It's a great spot to learn dance. There's a main open large room for the bigger classes, and a few side rooms for smaller classes as well. There's 1 right across from the entrance, 3 in a hallway offset from the main open room, and then 1 more in the back, past the hallway and across from the bathrooms. As I was attending this venue as a rented space for a Brazilian Zouk weekender event, I didn't interact with any of the Dance Center Chicago staff-- but they have a great space! read more

Dance Center Chicago - Dance instructors and DJ artists galore! - Dance Schools Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I am not a dancer, never learned then kinda gave up on the idea, destined to be a wall flower or that guy dancing like Elaine. With a wedding on the horizon my father thought a nice gift would be a 4 week Wedding Prep group lesson for the lady, who can dance, and me. We learned a fun first dance routine, including a dip at the end, and had a gas. We laughed so hard during our lessons and first dance. I am not Fred Astaire by any means now but thanks to Alisa, our instructor, I now have some moves and confidence that will let me enjoy time on the dance floor. Thanks! read more

My best friend and I took a "Hot Latin Styling" series for beginners. The very small class size suprised us. We took that as it just being a brand new location. All the other classes were full - Tap, Ballroom, private lessons. We were very impressed by the knowledge and skill of our teacher and still have two classes left on our dance card, maybe we'll do a lapdance class or something this holiday ;) Clean, open, airy location upstairs from a bank. Parking on street or in a neighborhood parking lot. read more

Coming to Dance Center is the highlight of our week and we can hardly express in words how much we love it. I started taking group classes and they were fun, engaging, and the instructors do a great job of making everyone feel comfortable. The best part was that you didn't have to bring a partner! After some convincing, my husband agreed to take private lessons for more personalized instruction and we are very pleased with our instructor, Jesus, for his knowledge and professionalism. We highly recommend coming here whether your interested in learning something new or wanting to progress you skills in a variety of styles. Dance Center and it's amazing staff has it all! read more

My finance and I started our dance classes here the other night. With Mari's expert and encouraging teaching, we caught on pretty quickly. We can now box step AND turn. We also have a good hold. Carrie Ann Inaba cried at the beauty of our waltz Len Goodman gave us a solid SEVAAAAAAAAN and told us that we could improve but our lines were good Bruno said that our waltz reminded him of a bunny running through a meadow in pure joy read more

After reading all these great reviews, I was really looking forward to a wonderful dance lesson experience. My fiance (now husband) and I took private lessons prior to our wedding. We took 5 lessons. At our second lesson, the instructor came to get us and then told us we looked familiar. Yes, we were familiar to her as we had been there the week before for a lesson. At each following lesson, the instructor could not keep track of what she had taught us and when our wedding was. Additionally, each week the instructor would complain that our song was too slow for the dance that she was teaching us. Hmm...last I checked, I'm paying her to be the expert and she should be able to figure out how to make our dance work for the music. I was quite disappointed by our level of service at Dance Center Chicago. Although other reviewers had good experiences, I would highly suggest researching other studios. Good luck! read more

We took private dance lessons from Ron for several months. He is just great. My boyfriend had called a number of places in Chicago about private ballroom dance lessons, and this was the only place that didn't blanch at the idea of giving lessons to two men. Kudos to them. The lessons were excellent -- and fun. Ron has a great feel for how quickly you are picking things up and will basically teach you whatever you want to know. He is a pleasure to work with. read more

5 stars for Ron! My fiance and I are taking private lessons from Ron for our wedding reception. He's a great teacher, gives very clear instruction and is patient. He can explain things in different ways for my finace and I, and he made both of us feel comfortable right away. We learned a ton in 2 lessons and were surprised how much fun we had. He responds quickly on email and phone. He taught us how to enter the dance floor, start the dance, the dance steps, some fun moves, and the big dip at the end. Now we are thinking about taking salsa and latin dance group lessons from Dance Center Chicago. read more

