I came here for a salsa night which included an option of 3 classes, Bachata, Salsa on 1, or Salsa on 2. I'm only familiar with Salsa on 1, so I got out of my comfort level and tried on 2. It felt soooooo weird, but I'm glad I tried!! Then they opened the floor for social dancing and it got surprisingly crowded. This is a very safe environment. Security checks your bag. I came solo and felt perfectly fine. Many people were solo, guys and female. So, it's a cool vibe. Of course there were couples and groups of people that came together. But in the dance community, it's fine to go solo. People are respectful and really respect dancing. I will say, this is the sort of environment where people are taking classes and coming here to practice, along with plenty of instructors dancing. So there's a lot of flair and showmanship. I was thinking, am I at Dancing With The Stars or what, lol!! Lot's and lot's of turns and endless turn patterns. Less musicality. That's what makes it not my style so much, but a lot of fun for others. The classes were about 1 hour each, organized, and gave you a taste of the different styles. The instructors told everyone where they teach so you could take more classes. As with anyplace, some leads are fantastic and easy to follow, and other leads are still learning and practicing how to lead, so it can be bumpy dancing with them. Especially if its a first time dancing together. Other leads were really smooth and easy and fun to follow. There's a full bar selling beer, wine, and mixed drinks. If you bring a water bottle, it must be empty and they will fill it with water for you. Or you can purchase bottled water. I had a pretty good time and danced several songs and learned Salsa on 2. So it was a solid experience for me. Highly recommend. read more

Hollywood Ballroom Dance Center - Bachata lesson - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

Checked this place out because a friend was telling us how the first Friday of the month has free Western swing dance lessons. I was so impressed, they had a great turn out and the instructors did a great job teaching the basics, but have classes for all different levels! Definitely will be back to try all their classes. They also have salsa, jazzercise, ballroom, etc too. Make sure to bring cash if you want to come, usually they do not take credit cards. Also they have a bar also only takes cash and usually provides snacks and drinks. read more

Hollywood Ballroom Dance Center - Swing class - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

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This place is awesome. Read the directions carefully for how to find it. It's an easy drive but finding the entrance is not easy right now, due to construction. I came for the Friday night West Coast Swing lessons and it was so much fun. It was a huge group of people, but it's a huge space. The instructors were fantastic. They have a good system too--beginner lesson at 7:30. Intermediate lesson at 8:15. What's nice is that at that time, beginners move into a different space for a practice session with the instructors. At 9 pm the social dancing starts. There are tables in the back and food/drink. The people who come here are really friendly. I will definitely be back, even though it's a 40 minute drive for me. read more

Out of all the vendors we had for our wedding, this was the one my husband and I now call the diamond in the rough. It was by accident that we found this venue and even though the outside building may not look like much, the ballroom inside was beautiful! The staff there made everything run so smoothly for us and the coordinator Claire was a dream! She answered every email promptly with all the information we needed and was so patient with our never ending questions and requests. She was so caring and made sure we were taken care of! The ballroom on the day of the wedding looked AMAZING!!! It was better than anything we could have imagined with the lights and the tulle curtains and shining wood floors. The area was perfect for our ~400 guests and there was no issue with space. It was truly a blessing that we stumbled upon this place and I hope that more people come here to have their wedding receptions! Thank you Hollywood Ballroom!! read more

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I had a horrible experience at this place. I came there to a social dancing event wearing a clear plastic shield for my face covering (because I prefer not to hide my face when I'm social dancing). This face shield covered my nose and mouth, so it met Montgomery County's indoor face covering requirement. But the person who appeared to be the manager there told me I had to wear an N95 and tried to give me some other mask to wear. I found this to be extremely demeaning and walked out. This is no way to treat your customers. What makes this so ridiculous is that the ballroom already requires everyone to show proof of vaccination (which I also did prior to being told I couldn't wear the face shield). And both Montgomery County and the state of Maryland have very high vaccination rates and low-and-falling covid case numbers. Montgomery County, in fact, is set to allow its mask mandate to expire in 8 days (February 21st). And this ballroom manager guy was acting like it's still early 2021, when nobody was vaccinated. People need to boycott this place until they get with the times on this mask BS. read more

Great place to go salsa/bachata dancing in the DMV. +'s: +Many solid DMV area instructors give 2 classes (1 salsa, 1 bachata usually) in the main ballroom before social dancing on Saturday nights that is included for the $15 ticket + Check in with the Mr. Mambo's meet up group to receive $3 off entrance + Large dance space and good floors + Good quality air conditioning to keep you from sweating too much + Lots of parking + Lots of good dancers regularly show up + 2 rooms - 1 bachata, 1 salsa (salsa takes place in main ballroom, much larger space) + Lots of tables to take a seat and rest your feet up for a few minutes + Free water to hydrate after dancing the night away -'s: -Not a super central location, especially for DC residents -bachata room is a bit small and not the main focus of Mr. Mambo's Saturday nights read more

I have been coming to Hollywood Ballroom occasionally since 2014 for couple dancing. I enjoy the Friday night West Coast Swing party (7:30pm - 1am). For a $15 admission, you get refreshments, a beginner's group class, an intermediate group class, and DJ music to dance till the wee hours. The group class teaching is invariably excellent. The Sunday ballroom party (7 - 11:30pm) is also a great deal of fun. The last few times I was there, the $16 admission got me snacks (but no drinks -- drinks including wine and beer could be purchased from the bar), a group class, and DJ music to dance till 11:30pm. The group class teaching is rotated among several instructors, some I liked more, some a little bit less. The best deal at Hollywood is the Thursday Tea Dance (12:30 - 3:30pm) where, for a mere $8, you get refresments & DJ music to dance for three straight hours. On holiday mondays, there is usually a holiday tea dance for $10. With a 6,400 square foot floor, Hollywood Ballroom has the largest studio dance floor in the DC metro area. read more

