My wife and I were looking for a place to help us out for our first dance. After calling multiple places for so basic information, I had Ken give me a call back that same night and an explain me everything from time frame and what could work with our budget. Fast forward to our first lesson, after showing our first song to Ken and giving him the vision of what we wanted, Ken started brainstorming with a bunch of great ideas. Every lesson we were piecing the choreography and Ken was able to give us some key point to make it look better. My wife and I were looking forward to every single lesson with Ken, he was always eager to greet us, always had the next part of our choreography put together and made it super pleasant to learn. We could always reach out to him regardless the time of the day, and we were so thrilled with the results of planning my wife and I first dance that my wife and I also scheduled a lesson with our dad/ mom for the mother/son and father/ daughter dance and Ken was able to put something together in that one lesson. Overall my wife and I are truly grateful that he was able to work with us and we were absolutely thrilled with the results on our wedding day. Super grateful about everything and definitely recommend Ken to any/everyone. read more

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Ken is absolutely fantastic! He is an amazing choreographer, and helped us come up with a perfect dance that matches our song and desired style for our wedding first dance. He's a blast to work with and is great at teaching you even if you're a beginner. My fiance and I always looked forward to our lessons with Ken, he has such a great energy and made us feel very cared for. read more

My partner and I feel so lucky to have found such a talented waltz instructor at this studio! Dimitriy is an amazing instructor in addition to being an award winning competitive dancer himself. His enthusiasm for dance can be seen in every session! We are very inexperienced in dance, and it could be easy to feel intimidated, but Dimitriy is encouraging and makes the technical steps feel fun and approachable. He communicates movement and form clearly, always giving helpful corrections in a supportive way. One thing that really impressed us is his ability to both lead and follow--he switches roles effortlessly to help each partner understand their part, and it makes a world of difference in our confidence. Knowing he's a competitive dancer just adds to how impressive he is. Truly a fantastic teacher and an asset to the studio. read more

We took first dance lessons with Ken at Starlite Ballroom for our wedding and had a really great experience. We were total beginners, but Ken made us feel comfortable right away and created choreography that felt natural and tailored to us. He broke everything down in a way that was easy to learn and really helped build our confidence. After five lessons, we went from not knowing what to do at all to feeling excited and confident about our first dance. The lessons also ended up being such a nice break from wedding planning stress. It honestly felt like a fun date night each week and helped us enjoy the process more. Highly recommend Ken and Starlite Ballroom, especially if you're new to dancing. Thank you Ken for helping our first dance go so well! read more

Tommy is the BEST dance teacher/ choreographer. He's talented, fun and genuinely wants you to do a great job and enjoy dancing. Tommy choreographed a swing dance for our wedding. At the first meeting, he saw what we could do, at the first lesson, he had choreographed our wedding swing dance that we could learn. At the end of every lesson, he recorded us doing what we learned, so we could practice at ho Our wedding is October 4, 2025. Tommy if you are reading this, we are practicing EVERY day, we are communicating and have stopped making faces when we mess up, we are adding style, and I actually have the final turn down! We fondly remember you when you would correct us by saying" What are you doing?" "Where are you going?" " OMG guys, I almost died!" You also had constructive criticism that helped us be our best. We miss you Tommy, and will go out on that dance floor to make you proud. Your loyal fans- Debbie & Dan read more

Starlite Ballroom - Dance Schools Near Me - San Jose, California

My reasons why I dance at the Starlite Ballroom as often as I can: It is a large, beautiful ballroom with a very nice dance floor; the atmosphere, the management and the staff are friendly and welcoming; the group classes and dance parties are very well attended by dancers of all levels, and, therefore, give you opportunities to practice what you learn and meet other people with the same goals in dancing. In my experience, dancers are friendly and supportive of each other, and always accept invitations to dance, no matter what level they are. I have taken lessons with Ken, who has helped me to improve my skills, to look more graceful on the dance floor and to adapt to the skills of other dancers. Ken is a beautiful dancer, a good and patient instructor with a very positive and friendly demeanor. I have thoroughly enjoyed and will continue to enjoy lessons with Ken. read more

Went for the lesson (hustle) and social dance last night (Friday). Lesson was awful, they didn't rotate partners and I ended up with a woman who insisted on back-leading. The most non-diverse group of dancers I've ever encountered too. Won't go back. read more

Ken is a great teacher and makes each lesson fun and enjoyable, even when he's struggling against my singular lack of ability. We took up dance lessons this Jan and - despite my efforts - have made real progress. We love the idea of one day being able to dance, and we're seeing real progress - but the real reason we're still coming is because Ken makes each week's lesson a spontaneous and engaging break from the everyday routine. read more

