My fiance asked me to find a studio to take dance lessons at for our wedding so that he "didn't look like an ass on his wedding day." I looked around a bit, and we decided to give Ballroom Dance Chicago a try. When we arrived at the studio for the first time, we met our instructor, Matthew, and quickly got to dancing. The atmosphere of the lessons, as well as the studio, was relaxed and easy going. Neither my fiance nor I had any experience with ballroom dancing before starting lessons. With the expert help of Matthew, we felt very comfortable dancing together a few months later at our wedding. Ballroom Dance Chicago recommends private lessons, and at first we were a bit hesitant to commit to private lessons. It quickly became obvious that private lessons were well worth it. The individualized attention each teacher at the studio gives to their dancer or couple is what sets Ballroom Dance Chicago apart. Working with Matthew made us confident that our first dance would go well, no matter what blips might come up. When the time came for the dance at our wedding, we felt very relaxed and natural, and the dance went perfectly. One thing I can't say enough about is how good Matthew is at working with people who have conflicting personalities. I had asked my father to prepare for a father daughter dance, and he had put it off for some time. I had gotten so frustrated with my father that I finally scheduled a lesson with Matthew for my dad and me. That week, my dad started lessons at a studio near him, and his teacher thought Rumba would fit with our father daughter dance song (Gracie by Ben Folds). It wasn't the best of decisions, but Matthew made it work. My father never really got comfortable dancing and wasn't much of a leader. Matthew really made a point of teaching me how to work with my father and how to get us through the dance if something went wrong. And when my father and I were dancing at the wedding, he completely blanked at one point and didn't know what came next. The time Matthew had spent working with me on this dance really paid off as I was able to save it and keep going until my dad figured out what he was supposed to be leading. I continued taking lessons with Matthew after the wedding, as I absolutely love dancing. He tailors the lessons to my dancing interests, while still pushing me and challenging me. Although I've only regularly worked with Matthew, I've really enjoyed meeting the other teachers and occasionally dancing with them at the dance parties. It is a great studio where anyone can feel comfortable learning to dance. read more

This is the place. Go here. I don't know about you, but dancing falls far enough outside of my comfort zone that I usually require a few cocktails and a crowd of friendlies before I make it to the dance floor. So when it comes to doing formalized dance movements (all of which were new to me), under the scrutiny of an instructor, I need to feel relaxed and at home. Ballroom Dance Chicago is immediately warm, inviting and comfortable. Szewai and Matthew are great hosts as well as great instructors. read more

We worked with Matthew to choreograph and learn our wedding first dance. It was amazing! Matthew was so friendly and professional - and was able to help us master our first dance. Everyone at our wedding raved about how fun our dance was! Matthew taught us so much, we highly recommend working with him. We also previously took Matthew's salsa class which was also amazing. We highly recommend! read more

My husband and I took 12 or 13 dance classes for our first dance at our wedding in June of 2011. Audrey was a great teacher and choreographer, and was able to show us dance moves that really impressed many of our wedding guests. She had a thorough knowledge of both the man and the woman's steps, and was able to clearly explain how to execute various dance moves on the dance floor. Also, she was very good at making a dance routine that fit our style. I'm a figure skater, and Audrey added a few extra fancy twirls in our dance to make it fun for the both of us. We also worked a few times with Mark, who was also very knowledgeable, kind, funny, and helpful. When we started our classes, we actually had no idea what song we would dance to. We spent the first 4 lessons learning different dances, in order to figure out which type of dancing we liked most. From there, Audrey was very helpful at helping us figure out which songs would work with the dance we had selected. We learned primarily how to dance Rumba and a bit of swing. The best thing, is that while we had a planned dance for the night of the wedding, we came out of ballroom dance chicago with a good sense of how to dance Rumba without a routine. This allowed us to easily recover when we slightly messed up on the night of the wedding and continue dancing! Also, these lessons were so fun that they really inspired my husband and I to keep learning to dance in the future. The atmosphere at Ballroom Dance Chicago is also really nice. You're always greeted with a friendly hello, and offered water, a glass of wine, or a snack. Also, other instructors in the studio are friendly and occasionally pop in to the lessons for creative and helpful suggestions. Overall, I'd highly suggest taking dance lessons with Ballroom Dance Chicago. It's a great way to relax with your fiance while preparing for a wedding and learning sweet dance moves. read more