My dance partner and I are competitive ballroom dancers. We were so thrilled to find such a good place for us to practice. This place is not a franchised business. As a ballroom dancer, I feel that this place provides people, new or old to ballroom, a place to connect with others and a sense of community. You will see advance dancers practicing at the big ballroom as you walk into the studio. Don't feel intimidated. They are all very happy to meet new people and provide help to the new comers. In addition, I planned a group lesson with Mari (the other owner) for my school and they are very nice about providing the students with reasonable discount. It was an one-hour chacha lesson and the entire group enjoyed the experience tremendously. We even organized another lesson later and I am sure there will be more to come. My one liner? If you really want to learn to dance and have fun dancing around downtown Chicago, Dance Center Chicago is the place for you. read more

I am an amateur ballroom dancer and I use the studio for lessons, coaching and practice. I love the welcoming and friendly atmosphere from everyone there, from the front desk receptionists to the new owners (Peter and Brad). Studio hours are great. The main practice ballroom is one of the best in the city, almost at competition dimensions (with plans to expand it to competition dimensions soon I believe), at a very reasonable cost. Huge thanks to Matt and Molly (my instructors), the best and most dedicated standard and smooth ballroom instructors I've ever met. As an independent studio that is not part of a franchise, this place rocks. read more

We had a great experience learning our wedding dance here. We were first attracted by a $40 Groupon for 4 group lessons and then followed that up with $200 for 3 individual classes, which comparatively is an amazing price for wedding lessons. We found they were even more worth the price because our dance instructor Alesia (sorry if the spelling is off) is AMAZING, everything you want in a dance teacher. She whipped our butts into shape and taught us a complex dance at our skill level in just those few classes and also made them enjoyable. She gave us tips that helped us remember the dance during the week gap before our wedding. We got a million compliments after the reception at how special our dance was. Very impressed with the dance studio and we wish we lived in Chicago to keep attending there. read more

I created a yelp account just so I could write a review for this studio! The people were so kind and accommodating! The pricing was very, very reasonable compared to other studios I've looked at and the venue was B-E-A-UTIFUL!! The front desk woman who helped me, Nancy I believe, was just so amazingly wonderful to my group from start to finish! I cannot speak highly enough of her! I tried to tip the company but they wouldn't allow me! It is my sincere hope that this review convinces you to attend! Bring your husband, your wife, your best friends, your dog!! It's a great time! read more

My husband and I had private lessons with Ron for our wedding reception and we learned several different steps for the foxtrot. We'll go back for more lessons, perhaps some latin ballroom next time! The great thing about Dance Center is you can have 2 couples taking private lessons for the same cost. They have a great space and parking is easy. read more

My fiance & I took private lessons here with Ron before our wedding - after only 2 lessons we learned a ton and looked & felt great on our wedding night. Also, my dad & I took one private lesson here w/ Mari for the father-daughter dance...the progress we made was incredible! Both instructors are friendly & down to earth. It was a great experience and while I can't speak for the group lessons, I highly recommend the private lessons! read more

I took two private lessons here with my fiance so that I would look halfway decent at my wedding dance. Instead of, as the instructor/owner Ron calls it 'The Clutch and Sway'. My new husband and I managed to look happy and confident. I even fooled my big sister. The instructor taught me to dance instinctively, no looking at feet, no counting the beats, just watching my partner out of the side of my eye while looking fabulous. read more

I come here for Samba class with Edilson. It's fun and the studio is well lit and spacious. though sometimes there are women that come that think they're in striptease and take up a lot of space and throw my rhythm off, but that's not the studio's fault. I just have to learn to samba with my eyes closed. read more

I would definitely give Ron 5 stars!!! My fiance and I have taken lessons with him for our upcoming wedding and he has taken us from true beginners to a level that we're really comfortable with and we're actually having fun with it now! We are really looking forward to our first dance. Parking is really easy too. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that for one lesson, we went to another instructor and did not like her. She talked a lot about the history of dance and didn't teach well at all. Add to that the fact that she insulted my fiance about his skinny arms! But Ron is the best. Stick with him and you will be thrilled. read more

