My husband and I took dance lessons here for a choreographed first dance at our wedding. We aren't dancers, but really enjoyed our time at Arthur Murray. We had Arnel as our dance instructor and he made our experience enjoyable. We still do our first dance at home haha read more

Arthur Murray Dance Studio Fremont - Dance Studios Near Me - Fremont, California

Not professional at all. Send in request after request only to be ignored. They only care about money not dancing.

Sorry for the late review. We had our wedding July last year and we purchased the first dance package at the studio. My husband had no dancing experience at all and we both successfully finished the learning before the wedding. The mock performance opportunity at the studio with the audience definitely helped us with the mental prep! The weekly classes are also free to attend with the package and I learned different dances and techniques throughout the weeks. I really enjoyed the experience and special thanks to our instructor Karen! Our wedding first dance was perfect! Definitely recommend :) read more

Arthur Murray Dance Studio Fremont - Dance Studios Near Me - Fremont, California

The best thing I did was sign up for dance classes here. I am a mom of 3 and just needed a hobby that would get me out of the house and have "me" time. I chose this studio because I wanted ballroom/couple dancing since I get to just "follow" - tired of leading everything all the time. My dance instructor is Mark and he is amazing - he explains things really well and I've learned so much. But all the other instructors are also great!! The entire dance curriculum really is well-thought out - so you are always learning something in each lesson. The group classes that are free when you take private lessons are also amazing. I go alone so I was worried about dancing with classmates, but every single one is so nice, respectful and kind! Even the experienced dancers in the group classes don't scold you if you mess up and will take the time to show you what they are doing if you ask. I love this place. read more

Wife and I were looking to learn dancing for a cruise vacation we were going to take. I googled and came upon Arthur Murray. They were offering a "free introductory dance class". We signed up for it. As we entered the studio, we were greeted by the owner who took some information and got us to sign a few papers. We picked a few options of what we would like to learn. He right away said the free class is more to check our rhythm and suggested 4 dance types that we should do. This is all before even using our responses. It was starting to feel like we were being treated like dollar signs. He introduced us to a staff who took over the mantle of teaching us those 4 types that they show every new member. The instructor would show a step and have us repeat it and grade us based on one move. The whole show felt like "show the monkey a stick" except for the fact that they were terrible at it. After the 4 types, she took the paper and gave it to the owner, who never asked how our experience was or anything and right away started discussing their dance packages. It all sounded like a big money making deal for him. We were so discouraged and disappointed and wanted to just walk out of there. I understand that a business is making money out of a customer, but do not let the customer feel such by treating them like a dollar sign. Do not be so desperate that you are forgetting the real purpose. If you show your customer the right thing, they will be attracted to your program. read more

My fiancé and I wanted to dance together for fun, just in general as a hobby together, and also for our wedding. We started private lessons, and have also gone to the group classes. All of the instructors that we have interacted with have been so welcoming, lively and very happy to help! We are both beginners and have been made to feel welcomed! They strike a good balance between teaching and showing us how to get the technique down while also being encouraging. The generally atmosphere is very fun, and everyone seems like they are genuinely having a blast, and I leave smiling every time! I've been to dance studios where people look down on beginners and are harshly judgmental, but I have luckily not had that experience at Arthur Murray. I know that dancing can be nerve wracking in the beginning and I understand that, but the reviews that gave lower stars because they had to share the dance floor with others and because there are windows, just don't make sense to me. Part of learning to dance is showing off and getting comfortable doing it in a crowd. The dance parties are really fun, and they give you an opportunity to dance with other dancers so that you actually learn how to put your moves in a practice with different types of partners. If you just dance with the same person over and over again you're going to get complacent and not really get skilled. Additionally, I think their prices are actually quite good for the bay area, and to have a private lesson where you got a ballroom to yourself with one instructor for the whole time, the cost would be far greater. Overall, highly recommend to anyone looking for have fun and learn a new skill! read more