We loved our dance lessons. While I had to drag my fiance kicking and screaming, he really enjoyed it once we got there and it ended up being a fun little 'date night'. The instructors worked with us to choose a dance that fit our skill level (i.e. low) and we just had a good time. I would recommend them to anyone preparing for a special event. read more

Ballroom Dance Chicago - Second dance - Dance Studios Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My husband and I had the best experience working with Angela and Ballroom Dance Chicago! We wanted dance lessons leading up to our wedding reception, and we had no idea we would have so much fun. It made for the best date night, and that was all thanks to Angela. She was fun and so easy to work with, and as someone who is a terrible dancer with no coordination, she made everything so enjoyable. I never felt embarrassed or uncomfortable. A wonderful experience that I have recommended to all my friends! read more

We went into our dance lessons expecting to not do well. Neither of us are great dancers and my husband has zero experience learning dance routines. Angela went above and beyond our expectations. Her methods for teaching us our wedding dance were on a realistic timeline which helped immensely. We were able to pick up new parts of the dance every session while drilling the rest into our brains. We left our last session feeling confident that we will "wow" our guests at our wedding! We STRONGLY recommend Ballroom Dance Chicago (especially Angela)! read more

We had the most INCREDIBLE experience taking dance lessons with Ballroom Dance Chicago ahead of our wedding. Our goal was to simply learn some basic steps so that we didn't have to do the "first dance sway", but Matthew had much bigger plans for us! Our confidence grew with each lesson as we saw our dance come together. We picked a pretty upbeat song and as a result there was was so much energy and FUN in the dance that Matthew created for us. Twirls, lifts (multiple!), dips, and more! The lessons themselves were an absolute blast, and we were SO excited to get to do it at our wedding in front of our guests. Everyone was so surprised and the dance got a huge crowd reaction. We would do this again 100x over. Thank you Matthew! read more

We had a group class here for intro to ballroom. It was fantastic! I honestly could not have asked for a better class. They don't do the group class often, but if you're thinking about taking ballroom lessons, it's amazing. I would completely and unreservedly recommend it. Why only four stars? They don't always offer the group classes and I'd like to see more of them -- at this point, the private lessons simply aren't something we can afford. Still, in terms of teaching dance, I've never had better teachers. read more

What a wonderful company to work with! We had Angela as our instructor and she was the absolute best! Neither my husband or myself are gifted dancers but Angela made feel so comfortable in our first dance. She made it so easy to learn and we had a blast doing it. Working with Angela made our first dance soooooooo much better than what it ever could have been. Even though we were dancing through Covid 19, i was never worried. The extra precautions the company took to ensure safety made me comfortable in the space. I know working on our first dance was one of our favorite parts of the wedding thanks to Angela and Ballroom Dance. read more

Had my first dance lesson with my dad today. Kathryn really did a great job making us feel comfortable and teaching us the steps for our father daughter dance. There was a language barrier since english is not my dad's first language, but Kathryn and my dad did great! I can't wait to practice with my dad and hopefully we both remember our moves. At first, I was a bit skeptical about dishing out a chunk of change for a dance that supposed to last only a minute or two, but I'm so glad i did! I highly recommend getting lessons for a special occasion. I had such a good experience (learning something different and having fun while doing it), i signed up for a class with Kathryn for my fiance and myself. It's money well spent! Excited to dance with my favorite guys on the big day! read more