Meeting business obligations while maintaining a loyal clientele can be a challenge. The last thing any business should want to do is drive away those customers who helped to build a brand. Its unfortunate that the new management of The Hollywood Ballroom has stepped out to do just that. The Hollywood Ballroom has changed hands - and with it, changed its name and persona - now a "Dance Center". Now looking more and more like a 'school', no longer will you find social ballroom dancing every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings. Friday's schedule is now aligned to West Coast swing each and every week. Saturday is a mixed bag a combination of live musical acts, specific dance styles(mambo/salsa) and the occasional DJ. Wednesday and Sunday you will find ballroom now from 8 - 11:30 with a lesson in the preceding hour. Of the two DJ's, Robert is by far superior. He has a vast collection of music and knows how to keep the room moving. Gary is not as quick to turn the tunes, and time lags between his setups, cutting into your now minimized/overall dance time. Unfortunately, Robert has the fewest bookings per month - you will find him here the 2nd Sunday of every month. As for clientele, its also a different mix. International Dancers have little awareness or care for line of dance, and as such dance where they please. Beginners and those who don't move as well should take center of the floor, but don't so they become unwitting obstacles. It would seem that The Line of Dance is not a concept that this vast array of coaches teach in their sessions (but should). That goes the same for dance floor etiquette. Asking politely for a dance, apologizing for running into someone are not challenging social skill and can be easily remembered as common courtesies. If all these changes weren't enough, the door price is now $16. read more

The Hollywood Ballroom is a wonderful local venue to dance the night away or learn classy, classic ballroom dancing. You can't beat the huge, floating maple floor for dancing, and the snack bar offers a compelling selection of alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, as well as some substantial hot food. In addition to being a wonderful dance floor, the ballroom has enormous added value as an event space. We held our wedding at the ballroom this October - 200 people, 10 hours, a live band, and lots of dancing. The ballroom worked with us on every aspect related to their space (decor, music, caterer, alcohol) and was friendly, accommodating, and affordable. I highly recommend the Hollywood ballroom for weekly social ballroom dancing and all your event rental needs. read more

Staff charge too much for socials. Give an incentive for skipping the lesson, don't charge the same whether someone goes to the lesson or not. Clarify on your website that student is undergraduate, if you will not include graduate students with a valid ID. Cash only? Where are the proceeds going? They should accept charge or check, so that it is documented what the money is used towards. read more

I found my thrill!. In the middle of Bobbie's Hollywood Ballroom. Yes. I did. If you're following me on twitter, you already read one that said "...everyday I'm hustlin'..." Not the back alley, strange packets changing hands in the murky shadows of a half busted streetlight, either. The "DO THE HUSTLE...[insert whistles here]" type. Yeah baybee.... I was hustling. On the largest floating hardwood dancefloor this side of the Potomac. This place is a-mazing. Plenty of classes; mostly $12 per class. You can purchase a bag of chips and a $7.00 glass of jug wine from Bobbie herself at the snack bar. AAAAAND in the back, there are all kinds of glittery, padded, suede bottom dance shoes to indulge your every dream of competing on DWTS. I'm a huge fan of Bobbie's Hollywood Ballroom. read more

I come here for Mr Mambo's (salsa and bachata dancing) on 2nd and 4th Saturdays, and the ballroom is huge! It's nice that it is so spacious, but makes the social dancing look like it's kinda empty even with over 100 dancers. The floor is nice and the 'regular' salsa instructors are cool. Definitely a place for the real salseros in the DMV to come on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays. read more

I recently returned to Hollywood Ballroom after an absence of several years. It has definitely changed, and not for the better. The Friday night singles-themed dances I attended for a number of years are a thing of the past; a West Coast Swing group has taken over the ballroom on Friday nights. Social ballroom is now limited to Sunday nights, and after attending several Sunday dances I noticed only a few familiar faces from the Friday dances. Evidently the changes cost the ballroom a lot of their former patrons. The Sunday dances I attended were dominated by couples, so you're out of luck if you come by yourself and all the familiar dancers are already out on the floor or otherwise occupied. I don't attend dances to sit more often than I dance..The current DJ's and dance instructors aren't as good as longtime Friday night DJ and instructor Steve Ferrara, apparently no longer associated with the ballroom. Were there any positives? Yes, a few. One of the partners, Richard Zierdt, and his wife Dawn are friendly and accessible. (I wish the same could be said for the other partners, Ron and Amy Wagaman.) The snack bar's selections have improved under the new ownership. The men's room was clean as always. What could the new owners do to make some improvements? First, they need to reach out to the customers they've lost and find some way to bring them back. Perhaps the West Coast Swing group could give way to social ballroom at least one Friday evening a month. A lot of the newcomers are a lot less friendly than the past clientele; that needs to change. Bringing back Steve Ferrara would also help. read more

Dancing at its best. The Hollywood Ballroom team are talented, professional, and fun! I had such a great time at Hollywood Ballroom, and look forward to going back over and over again. If your looking for a great place to dance it all out, I strongly recommend looking this place up! read more