Edit: I am changing my review to 3 stars for A-OK because after I reached out to Jasmine again, she refunded me for the course and was clear in her email about where our misunderstandings happened. I appreciated her help in resolving this situation. I would try this studio again, but with a different instructor. -- I'm sad to say that I had an extremely unpleasant experience here. I initially contacted them 4 weeks prior to a wedding to learn a dance for a wedding. First I got a text message. I asked for price packages. No response - another canned message saying to sign up for a free class. Then I got an email. They said they had a free class, but the only time available was the week before the wedding (3 weeks away). How can I learn a dance the week before a wedding? I said I'd be willing to just go ahead and pay for a class if I could get it sooner. Sure enough, they now said they had a class opening for that same week. I got to the studio and met the owner, who was very polite and friendly. She introduced me to my instructor (Flo), who I did not have such a great experience with. Our lesson was in the ballroom right next to the front lobby. We aren't experienced dancers, so it already felt kind of awkward/uncomfortable to be so close to the busy lobby. In the room right next door, another lesson was going on. The music was loud and distracting. My instructor seemed oblivious. It felt forced and uncomfortable. Though I repeatedly told the studio that the wedding was very close and we wanted to learn a DANCE, all we did was go over basics. I believe they will argue that we can't learn a dance without basics, but they gave us a bunch of random things that we, as inexperienced dancers, wouldn't be able to practice at home at all. It was a huge waste of money. I haven't even gotten to the worst part. About halfway through our lesson, another couple started their class in the same ballroom. Mind you, these ball rooms are SMALL. Their music was more quick paced than ours and it was SO loud I couldn't hear any of her instruction. Not only that but in the small hall section right next to this ballroom (again, no doors), an instructor was doing a lesson on zoom! So yes, a total of THREE classes in the same space at the same time. So much for private lessons right? My fiancé had paid for 2 classes up front, but at this point we just wanted a refund. It was like pulling teeth. They basically would not let us leave without agreeing to another lesson. Then called me 30 minutes later again stating that they want me to come back. They seemed to blame me for not taking a free session first. Again, the only free session they had was a week before my deadline. How does that make sense? I emailed them and asked to please refund us. I got another call asking us to come back. I felt so uncomfortable. In the end, they refunded me for only ONE class. I learned absolutely nothing in the class I paid for. I might as well have gone home and watched YouTube tutorials. read more

The staff is absolutely wonderful!!! I've been going for two years and I've learned so much. I originally went for salsa lessons, but they're familiar with a wide variety (including Argentine tango ;) and will teach you social dancing skills if that's what you're looking for. Alex is so much fun to work with and is very encouraging & patient. You'll always feel safe since they only let enrolled students dance in the classes and parties. If you've ever wanted to dance, this is a great place to start. :) Update: Switched my teacher to Jace because my previous teacher left to pursue other interests. I'm glad Jace is there because I don't know what I'd do without him! He gives me what I need for my dance program and is honest when I make a mistake and can do better. He pushes me to be the best dancer I can be. :) read more

This dance studio is FANTASTIC! I wish I could give them 10 stars. This review is long because I go into details, but the TLDR is: the staff and instructors are super friendly and full of positive energy, not to mention great teachers. And it's SO FUN! My fiance and I went in looking to learn how to dance together as a fun project and it has SAVED us through the pandemic. Of course they had to close for a few months, but they opened back up as soon as they could - bringing students back a few at a time. The studio is super clean and I always feel safe there. But the magic comes from the energy and skill of the instructions and staff. We always laugh, we always learn something new, and we look forward to every lesson! To the people who wrote negative reviews: The Fremont studio been SO STRESSED, and short-staffed by the pandemic that their normally quite friendly and open style for new students is somewhat compromised at the moment. But they're almost back to normal now (March 2021). That first (free) lesson is just to give you a flavor of how dancing works, so it can feel like you're not achieving a specific goal. If you go in for your wedding, you need to learn the basics before they can work on choreography with you - it gets you more comfortable with dancing as a couple and gets your brain away from just counting steps, making your dance more smooth. The ballrooms usually have 2 students each, which means sharing the music which can be really loud. Loud helps students keep time and dance through the steps in the right rhythm. It can be confusing to hear others' music in the same room, and work with your instructor while there's another lesson going on, but it only takes a couple of lessons to figure it out. Plus it helps you learn to dance in social situations (like clubs, if we ever get back to them) where there's always going to be a certain amount of chaos around you. To be fair - it's not cheap. And they do want you to sign up for a package (it is a business after all), partly because they need to know what you will commit to before they begin working with you in earnest. They need to know if they should put together a short or long-term curriculum plan for you. And they DO plan tailored curriculums! In the 15 months we've been there, we've worked with every instructor (in addition to our "main" instructor) and found them all really knowledgeable but always working at OUR level - including taking our suggestions and incorporating the things we're interested in learning. As an example, I wanted to do dips but was terrified of them so our instructor broke them down piece by piece until I got comfortable putting it all together - while also teaching my fiance to do his part to make them more comfortable for me. We are now working on our wedding choreography and because we've learned so much over the last year it feels "fancy" and way above what you normally see in wedding dances. They've taken the moves we already know, added a few we didn't, and put together an elegant routine. They've even prepared us to dance in front of a crowd! I really encourage you to give them a chance. You'll learn cool stuff, and spend 45 minutes with energetic and positive people - and you can do it solo or with a partner you bring - it works either way. read more

You guys are the best ! The most welcoming group of teachers. I was nervous walking in as I never took dance lessons before and the moment I walked in I felt welcomed. Personalized one on one lessons and enthusiastic group classes - I look forward to the lessons each week ! Couldn't be happier with my choice. read more

