I highly recommend lessons, whether it is for preparing for an event, wanting to pick back up what…read moreyou did as a kid, or wanting to try something new. Ann is an incredible teacher and got me dancing in the first lesson, whereas I spent my whole life thinking I couldn't dance. She has worked with several of my friends, as well, and got them ready for their wedding and other events. She breaks things down so they seem very simple. Her humor and positivity make learning fun. She has taught me bachata, merengue, cha cha, rumba, swing, and waltz so far, and we're still going! And a friend of mine and I also started doing tap and ballet with her. When working with disabilities, she is flexible and creative in her explanations and the way she makes dancing possible.

Ann is amazing! My wife and I started taking lessons with her ahead of our wedding, and are still…read moreworking with her over a year later. Not only is she incredibly knowledgeable but she is also an excellent teacher. She is especially good at understanding the common issues that men encounter as the lead. We have been learning swing, rumba, and salsa. Ann is incredibly patient and understanding while also having high standards for us. We have fun at every lesson and look forward to continuing to learn from Ann. Highly recommend!

I have been taking classes here for over 12 years. Sahara has classes from beginner all the way to…read moreadvanced, with wonderful dance companies you can join if you are interested in performing, as well as weekend workshops and special events. Classes are available in person and some are also available online if you're unable to travel to the studio. The teachers are very knowledgeable about Middle Eastern dance, with a focus on Egyptian raqs sharqi, as well as Lebanese dance, and American fusion styles. Students of all ages, body types, with or without prior dance experience are welcome. This is a very supportive community and I have made many friends here! Highly recommend!

I've been a student here for about five years now. The Sahara Dance community is so inclusive,…read moresupportive, and joyful! I've made lifelong friends here from all walks of life. All (and I mean ALL backgrounds, body types, gender identities, even disabled dancers like myself are accommodated here) are welcome to join and learn not only bellydance technique and choreography, but also important cultural context, music, and even occasional other styles of dance here--not just Egyptian raqs sharqi but other North African/Central Asian styles, Latin fusion, even Bollywood style! There are classes available in person, online, and hybrid for all levels from "never moved my hips in my life" all the way to budding professional dancer, and every teacher I've had over the years has demonstrated their expertise and knowledge, and been very attentive to each student every week, giving individual feedback and getting to know us and our unique styles--even the ones joining in over Zoom. There are endless performance opportunities for all levels as well, from large-scale productions like the annual Under a Desert Moon show to smaller haflas held in the studio, as well as chances to perform at community events in the DC area such as Tenley Art All Night and other cultural festivals. If you've ever been even a little bit interested in bellydance, come check it out!

Signed my daughter up for summer camp here with a few friends and not only did the kids (6) want to…read morecome back for more, I think even the parents were interested in giving break dancing a try. The instructors were patient, encouraging, and provided instruction on a variety of moves. Classes ended with students able to show their stuff, building confidence, and getting feedback and positive reinforcement. It looks like a lot of fun and great exercise!

My nephew is a passionate, energetic, competitive, HIGHLY intelligent (you know, that kind of kid…read morethat asks you huge existential/meaning of life questions while waiting in line at the drugstore) kiddo. The Lab has become his second home. I am SO SO thankful that he has found this community and art form. Breaking provides him with a creative outlet to be both competitive, and an expressive individual while maintaining an over all positive and supportive team outlook. He is no longer crushed by 'loosing'. He appreciates the skills of others and the teachers and older students both support and challenge him. His confidence, humility, physical strength, focus, patience, and empathy have grown enormously. As he is obsessed with break dancing he now has ways of connecting and learning about many other related topics. He has traveled to new cities to watch break dancing, he asks his uncle (my husband - a music producer) about the musical and cultural history of break beats. I also love that The Lab has exposed my nephew to teachers and mentors who externally are different from him (and our immediate family). He is meeting and learning from people of different ages, gender identies, races, creeds etc. Having a diversity of role models and teachers in your formative years is so important! Please keep doing what your doing 'The Lab'! Sincerely, A very appreciative Aunt P.S. It should be noted that The Lab has 29 "unrecommened" Yelp reviews, and they are ALL 5 starts.

