My fiancé and I really enjoyed our classes here. We signed up for the 4 week beginner salsa class. Alex, the building owner and lead instructor, and his co-instructor (whose name is somehow escaping me) were the nicest and most welcoming people. The progress we made in just 4 lessons was truly amazing. My fiancé did NOT like dancing nor the idea of dance classes (especially salsa) before we signed up but even he enjoyed it and was happy we did it. The studio was also very understanding and accommodating when we had to postpone our final dance class several weeks due to some personal circumstances. The prices are extremely reasonable. If you are looking for a good beginner dance class before your wedding, would highly recommend. Street parking in the area can be hit or miss but we never had to drive around the block more than a few times to find a spot nearby. read more

Our experience with Alex at Dance Connection was amazing! We took lessons with Alex for our wedding's first dance, and we are so happy we did. We attended six classes over eight weeks or so, which for us, worked out great. My dance skills are limited at best, but Alex put us at ease right away - he asked about the song we chose, our experience, and anything specific we had in mind for the dance. We deferred to the expert, and he choreographed a beautiful dance for us. He also gave us opportunities to provide feedback or revisit parts of the dance. It really made us feel comfortable and excited about the finished product leading up to our wedding - the peace of mind was invaluable. Alex is a patient, kind and understanding teacher. Highly recommend. My wife and I will definitely be back. Thank you, Alex! read more

Wow! Alex at Dance Connection Chicago was incredible. In 3 private lessons, he taught me and my soon to be wife a wonderful and exciting first dance that we managed to pull off at the reception. He was flexible with times and fit our busy schedule since we made this decision 1 week before the wedding. We had so much fun during the process that we plan to return once a year or so as a fun activity. Highly recommend this! read more

Alex is an excellent dance teacher! He is beyond knowledgeable and understands how to teach people. We enjoyed our classes and learned much more than we expected. Highly recommend Alex and his lovely studio! read more

After my friend Adam and his wife Jen left the dance floor at their wedding in 2006, everyone's jaw was on the floor. They had completed an exquisite dance full of grace and style. I asked them later how they did it, and they told me they used Dance Connections! When my friends Tim and Anne were wedding planning in 2009, I suggested they look into contacting Dance Connections. They did so, and used Alex for their dance planning. Once again, their dance was the perfect way to start out the wedding reception. About 2.5 months before our wedding this year, Cari and I contacted Dance Connections, and met with Alex to talk about our wedding dance. We were nervous and hadn't done any formal dancing together. After our first session with Alex, we were suddenly excited about our first dance, and had a good idea how the dance would go! We purchased 5 private dance lessons, and they were well worth it. Alex helped us develop the perfect dance for us. Our song was not a traditional choice, so he developed a dance that alternated between the foxtrot and a swing during different parts of the song. We ended with a great dip at the end. Alex is extremely patient, and has a great eye to find anything that needs correction. We had a great time doing it every Wednesday night, and it was a great date night leading up to the wedding. I have recommended two more people this year to Alex, and everyone agrees it is well worth it! read more

Absolutely love this place!!!! Alex, the owner, is one of my favorite people on this planet to be honest. He's so kind to everyone and such a fun spirit. He treats all the dancers that come in like family and is very accommodating to everyone's needs. My dance group uses the space (we've been going in since summer 2013 I think), and I have also seen the ballroom classes Alex offers, and everyone always has a good time. The studio has two floors, the rooms are not huge so if you have a really big class/group it may not be ideal for you, but the upstairs first room is pretty big. There are fans and a secure door as well as bathrooms and water provided for all the patrons. You do have to find street parking as the lot next to the studio belongs to the nearby cafe. It's worth it for how reasonably priced the rentals are though. read more

My friends and I are taking regular dance instruction from Alex Aldape. He's the best dance instructor we've ever had . He gives instructions so clearly in a very encouraging way. Learning to dance under Alex is a real treat. Yay, Dance Connection! Highly recommended! read more

I have been coming to this dance studio for about 6 months now for lessons with OnSean and classes have been great! OnSean is a great salsa instructor and his classes are super fun. The studio itself works out with our needs and there are about 4 or 5 rooms depending on the number of students in class (or what is available). My only complaint about this studio is that they do not have a good audio system that instructors can just plug their phone or audio and play it in the studio. OnSean or another student have been bringing their own speaker to class so we have good sound to practice with. I will keep coming to this studio as long as OnSean is teaching here for sure! Oh, and this studio is conveniently located next to a 90 miles Cuban Cafe so I always grab my coffee before class! :D read more