Ballroom Dance basically fell into our lap. My wife's cousin mentioned she and her husband were really enjoying the dancing lessons they were taking and it turned out that it was only a few blocks from our house. That made it very easy for us to decide that it was the place for us to learn our first dance but from the moment we stepped inside we were absolutely delighted in every regard. We worked exclusively with Matt who made my wife and I completely comfortable at every opportunity. We chose a fairly up tempo song as we really wanted to stress a party vibe at our wedding and Matt had us combining swing dancing with the two step in no time. My wife was in marching band throughout high school and it is basically impossible for her not to move perfectly in step with whatever music happens to be around. I'm a total loose cannon out on the dance floor and my wife and I had struggled at a couple summer dance lessons. Within a lesson or two Matt had me comfortably and confidently leading my wife around the dance floor. His energy and enthusiasm for dance really made going to our lessons a consistent highlight of our week. I cannot thank Matt enough for how happy my wife was after each lesson as she became more and more confident in my ability we shared the intimate space that we create when dancing. The wedding went off without a hitch and we thought looked awesome. Thanks so much to Matt and we cannot wait to sign up for the next round of lessons. read more

My husband and I had an amazing experience at Ballroom Dance Chicago. Our instructor was Catherine who is so fun to work with. She always put us in a good mood, and let me tell you there were plenty of times we came in with a bad mood. We had both never done any dance lessons together but always talked about how we wanted to try. When we got engaged we knew we didn't just want to, as my dad called it, 'hug n waddle' on the dance floor. We wanted to do something fun and more meaningful. Catherine helped us develop a routine that fit our personality. BDC is a great dance studio and everyone there is very friendly. We never had one bad experience. Also a plus is the beer they have on tap (something my husband loved!) So if you are looking for a dance studio for your wedding, or just for fun, go to BDC! You will not be disappointed. read more

I went back and forth about whether I wanted to force my fiancé to do dance lessons for our wedding. I was ready to abandon the idea when I accidentally happened upon BDC on my way to Bordage Pearls on Ravenswood Ave. I walked right in while a few lessons were in progress and instead of ushering me out, everyone was so nice, happy to answer questions and told me about the chance to have a free introductory lesson. That put me over the edge, so we signed up. Absolutely amazing experience! We had such a good experience that we're going to keep taking lessons even after our wedding. The atmosphere is relaxed, welcoming and fun. All the instructors are passionate and kind. I would (and have!) highly recommended Rachael. She created a custom dance for our quirky first dance song, and made it easy to learn. My husband and I were pretty green when we started and Rachael put our worries to rest right away. Extra bonus points for being greeted by the door every lesson with some vino! Parking, scheduling and customization of what you want are all easy. Bottom line, everyone said the best things about our dancing and they all said we looked like we didn't have lessons (i.e. we weren't counting our dance steps aloud, which was my fear the entire time). Love. read more

I wish I could give 6, 10, even 20 stars. These reviews speak for themselves; when it comes to dancing lessons, Ballroom Dance Chicago is the place to learn. Especially for the first dance at your wedding, when all eyes are on you, I knew we needed a little help. My (now) husband and I had fun every week with Cathy, learning moves that would make our wedding guests "ooh" and "aahh". Everyone is so friendly and each evening was so enjoyable that we found ourselves smiling the entire drive home. It helped take away so much stress of wedding planning, and was something we looked forward to each week. I know dancing lessons may not be in everyone's budget, or much of a priority, but they should be!! Ours were worth every penny. read more

Our first dance was an experience and memory we will always treasure, and it is 100% thanks to Ballroom Dance Chicago. My husband and I knew of BDC because the gym we met at is just down the block. I'd alway been curious about it, and when we chose a first-dance song that was too fast for a traditional slow dance, they were the first place I reached out to for help. We had a free consultation and were immediately reassured that they would help us come up with a dance that was achievable and completely unique to us. Because of COVID we got to have completely private lessons and appreciated our instructor, Matthew's, commitment to safety. We all wore masks at all lessons. We did the 10-lesson first-dance package and began dancing to our song the first week. Each week we built on the previous, continually adding complexity. Matthew listened to us, was patient, and responded to our feedback about what we felt was working and not working for us. By the end of our lessons we felt confident in ourselves and ready to impress our guests. We got so many compliments on our dance, and we love that it was one of the highlights of our reception. As an added benefit, the lessons were a great way for us to bond during our wedding prep, especially since the months leading up to our wedding were so uncertain and stressful in 2020. Our dance lessons were a time each week we could spend on ourselves, and we knew that whether our wedding was huge or intimate, a pandemic couldn't take our first dance away from us. read more