We went here for our free dance lesson. It was a fun experience! The instructor was funny and patient. The reason we didn't sign up for lessons included (1) they were very expensive and we didn't need all the extra add ons that came with the lesson (ex. bonus group lessons that you can attend whenever you feel like it during the week). We just wanted a package that would just give us lessons and be a bit cheaper. (2) We didn't like how many individual private lessons were going on at the same time. It was a bit distracting to have 2-3 couples all dancing in the same space, especially for the price they charged, we were expecting a little bit more privacy. If we had tons of money, then we would definitely come here! It looks so fun and people were all smiling! We just can't financially afford it yet. Bummer! read more

It is not easy finding ballroom dance lessons as a single person - typically couples are required. I found out this school opened through a friend from high school. But here - yay! You don't! So off I went to try to tackle ballroom once again. They offer a free lesson, and then if you are interested, you can try a few more before deciding what you want to do, if anything. Now, if time and money were no object, and if I felt more graceful, I'd want to try to go competitive even at my "old" age. They have packages that cater to your needs/interests/goals for dancing, even to try competitions. So, you really can tailor this to get what you want out of ballroom. Their packages include group lessons, the private lessons, and their parties. Pretty sweet deal. With regard to the staff -- what a phenomenal group of people. Richard and Marianne are the owners and run the studio with energy and an obvious love for dancing and for the people who come through the place. The instructors are all friendly and encouraging. Jace has been my instructor for my private lessons. He is a great teacher, and I have learned so much from him. I cannot say enough about him - you will have a lot of fun learning from this guy. He's learned to read me pretty well and for the time I've been able to take lessons here - it has been nothing but joy. Life has been a rough road of late, and it's rare to never that I have found passion for anything outside of raising my kids. But Arthur Murray Studio brought a big smile back to my face and made me feel like I could actually enjoy doing things again. Ballroom is so cool and I love, love, love it. And the people here have a lot to do with my feelings around it. I have had to slow down a bit because - you guessed it - life is in the way. But I will go back, and I hope their place continues to fill up with people, because they're a class act, all the way. read more

One word describes this business and their people...Incredible. I love music and dance and always wanted to learn social and ballroom dancing. But I can tell you that dancing is one of the most difficult things a man (especially over 50) can learn. I have been taking dance lessons off and on for years and have to admit it's been frustrating. Whether it was class size or bad instructors, I wasn't getting anywhere and above all it wasn't fun. I was going to give it up until I met Richard and Marianne. My girlfriend found them by chance using Groupon. We were skeptical because we thought that Arthur Murray was for old folks and on top of that we both live on the Peninsula. But we decided to check them out. Best thing ever. Richard and Marianne (owners) make you so at ease from the get go and the lessons are so fun. Richard is great getting you over any fears you have (men, you know what I'm talking about) and getting those two left feet moving. On top of that they have these great group lessons with other students that really help and are super fun. In less than a month, I have learned so much that it has put a "dance in my step" (I know, very bad) We look forward to our classes every week and here is where it's really cool, when my lady and I go anywhere that has dancing, we are the first ones up. If you are looking to dance like Astaire or Travolta or just want to dance in the dark, you need to check these great people out. You won't be disappointed. read more

I made a yelp account just so I can write a review for this studio. I've been a student of the studio for a year now and honestly it's a second home to me. To begin, Jace is a wonderful instructor. He understands what goals you have as a dancer and does his best to make sure you reach those goals in whatever time span you give him. He's a lot of fun and every single lesson is different. He's really patient and does his best to make sure you're ok and that you understand. He's great with clarity and breaking things down. And honestly any of the instructors there are phenomenal at what they do. The other instructor I've worked with, Alex, is omg handsome, and is a great instructor when it comes to having fun and making you feel better of your dancing especially when you're self conscious about it. And although I haven't gotten to work with many of the female instructors, they're also wonderful. Every single person on the staff makes you feel welcomed and at home. The front desk ladies, Jasmine and Eleanor are also great and friendly. They make the time to ask you about your day and how your feeling and small things like that go a long way. They also pretty much have the answer to any question you have. So really clarity on any subject matter isn't that much of an issue. Richard and Marianne the owners of the studio are pretty freaking awesome. Although they are gone traveling and competing a lot of the time, when they are there it's almost like a giant family reunion every single time. Each person on the staff has they're own little quirk and asset to the studio that make it feel more like a home than a studio. (and you'll hear me say this all the time because I don't know how much I can emphasis that) Whether you're a brand new dancer, have never moved a foot to a beat in your life, or have danced for several years and just wanted to try something new. This studio is a great place to be. From what I understand they also teach international style dancing, so the wide range of different dances you can learn are amazing. They also hold these group classes and practices parties, that allow you to dance with other students in the studio. And it's honestly a lot of fun, a lot of the other students are very uplifting and supportive so the energy all through out is very friendly. You never feel judged or stupid for wanting to dance regardless of your skill set. All in all there's absolutely nothing negative I can say about this studio. The staff is great, the students are great and the studio itself is nice, tidy, clean and organized. read more