My husband and I went here for a private salsa lesson and Alex was amazing! His customer service is perfection! He's very patient, personable and extremely welcoming! My husband and I both felt very comfortable working with him and we would most definitely return. I contacted many dance studios around Chicago and I receive the best follow-up with him, and I'm extremely happy that we selected his dance studio. We took away a lot of information about salsa dancing and we hope to return very soon! read more

I love Dance Connection! The studio itself has a great vibe to it. Perfect for dancing. I take hiphop classes there every Saturday from 'the jigguRs' at 1pm. They are awesome hiphop dancers and I am really excited to improve my dancing skills. Alex the owner he teaches Salsa too. I've seen him teaching and it looks really fun. Can't wait to start Salsa with him. Alex is really nice and patient from what I can see. I highly recomment this studio to ANYONE who wants to learn to dance. read more

It's a good dancing space with free water. I can't say much for the actual classes offered her as I've never taken them, but as a place to dance and get down, I like it a lot. Pros: - Filtered water machine. - Main studio has a good amount of space - Friendly, welcoming feel. - Nice wood floors (as opposed to matlay) YMMV - Less mirror space (Room is rectangular and mirrors are on the shorter side) Cons: - Built in speaker system isn't great. (We end up bringing our own to session) - Small bathrooms read more

We took private lessons with Alex to get ready for our first dance at our wedding and he made us look wonderful! He taught us the foxtrot in 5 lessons, and even let us bring our bridal party in to teach them all the rumba in ONE hour! Absolutely a fantastic teacher, and a really amazing value for the amount of time and what we got out of it. We will definitely be going back for group lessons now that our wedding is over, especially since we got so many compliments!! Thank you thank you thank you, Alex!!! read more

This dance studio is perfect for someone interested in ballroom/latin dance. There are several group classes offered throughout the week for a variety of dancing styles and levels. Private classes are also a possibility. Last year I booked a trip to Brazil and I was interested in learning how to Samba. They didn't offer a Samba class at the time so I got a group together for private classes. The group classes cost $14 per person and the private lessons are a minimum of $56 so with 4 people or more the cost is the same. Alex, the owner, taught our private lessons. Alex is a very talented and patient man. He takes the time to break down all of the moves and make sure everyone feels comfortable enough to move on. We had a really good time and I was able to use my Samba skills on my trip. It has now been a year since I took the private Samba lessons. My co-workers and I decided to start taking the beginner Samba class on Wednesday nights. I went back tonight and Alex remembered me and asked me how my trip was! He also gave us all a discount for me bringing in friends/referrals :) The only thing I'm upset about is that I didn't start taking lessons sooner. read more

My crew (Chicago tribe & So Swift ) have been coming here for years. I love this studio and the amount of space provided . I work with Alex (the manager) who is very pleasant, and easy to work with. I highly recommend this place for all anyone looking to practice or hold workshops/ class. I have also thrown parties here and Alex has been very accommodating for my needs. I will continue to use this place for a very long time. They have the best prices in the city! read more

HOLISTIC HULA HOOP: This is a fabulous & exciting dance/exercise class--with a weighted hula hoop!!! Denise, the instructor, teaches different Swing/Lindy/Balboa/Tap dance-inspired steps to 1940's music. Challenging and fun!! Highly recommended for exploration, experience and excitement!!! read more

Dance Connection! Amazing studio to learn unique styles of dancing! Alex is a great guy and knows how to teach properly.

Whether you have yet to start covering the basics or you have been dancing for years, you will be hard pressed to find a better place to learn Latin and Ballroom dancing than at Dance Connection. When I started taking weekly salsa classes at Dance Connection a year ago I had absolutely no prior dancing experience. Now as I look back I am amazed at how many combinations I have learned since then - Florence 2, Flamenco Complicado, Bernard, El Yoyo, etc and I hope to keep on learning more challenging ones. None of this would be possible without the patience and discipline of my dance instructors Alex Aldapo and his assistant Michelle. Alex is the owner of Dance Connection and has been teaching Latin and Ballroom dancing for over 20 years. He has a boundless enthusiasm for teaching and I have never seen him lose his patience with a student. So if you are looking to pick up a move or two, then be sure to check out Dance Connection! read more

My husband and I went to different dance schools searching for help for our first wedding dance. As soon as we walked in and met Alex, we both felt very comfortable. Alex worked within our capabilities and was very encouraging. And on our wedding night, everyone was impressed. we were so happy with our dance and we had so much fun putting it all together, with Alex's help. Definitely the place to go for lessons and the prices are very reasonable. We highly recommend Dance Connection. read more

Great location!!! Alex is great to work with. Easy to schedule events and great space to practice. Reasonable prices too!