Great place. Just show up for the sessions you want and pay for each individually. This is what my husband and I did in preparation for our wedding. We went to the group classes, but one time no one else showed up so we got a private lesson for the same price. Give you a great foundation in basic dance moves. My husband agreeded that it was easy and approachable - most of the other students are also engaged couples. read more

Great place! My husband took private lessons here to prep for our first dance at our wedding. It was a huge hit! We felt and look confident during our dance. It was great not to sway like a 9th grader and look classy! Or instructor was great and very patient! read more

Hi! My name is Ray, I am 34, originally from Romania. I have started to ballroom dancing seriously about 2-3 years ago, and I am being trained how to do the lead and the follow part. Everyone at the studio where I dance at knows that about me, and they suggested to start a Same-Sex Group Class weekly. When I first told Dennis about it, he told me that he isn't just excited about it, but also has experience in Same-Sex dancing, also in teaching Same-Sex couples. So I was the one who stated to organize the Same-Sex Club Style Group Class at Dance Center Chicago and also the monthly Same-Sex Ballroom Dance Party. After talking a lesson with Dennis, he opened my eyes about how to be able to dance other genres by connecting to your partner in his or her own style. He also explained how to take this knowledge and apply it to other dances. He encouraged me to do the styling that I know how to do and what feels natural to form, not just with my hands and arms but also with my body. Of course I could use a little tweaking, but Dennis was able to tailor the lesson to my individual needs. Now I don't have to think about how to switch the feeling and the connection between genres, because all I have to do is to adopt to my partner. Dennis also showed everything I learnt how to do as a follower and as a leader, improving my dancing so much more. He really helped me to communicate more through dancing, not just with the partner that I have, but also with the audience. I wasn't afraid to ask any questions throughout the lesson, because he was very welcoming to my curiosity. He dosent just teaches steps and patters, he teaches you how to express yourself through the quality of movements. read more

My husband and I decided to take private dance lessons for our wedding since the song we picked for our first dance was on the fast side and we weren't sure how to dance to it. We had four lessons with Ron and he was great! He is a super nice guy to start with, but he is also a great teacher. Very patient with us, no matter how long it took us to get down the steps he was showing us. He was great because after we mastered the basics, he slowly started adding on to what we knew to give us more options that would make our dance more fun to watch. We had so much fun and we want to go back to take the group lessons some time soon. Wedding planning was so stressul. It was nice to have something fun to do for our big day that was also relaxing and gave us lots of laughs...and we did great. Thanks, Ron!!!! read more

Dance center chicago is a great place to dance! Really good lighting, great main floor, great variety of teachers in all styles of dancing with lots of opportunity to practice! Including even lots of great waltzes and lots of friendly waltz partners mixed in with salsa, swing and tango at the new saturday evening socials :) I saw someone mentioned about parking in another review. While its true that especially during the day when I sometimes take private lessons, there can often be some sort of construction/upkeep related restrictions in effect on neighboring streets, actually there is a lot of free parking in the area if you arrive early enough to find it or get to know the area well and there are always some metered spots very close by with enough time available on the meters to take two classes or a double private lesson without having to run out in between or right after you are done! Also, two brown line stops are very near by (only about 5 or so blocks) with really good coffee shops and restaurants on the way, in fact, I feel its worth taking the train and walking a few times just to make sure you take a good tour of NorthCenter, a quiet and very pleasant neighborhood that I hadn't even heard of until I discovered dance center right in its midst. read more

My fiance and I took lessons here before our wedding. Mari is fantastic!!!! Neither of us had any idea what we were doing and she was extremely patient with us. I just wish we had booked more lessons [we are procrastinators and my fiance travels so we were only able to get 3 lessons in]. Mari sped things up for us though and taught us the whole routine. She is great and we highly recommend this studio [we tried another studio before this one and there is no comparison]. read more