We really enjoyed the lessons at first and the instructors are great, very skilled and great people. They were also very good teachers and great at bringing my husband out of his shell. The free dance parties they have are also really fun. However, after a while it started to feel like a constant sales pitch for the next "event." The first time we tried to quit there was a lot of pressure for us to continue with a reduced package until we finally left. My husband also was getting frustrated because we took the classes to get closer to each other and the way the group lessons were structured we were spending less and less time dancing with each other and more with strangers. read more

I'll mirror what Trish said, but from the single male perspective. I have honestly just taken my first lesson after the introductory, and I can tell you, if you desire to learn to dance, this is the place to start and finish that journey. First, every single person that works there is energetic, has a smile for you and makes you feel not only welcome but special. As a guy in the construction industry, I took a good beating from the "gents" I work with over this new passion, but I had to tell them, I'd rather be tango'ing with a gorgeous partner than drinking beer and telling lies with y'all. On to my instructor (aka - Boss) Natalie. She has the patience of Job and is phenomenal with her "reads" of me and my strengths and weaknesses. She has me actually believing I can dance and dance well eventually. It also seems every instructor would get the same review based on the smiles and energy I see there. And cost; Very reasonable and affordable. From what I have gotten in just 2 lessons I am money ahead and almost feel guilty, Almost. I simply can't say enough about the warmth and energy that greets you when you open the door and take that step. My only regret is that I waited so long. read more

Arthur Murray in Fremont is fantastic. The owners Richard and MaryAnn are top ballroom professionals. They are great to work with and they truly love what they do and it shows when they teach and if you get lucky to do an AM event and see them perform, wow. Vince is a top instructor there as well, he is so much fun and always finds creative ways to teach and explain new dance steps. He is a blessing to work with and performing with him is a total blast. I would be devastated if I could never work with Vince again. I don't live close to Fremont but this studio, the owners and Vince are worth it. I can have a crap day and get there and Vince will make me smile. Vince is the type to make you love a dance you think you hate and not only love it but turning out to be a favorite that you want to perform and show off how great you are. read more

We (me and my husband) went there for the first set of lessons, we were supposed to take 4 private lessons. Around the time of 3rd lesson, we got rescheduled, we were asked if we can be passed on to another instructor. I initially said no to this, because we only did 2 lessons, and the new instructor would start us from the very beginning again. And then it turned out the instructor was leaving, and they were frustrated. When we were talking on the phone with one of the ladies at the front desk, i pretty much got scolded for not wanting to choose another time and date. And then I got a follow up call from another one of them. I told them we are both working and we chose the timeslot that was working for us and we would like to keep it. You know, this is not a change we are requesting, so I would expect them to be more accommodating to make up for the mess. Anyways, then we asked them ok if we stop these private lessons, then can we just join some of these group classes as drop in? It turns out that they charge you a lot for a private lesson per week, and say that you can attend multiple group classes per week. Well there are several other places out there that wont try to randomly reschedule you and then not scold you for their fault, and not force you to pay private lesson money assuming you will spend all of your nights there if you only want to dance for an hour per week. So far, we paid something close to 500$ to this place, and I feel like I did not learn anything. Not going back read more

I created a yelp account just to write a review for this amazing place! The guys (and gals) here are fantastic! My boyfriend and I decided to try ballroom out, just as something the two of us could enjoy together. Neither of us had any ballroom experience, but in just a few short months we felt confident enough to participate in the fall Showcase Arthur Murray puts on. We study with Alex and it couldn't be a better fit! He's so energetic and fun; our lessons go by so fast! He's really great at making sure both my boyfriend and I are comfortable with the dances we're doing, and keeps an open mind to any ideas we have as well! He makes sure that we are successful both as a couple and as individual dancers! We also enjoy going to the group classes held most every weekday! Typically run by Vince, they're a really great way to supplement what you're learning in your private lessons while also getting to know the other Arthur Murray students and instructors! Vince does an awesome job of making sure the pace of the class is fun and easy enough for everyone to follow! The owners, Richard and Marianne, made us feel very welcome our first day...and everyday for that matter! Everyone there greets us as we walk in and they all make sure we're aware of any events or specials they have going on to ensure we're always invited to the party! This is a great place to go even if you have a busy schedule! They are awesome at accommodating what you can do and make sure to always communicate with you. It's also great for all ages! My boyfriend and I are approaching our mid twenties but there are dancers both younger and older than us! In short if you want to try out ballroom, this is a great family to join! read more

Words fall short as I write this review. Rich, Maryanne, Vince and Alex are phenomenal.