There is no better place to learn or improve your dancing skills than at Ballroom Dance Chicago. The atmosphere is fantastic: relaxed, inviting, and very professional. I have been taking private lessons with Matthew for close to two years. I came in with intermediate dance skills, mostly in Latin, and with a bad habit of not following my partner's cues. In the time since I started my dancing skills have improved immensely, so much so that sometimes I am amazed at the person that I see in the mirror when going through a routine. Matthew is very knowledgeable in a wide range of Latin dances (salsa, merengue, bachata, rumba, tango), and it has been immensely satisfying to build my confidence and ability in the type of dances that I love best. But it has also been wonderful to venture into other types of dances such as waltz and swing. With Matthew, no matter what type of dance you are exploring, it is always fun, eye opening, and engaging. I look forward every week to my dance class and I always leave the studio with a huge sense of accomplishment and, more importantly, of having had a ton of fun. read more

I bought a Yelp deal for Ballroom Dance Chicago a while back and was just able to use it this past weekend. Making reservations was simple, and their available times are perfect for the working professional (evenings, nights and weekends? Awesome). I have zero dance training, and the only time I do get up and dance is when I'm at a wedding and pretty tipsy. Other than that, you'll see me on the sidelines of the dance floor. Rachel was an incredible instructor, and made even the basic lessons very easy to understand. The hour flew by, and when we left, both my wife and I were excited to sign up for another class (which on my end was a shocker since, as mentioned before, I'm not a big dancer). I now know the basic steps so I won't look like a complete fool next wedding we attend. We'll definitely be going back. The location, the instructors and the knowledge gained is well worth the price. I'd highly recommend to anyone looking to take dance lessons. read more

LOVE! Look no further! Schedule your first lesson ASAP! Ballroom Dance Chicago was simply amazing. My husband and I started taking lessons a few months before our wedding and truly looked forward to every session. Everyone at the studio is welcoming, warm and fun to be around. Our lessons were with Matthew who we adore! Neither my husband or I had ever taken a single dance lesson before in our lives so we were a bit nervous to get started but after two minutes at the beautiful studio we were having too much fun to be nervous at all. Our first wedding dance was a big hit at our reception and we continued our lessons in order to learn some additional dance styles and to have an excuse to have some wine and dance together at BDC! Thank you to everyone, especially Matthew! read more

My wife and I are so glad we turned to Ballroom Dance Chicago for our first dance lessons! Neither of us is experienced dancing, but Lydia structured our five lessons to make sure we added something new each time. It made the learning easy and fun, and our first dance at the wedding turned out perfectly! read more

My wife and I took dance lessons here for a couple months before our wedding. We took them so we wouldn't look like fools out there on the dance floor or be forced to dance like we're at a high school prom. This was our wedding, we wanted it to be great. Having had no dance lessons before this I'm shocked at how easily we picked it up and how good we got. I doubt it was our natural dance talent... it might have been out great instructor. We ended up working with Szewai, who was fabulous and a fellow Columbia College alumn, like ourselves. I'd highly recommend doing dance lessons before the wedding if you want everything to be just right and for the amount of time you spend out on the dance floor, it's well worth it. It's really not that expensive and Ballroom Dance Chicago has some great packages and usually have a wedding deal they are offering as well. read more

My husband and I have taken both private as well as group lessons from Ballroom Dance Chicago. I can't give them enough praise - they've been wonderful. For our private lessons, we did the crash-course version with two instructors at a time, and we worked mainly with Matthew and Annamarie, but also had lessons with Angela and Lydia. They all worked to make sure we were comfortable, and Matthew helped us choose our music for our first dance. We were able to surprise (and impress) all of our guests with a wonderfully choreographed routine! We returned for the three-month sequence for Salsa I with Roxy (and some co-instructors) as well, and have had a lot of fun learning in a group setting. Roxy breaks down the footwork so that anyone can learn easily, and gives helpful feedback. My husband and I also really enjoyed the switching-partners format, because it gives us a sense of other peoples' dance styles and helps solidify the learning. I highly recommend coming here, whether it's to create a specific routine for an event or just to have fun and learn some new moves for the dance floor! read more