Literally the best dance studio ever. The studio has a main large room when you first walk into the…read morespace as well as a smaller room. This allows for different classes to occur at the same time. There are different packages that you can sign up for in terms of how many private classes you want to take. By being a student of the studio, you are also able to participate in group classes as well (generally there are 3 Newcomers or Pre-Bronze group dance classes a week, great for beginners). The instructors are absolutely phenomenal. They are knowledgeable, extremely friendly and supportive, and constantly encourage us and themselves to improve our dance skills. In fact, they engage in continuing education by going to dance competitions and learning from others as well. At this studio, you'll rotate dance instructors which is great so that you get experience with different dance styles and tips from different people. My husband and I started dance class as a way to prepare for our first dance at our wedding. We had never properly danced before and our bodies just don't "go with the flow." But...the instructors helped us get more comfortable with dancing and now it's become a shared hobby of ours! After the wedding, we decided to continue going to dance class to continue skill building in a supportive environment that pushes us out of our comfort zones. We've learned all sorts of dance styles - club swing, single swing, triple swing, foxtrot, waltz, merengue, bachata, rumba, salsa, tango, cha cha, and tons more. We can't wait to see our dance journey continue to evolve!

My husband and I were looking for something to do together and I think we found it!…read more This location seems a bit bizarre because it is in a professional building but I think it works. They have a ton of space for dancing which is really all you really need to worry about. We went for a free introductory session where we learned the basics of the foxtrot, waltz, and foxy in about 45 minutes and we had one on one treatment with an instructor. They will talk to you after the session to try to get you to sign up but they did not pressure us and they give an introductory discount which I think is reasonable. Once you sign up for one on one sessions, you are also able to take group sessions and parties which is a pretty good deal! The staff was super helpful and so hospitable. Overall a great experience as we are looking forward to making this part of our weekly date nights!

Michelle Reyes' salsa classes were recommended to me by a friend who raved about her instruction…read moreand how much his salsa skills had improved. I had always wanted to garner some skills, and had taken a boring class elsewhere a decade prior that really did nothing for me. Certainly didn't give me the will to continue and I'm sure that's why I didn't. Going on my friend's advice, I finally took the initiative and signed up for one of her classes - Salsa I. One thing that stood out to me was that you start learning from CLASS ONE. Think you are gonna spend six weeks learning the basic and one turn like many of the classes around here? Think again. I admittedly have not looked at the syllabus since I started, but a syllabus should tell you something right there. Another thing I will say about Michelle is she is kind of strict, but friendly strict, and all the students I have spoken with agree that they like that because they feel she really cares about the instruction and your form. I don't feel a lot of teachers in this area are like that. Also there are a lot of free classes advertised at bars throughout the area, and that's fine for maybe learning the basic, but if you want to really learn you need to sign up for a structured class like the ones offered through Salsa DMV. I've also met people through class. Last night, as a classmate and I watched one couple dance at the Barking Dog Salsa Tuesdays, he discreetly shook his head and whispers to me "he's pulling her... Michelle wouldn't like that" I will be sticking w/ Salsa DMV!

This place is amazing! everyone is so nice and they offer great dance classes.read more

First review! This place is awesome and everyone should enroll themselves and their children!…read moreAmazing from ages 18 months to 80 years!

We had private lessons at Dance Factory for our first dance and it was a great experience! They…read morechoreographed the dance in a way that catered to our limited dance experience but still made the dance impressive and engaging for our wedding guests, including choreographing a Bollywood inspired section! The best part of their method is they teach you the fundamentals of dance so you feel confident enough to freestyle a bit if you miss a move. Overall we had a great experience at Dance Factory and it was one of the highlights of our wedding prep!

We took five dance lessons with Michael for our wedding and we had a wonderful experience. Michael…read morewas very accommodating with our work schedules and paced our lessons so we felt well prepared on our wedding day. He was a patient, observant, and friendly instructor who we highly recommend. We appreciated the outreach right before our wedding and receiving helpful tips even after we completed our lessons. We also found the Dance Factory's package to be a great value and appreciated that they cared about us enjoying our first dance and practicing for it too.

Wonderful place. My daughter has taken classes at Metropolitan in 2 different stints. This year…read morehas been great! The director here is very knowledgeable , easy to deal with, and ALWAYS puts her safety first. Super close to my house so easy to do a drop off and come back, but when I stay in the building it's super clean and comfortable. All the support staff are very pleasant to deal with as well. Thanks!