Tango Party 4/15 in loft. Airconditioning had not worked. Temperature 75 and up. dancers were wet sweaty , place smelled like dirty feet. I am tired like a dog after this heat wave, and have a heat rash on right side of the neck. New owner, Brad, couldn't care less. He showed up in few hours, looking angry. What kind of business it he running? read more

What a great place for dance lessons! The atmosphere is very casual and non-pretentious, the instructors are friendly, funny and go out of their way to make you feel comfortable. I took my first class here, introduction to club dancing, and will be back for sure for other classes. What I love is that they don't make you feel out of place if you have never had any previous dance instruction and are not particularly talented. They focus on the moves and make it fun. The group classes are a bargain, and you get enough individual attention to really feel yourself progress. Love this place! read more

My husband and I took several "first dance" lessons with Ron prior to our wedding and thoroughly enjoyed every minute. Ron was a patient, helpful and wonderful teacher and made us both extremely comfortable on the dance floor. We sincerely looked forward to each lesson and it certainly paid off on the big day. I highly recommend the Dance Center Chicago and Ron to anyone who is looking to take lessons prior to their wedding. You won't regret it. read more

I came in recently to find out about group classes. I talked to a guy at the front desk who I think said his name was Daniel. He seemed distracted and it wasnt really busy. I walked around to check the place out and learned multiple companies work out of one space which was interesting. I walked back to ask him a question and I was standing at the side of the desk and noticed he was looking at porn. I couldnt imagine giving my money to a company whose from reception person is short with clientele because he is looking at something not appropriate or work related. If I was his boss he would have been gone a long time ago. At that point I just walked away and decided to go somewhere else for classes. read more

Thank you SO MUCH MARI!!!! After reading all of the reviews here, there was no doubt in my mind that going to Dance Center Chicago would be a great experience for my fiance and I. We took private lessons (I believe we took 6 lessons total) with Mari once a week before our wedding and are so happy that we did. Mari taught us so much--and in such a patient, gentle way! She is a super dance teacher. And while we aren't quite Fred Astaire and Ginger (yet!), we had a wonderful time dancing together, with confidence, at our wedding. This place is really neat and we really liked Mari. We both recommend her, and the whole 'dance lesson' thing, very highly. She gave us the tools to make something that is at least a little scary into something fun and manageable. We will have great memories of our wedding, and of the dance lessons that we took with Mari, for the rest of our lives. Thank you Mari and Dance Center Chicago!!! read more

I have been taking country line dance & partner dance with Pat for several months now. I love the casual atmosphere of the studio, but finding parking can be a bit challenging. Pat is fun to learn from and takes the class at a pace that allows you to pick up quite a lot each session. 1/2 of my current classmates all started in the same first session as me, and we are all still having a lot of fun. Dependent on the ratio of men to women in class we focus more on couples' dances or line dances, and have covered a good mix of both so far! read more

My fiance and I took five dance lessons before our wedding. We took most of our lessons with Jon. We can't say enough good things. We looked smooth and confident on the floor but didn't have to worry about remembering choreography. Jon taught us several different moves and how to dance together instead of just one choreographed routine. This way we can dance to lots of different things instead of just our wedding song. Friends and family said we looked amazing and that we're ready for dancing with the stars. We're not sure we're quite that good yet but are in deep gratitude for Jon's help. Couldn't have done it without him. read more

My fiance and I took two 60-minute private lessons with Ron to prepare for our first dance at our wedding. Ron was terrific. He is experienced, a skilled teacher, and very pleasant to work with. In two hours, he managed to teach us how to foxtrot around the dance floor, spin, and do a polished entrance and conclusion to our dance. Despite having no experience, and with only a couple short practice sessions on our own, we managed to pull off a terrific first dance at our wedding. We fooled our guests into thinking we actually know how to dance! I definitely recommend Ron if you're in the market for a dance instructor. read more