My husband and I took dance lessons about 2 months prior to our destination wedding in Florida. We had Katherine as our instructor and she was very patient and helpful. We chose to do a package of 7-8 lessons and we had never had any formal lessons before. Katherine always put us at ease each week. We would recommend this studio to any couple for their big day preparations. We found it was a nice "date" night activity and that learning something new together brought us closer. Our first dance was beautiful! I even was able to incorporate some of our smooth moves into my father/daughter dance and teach my dad some new tricks. read more

I signed my wife and I up for lessons and it was one of the best decisions I made leading up to our wedding. Both of us were a bit anxious about the first dance and had zero plan. Enter Ballroom Dance Chicago - Annemarie worked with us on a routine for our first dance and it turned out so well! She did a great job of putting us at ease and giving us the confidence to execute a fun yet important moment. It is BYOB and a very relaxed and informal atmosphere. The instructors are fun and clearly enjoy their jobs. We also loved the studio - it is in a great area and easy to get to. Overall, it was worth every penny - we really enjoyed the break in the week and had a lot of fun working with Annemarie. read more

We loved Ballroom Dance Chicago! My husband and I took weekly dance lessons starting about 3 months before our wedding, and ended up taking about 12 or so lessons total. Audrey was a great teacher - very thoughtful and patient. We are not the most natural dancers, so we definitely appreciated the approach! After our lessons, we were ready for our first dance (and wedding dancing in general). Our guests were impressed, so we felt great that the lessons paid off. The studio is geared more towards wedding dance lessons but it's a fun place to take dance lessons in general. We are thinking about going back to learn salsa. They also host parties (so you can keep practicing). It makes a great date night! read more

Can't say enough good things about BDC. In about six weeks, Lydia was able to help my husband and I create a first dance that was both memorable and fun despite the fact I have absolutely no sense of rhythm. She is a wonderful teacher, patient and funny, making us laugh all the time and making sure we were comfortable with each part before moving on to the next thing. We've decided to continue our lessons because we enjoy them so much and they are a guaranteed date night each week. Everyone at BDC is warm and welcoming, making it a great place to spend at least an hour a week. read more

I took lessons here not only with my fiance for our first dance but also with my dad for the father daughter dance and I absolutely cannot recommend it enough! We worked with Audrey for all lessons and she was great, she made the whole experience a ton of fun. Of course we had picked a semi-challenging song for our first dance, but Audrey managed to figure out how to make it into a mix of the foxtrot and waltz that worked perfectly. I literally can't imagine how awkward we would have been had we not taken the lesson and instead the first dance is one of the best memories of the wedding! read more

When my now wife and I signed up for dance lessons at Ballroom Dance Chicago we had a small vision of being prepared for a simple dance on our wedding night. Not only did Lydia teach us a simple dance, but she was able to help us develop a dance that was ultimately the most thrilling and memorable part of our wedding night! Lydia was extremely patient and calm with our lack of dance experience and made the lessons very fun and challenging at the same time. We would highly recommend Ballroom Dance and Lydia as a dance teacher if you are looking to take some lessons. She seriously helped us create a priceless lifelong memory! read more

Although my groom-to-be was a pretty good dancer already, I hate dancing and was so nervous for our wedding. We started taking dance lessons a few months before our wedding, and every week for 10 weeks, Matthew greeted us with patience and a smile. Plus, he even gave us drinks to calm our nerves before class! He pushed us just the right amount, and we were able to do just enough to get our first dance down with the right timing to our first dance song. It ended up being such a fun thing for us to do as part of the planning process. Everyone was really impressed, and we felt so accomplished! Meeting times were really flexible so we could go consistently and at either location. read more

My husband and I really enjoyed Ballroom Dance Chicago. They taught us at our skill level and made sure we were ready for the big day. The icing on the cake was the extra group class that comes with a private lesson and the wine and beer. But more than that, we were actually considering not doing a first dance before we signed up for the lesson. Being in the spotlight was a lot of pressure. BDC gave us the confidence and skills we needed to do the first dance successfully and to make it a meaningful, intimate part of an otherwise hectic day. We're even considering taking a few group classes because BDC is so much fun. read more

