recently spent a few enjoyable hours at this gem of a museum right inside the state park. On one side of this restored bathhouse are changing exhibits and on the other side homage to dance hall of famers. We learned a lot and especially enjoyed the exhibit on dance in the movies. Also, be sure to check out the decorated toe shoes exhibited throughout the downtown area.

Go! Nice walk near a fabulous park. Very well presented. History of American dance. Tommy Tune's shoes. History of tutus. The BEST hands on area for kids. The museum is a wonder. Go!

This is a beautiful facility - we know one couple who held there wedding reception there. The museum is fairly small with a few exhibits of magnificent photographs and costumes. The current Hollywood film exhibit was fun, with the video clips of great dancers such as Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, and we found the exhibit of costumes and musical instruments from Guatemala fascinating as well. I enjoyed the hall of fame as well. I'd like to return for one of their special events in the future.

I have been in Saratoga many times and never visited this national gold mine until now. I was stunned when in walked in to view the exhibit on the Dance Theatre of Harlem. The exhibit is Spellbinding; It explodes in visual fantasy with costumes, art work, and film. This is a must see for art and history lovers of all ages.

I was totally taken with the physical space, the staff and the exhibits. The current tribute to the Dance Theater of Harlem is of particular interest with its focus on several of the masterworks of the company, especially A Streetcar Named Desire. The permanent exhibits should be of interest to dance enthusiasts. I am not a dancer, but I found the space to be extremely pleasant to linger in. A casual atmosphere nicely juxtaposes itself with the elegance of the place, courtesy of a couple of cute dogs who wander about with their equally engaging owners who staff the museum. A charming new theater space has opened in the rear of the museum along with a beautifully designed tribute to dance on film.

This museum was more than expected! The grounds were beautiful and the exhibits were amazing! From the Dance Theatre of Harlem to the ancient Mayan dance rituals, there was definitely lots to see! They even had a super cute area for children to explore as well. A must see if you are a passionate dancer, or like myself just love visiting new places.

The best source of dance with changing exhibits. I always love everything about this museum. Its revolving exhibits are as interesting as the permanent ones

And if you are with someone who is passionate about dance you will still find this museum interesting because of the nicely done presentation related to cultural history in the US. The museum is housed in one of the old natural spring spas at Saratoga. The fee is minimal - $6.50 for adults, $5.00 for seniors. I didn't catch the price for students and children not having any with us or being one, but it's less.You enter into a domed room with fantastic huge photos of dancers around the walls. The dancers in the photos are flying, worshipping and floating. One photo is of a ballerina seemly lifted by 8 birthday balloons which is a nice amusement in contrast to the dramatic tension of some of the other photos. To the left is the wing where the "Hall of Fame" is located. When we visited there was a large well-done exhibit about Judith Jamison. It details here life and career with great photos, framed letters that add to the story of her life, and costumes she wore. You then move on to a display of attractive graphics/paintings of point shoes. Yes, that's odd - but they're remarkably fun. You need to see them. You end this wing (if you entered to the left) in the area devoted to the members of the Hall of Fame. You may be surprised at who has been elected. Think one rock and roller. On the right as you enter the building is the area for special exhibits the museum is currently presenting a very informative and attractive exhibit about the Dance Theater of Harlem. This exhibit includes ;photos, costumes and several videos of the groups dances. My wife's the dancer, but I was fascinated. At the end of this exhibit you will find a room that tells the story of the Tutu - it's not as simple as you think. A final special exhibit is on Mayan dance where you can learn about how dance fits into they're culture. This was a very enjoyable experience. There is a kids area as well and I am guessing the aspiring ballerinas will be entranced.

The Dance Museum was much smaller than we expected, but we have 2 dancers in our family so it was still an interesting stop on our visit to Saratoga Springs

We went to the museum yesterday to find it closed! If you aren't going to open, change the information on your website to make it accurate. Very disappointing!

I enjoyed seeing this dance complex. It would be better served if they called it a dance center with a museum space. It seemed like there is more going on in terms of classes than being a "Hall-of-Fame" center. I expected to see large permanent exhibits. The gift shop did not carry much to take home. Better gift shop at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival.

This beautiful converted building which was once the Lincoln Bath is the perfect place to look at the history of dance in America. The exhibits are interesting both visually and educationally. I loved the enlarged photos of the dancers that were taken from the book Dancers Among Us. I had to purchase a copy at the gift shop. The exhibits are well curated and it's a pleasure to spend a bit of time there.

I visited the museum for a master tap class and the studios were extremely well kept and the instructors were excellent. They have classes all throughout the year for novices and advanced dancers!

A lot of the way we look at things are directly related to our expectations. We had little, as we thought the exhibits would be limited in scope and "style" - so we were very pleasantly surprised to find much, much more of interest. Thank goodness for benefactors who donate so much of their money and time to make such a place become a reality. The admission price is very inexpensive and they have a wonderful children's area! Who knew? If you are in the Saratoga area (another treat) it's well worth the visit.