Hōkūlea Academy of Polynesian Arts has called Dance Connection our home for 5 years now. We could not have a better relationship with the studio owner Alex. He is always very flexible with sudden time or room changes and is always willing to work out our needs regarding studio space depending on our class sizes. The studios are clean and well maintained with several events planned to enjoy throughout the year. Alex has given us the opportunity to start our own dance academy and we have been blessed to have Dance Connection as a local, reliable studio where we hold our classes. read more

I made an agreement with the studio owner to rent space on a weekly basis for three months, which he confirmed. Halfway through our agreement, he changed emailed me saying that I was going to be switched to the other studio which was less than half the size for the same price, even though I responded to his email saying my group could not rehearsal in such a small space. He did not offer any compensation for this inconvenience. I worked at an arts non profit studio as their Space Coordinator for three years, and that is not how a legitimate arts organization operates. Be weary of renting this space. read more

Alex, the owner and lead instructor, did an excellent job creating a beautiful dance for our wedding day. He was patient, creative, and fun. The steps were easy to follow and our dance was an absolute hit at our wedding. I would seriously consider returning just for fun. We had a blast! Thanks Alex! read more

My husband and I took dance lessons from Alex in preparation for our wedding. He was extremely patient with two beginner-level dancers, and took us from the point of almost zero knowledge to getting multitple compliments about our dancing abilities at our wedding in just six hour-long lessons. He made suggestions and corrections which were easily understandable. He made the lessons feel fun and comfortable. The lessons were also reasonably priced. We would both highly recommend Dance Connection and Alex! We would work with him again without hesitation. read more

The owner Mr. Alejandro must have such a great business that he does not think he should respect his customers. I came to my dance team training today and didn't see anyone from the ice frosted tiny window by the door. I pressed the bell but wasn't sure if it was functional as I didn't hear anything. Alejandro and my instructor came open to door after a moment. Alejandro started to yell at me blaming me for pressing the doorbell for too long and not using the code. I told him that I never had a code and I'd only been here several times and every time there happened to be someone by the door to let me in. I did use the door bell a couple of times and no one came to the door, so I assumed it's not working well. But this answer did not satisfy him. He kept yelling at me even though I told him I got what he was saying and I would use the code if he'd give it to me. He became increasingly angry and used the F words! I hardly said anything as he kept yelling at me and blocked me from going to my class. He said "Do you know who I am? I'm the owner of the entire fucking building! I don't want you be here! I'm going to call the police! Who are you? Who is this woman?"... He examined me from head to toe and told the instructor "I don't care. Who is this woman? I don't care wherever you have your class! This is my fucking building!" Dance Connection? You certainly lost my connection. You are so rude to your customer and inconsiderate to the wonderful instructors. read more

My fiancé and I are currently in dance lessons with Alex for our upcoming wedding. We signed up for the 6 lesson package and, after the first lesson we walked away with some basic steps and a framework for our first dance. We just finished our 4th lesson and feel much more comfortable, confident, and relaxed as dancers together! Alex is patient and gives us easy ways to remember the steps and beat for our music. We are looking forward to our last 2 lessons and know our hard work (and Alex's guidance!) will shine through on our big day. read more

My dance group has been renting studio space here for a few years and even held a couple of dance competitions as well. Alex is a great owner to work with and the hours are flexible. The street parking is pretty good too. I highly recommend Dance Connection to everyone. read more

I have absolutely loved studying with Alex at this studio. He and the rest of the students are so supportive and friendly. Alex is extremely patient and really has such a comprehensive understanding of dance curriculum, choreography and style, but he has a very down-to-earth and unpretentious way of teaching. As I continue to take both private and group lessons, I love Dance Connection more and more. read more

Alex at Dance Connection is an AMAZING teacher. We went to him hoping to get help "getting through" the first dance for our wedding. It was a hectic time getting ready for the wedding and we weren't sure it was that important to make the time to squeeze in the lessons. Taking dance lessons at Dance Connection was such a great decision. Alex is simply amazing to work with. He is not just patient, but supportive and encouraging. He breaks things down into easily digestible segments and has an instinct for how much we could absorb at a time. What surprised us most was how lovely it all was ... it was an incredibly relaxing, fun and grounding experience. In the hectic time before the wedding, those hours spent under Alex's spell were some of the most relaxing, connected moments we had. It was so much fun to delight our guests by floating around the dance floor -- instead of the "stand and sway" they were expecting. And, it really increased our joy to be able to feel so relaxed and free at that moment on the dance floor. I would recommend dance lessons with Alex to anyone, for whatever reason. In addition to being a great teacher, Alex has created a light and lovely, grounded space that is a great place to getaway from "everything else" that might be going on. read more