My wife and I took lessons at the West Loop location with Cathy throughout the spring and summer of 2017. My wife had learned a few moves, but we were definitely beginners. Cathy was such a great teacher and with every lesson we learned new aspects and movements for the "first dance" of our wedding. Cathy and the team made us feel like we were best friends and they genuinely cared about your success. She also wanted you to have a good time and enjoy dancing in general. Thanks so much, Cathy and Ballroom Dance Chicago! read more

My husband and I received lessons as an engagement gift. A big thank you to Lydia as she helped make our first dance so special. We had such a great time at our lessons and practicing. The studio is so inviting, even for someone without any dance experience... like me! Lydia was so patient and really listened to what we wanted to accomplish. I would recommend BDC to anyone who wants to be sure to create a memorable dance. read more

These guys are awesome. Came for the four week Ballroom class with my wife and we were very impressed. All the instructors are great, Annamarie especially, what a great teacher, she really makes you feel at ease and guides you through the steps no matter how many left feet you have! I'd go back and try the other types of dance they teach in a heart beat. Top notch. read more

BDC is awesome! The staff is super friendly and talented. We worked with Rachael for our wedding, and she is fabulous! She was so patient and very open to listening to any ideas we had. She also offered to edit our first dance song for us to make it shorter, something I asked our DJ to do (and got denied). We decided to take lessons very last minute, so we only ended up taking four lessons, and it was amazing how we were able to go from novice to first-dance ready in such a short amount of time! We hope to continue to go back and learn new moves because it was so much fun! read more

Ballroom Dance Chicago - Dance Studios Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My wife and I had a freaking BLAST working with Matthew to create a dance from scratch for our wedding! The song we chose was a little complicated and he helped us come up with something brilliant by genuinely getting to know us and our styles. My wife already had moves but I have no experience dancing and he was able to work with us (me) really well. It was a night and day difference by the time we had our first dance and our guests were blown away. I'll recommend people to Matthew and Ballroom Dance Chicago all day long. Cheers! read more

Ballroom Dance Chicago - Dance Studios Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My Fiance and I were gifted dance lessons to learn a few steps for our first dance at our wedding. We had no idea what to expect. Neither of us are good dancers and my fiance isn't even very familiar with counting music (I had a very little bit of musical familiarity from childhood piano lessons). We worked with John and he was great! I was quite nervous going to our first class, but John made us feel very comfortable. He started with the basics and after 7 classes, we had a whole dance put together. We are looking forward to going back after our wedding for a night out together to maybe try some other classes, just for fun. read more

We came to Ballroom Dance Chicago before our wedding to prep for our first dance. Everyone at this company was warm, welcoming, and SO helpful. We really enjoyed working with Matthew. He made us very comfortable and even was able to teach my husband how to dance (which is no small feat). We had so much fun in each class, and truly felt confident dancing in front of all of our guests at our wedding. We mostly went to the West Loop location which was very nice and super convenient. I cannot speak highly enough of Matthew and Ballroom dance Chicago. We recommend them to all of our friends who are getting married!! read more

Thank you Lydia for helping us create a memorable wedding first dance! My husband actually had the idea of taking a few dance lessons so that we would both feel more comfortable and would have "moves" to show at our wedding. We actually enjoyed taking the lessons and it ended up being a nice date night and time for us to spend together during the craziness of wedding planning. Lydia was very kind and easy to work with and she put together a great dance for us! We enjoyed working with her and are so glad for the experience! read more

I tried to book an event with them and they gave me excuses after excuses until they ran out of gas. Stay away from them. Not a fan!

Mike and I started here to prepare for our first dance as a surprise at the wedding. Not only did we learn a lot from Matthew but we had a blast learning to dance and look forward to all the moves in store for us in the future. Ballroom Dance Chicago has a very warm knowledgeable team working with the students and has a great atmosphere for being able to step away from planning and the stresses of life for the class. If you have any interest in learning to dance I highly recommend Ballroom Dance Chicago. Cheer to Matthew and the team for teaching us to dance, giving us a wonderful date night place and the laughs along the way! We can't wait to see what else you teach us. read more