At the time fiance and now wife and I took lessons from Ken after seeing the good reviews from Yelp. Wow, what an amazing experience. We both were relatively inexperienced dancers but he held our hands thru the whole process and made it fun and unstressful. He was super flexible with our requests and accomodated us extremely well. I definitely recommend Ken. As for the starlite ballroom, its a medium sized space. There can be multiple lessons happening at the same time so just dont be surprised if there are other people dancing. At most there were 2 other lessons and the other instructors are extremely respectful of music so whoever needs it most gets it on the big speakers while others use smaller speakers. Another nice thing is they allow you to practice for 15 min before and after your lesson, although everyone there is extra friendly so if you want to practice more, dont think anyone minds as long as you are respectful of others. Thanks again Ken and Starlite Ballroom for giving us the an unforgettable perfect performance during our wedding. read more

My fiancé and I started taking lessons with Ken in May--we didn't really know what to expect and were just hoping to get some instruction and choreography for our first dance. We received that and so much more from Ken; he is patient, funny, and just an excellent teacher. He helps both of us to understand our bodies, our movements and how to connect with each other on the dance floor. Ken has been especially inspirational and supportive to my fiancé, who had never danced before this. At the same time, he's been able to bring out the dancer in me, even though I haven't danced in nearly 15 years. His ability to cater to both of our skill levels is incredible, and we feel much more confident and excited to showcase our first dance in front of our guests. We hope they'll be amazed! Our lessons have quickly become one of our favorite weekend activities, giving us an opportunity to move together and strengthen our connection in a really fun way. Ken's endless creativity and attentiveness to our comfort and abilities make him the perfect instructor for couples and beginners alike. We highly recommend him to anyone looking to add joy, connection, and a little bit of magic to their first dance experience! read more

My husband and I were on the fence about taking dance lessons for our wedding. It was more than worth it! Tommy, our instructor, choreographed our 4-minute first dance and quickly whipped us up into shape. He offered really clear guidance and feedback, and we could feel ourselves improving week by week. The guests loved our dance, and even aside from the day of, my husband and I enjoyed spending time together each week amidst the craze of wedding planning. Thank you, Tommy! read more

Starlite Ballroom - Dance Schools Near Me - San Jose, California

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My fiancé and I came here for a private lesson. My fiancé has only had one other lesson at a different studio. He doesn't enjoy dancing so he was not really looking forward to the lesson. Ken was our instructor and immediately Ken made my fiancé feel comfortable. He was very methodical in teaching a beginner and also very humorous at the same time. The hour flew by and my fiancé was having fun. He came out of the studio feeling more confident and pleasantly surprised that he has a good time. Ken also allowed us to video the steps and get points so we can practice at home . read more

A very long over due review for our dance instructor Ken and Starlite Ballroom dance studio. My wife now (fiancé at the time) and I decided to take dance lessons for our first dance on our wedding day, we wanted to surprise everyone. We thought we were going to learn a few dance moves and be in our merry ways but after talking with Ken, he reassured us that we are going to be doing a little more than a routine number. We are going to make the crowd go "Awww, how're we going to top that?". Guess what?!? We did it, our first dance was a show stopper!!! Ken is amazing, he's very knowledgeable, his vision/story for our routine from start to finish was a WOW and got some tearing up (the good tears).... We highly recommend Ken and Starlite ballroom. The whole team there are amazing. We plan on taking more dance lessons in the future after planning our honeymoon. Thank you so much Ken! read more

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When my fiance and I were looking for a dance studio to learn a few dance moves for our reception, we turned to Yelp for reviews. When we saw Starlite ballroom, we noticed that Ken was featured in a lot of reviews as an excellent teacher who was responsive and sensitive to a beginner's skills. Our experience with Ken was no exception. Our time with Ken was fun, engaging, and informative. Once he was able to zero in on our abilities, we made lots of progress and had a lot of fun doing so. I would definitely recommend Starlite and Ken, specifically. read more

Very very very special shoutout to dance instructor, Tommy who choreographed our first dance. He catered to our skill level and put together THE MOST beautiful dance to a pretty challenging song. He brought forth our personalities while also showcasing our love! The guests absolutely loved it and I can still hear them hooting and hollering with every beautiful twirl. We will cherish that video forever. Tommy, you are the very best! If we could give you one million stars, we would. -Mary and Zach read more

Starlite Ballroom - Dance Schools Near Me - San Jose, California

With a big social event three months away, my wife and I (active middle-aged couple) wanted to ensure we would have fun on the dance floor and not embarrass ourselves. I called a few large studios in the area for information on group and private lessons. Starlite was the only studio who responded. I spoke with Hiral who carefully listened, clearly understood what we were looking for and suggested we meet with Ken. Ken's passion and energy are quickly apparent. We came with two left feet but he made us feel comfortable in this new environment from the very beginning. He taught us moves and gave us exposure to a few different ballroom dance styles, with the end goal being that we would have fun in a social dancing environment -- not perform to perfection in a competition. His sense of humor was perfect for us, and we laughed as much as we danced. Ken also has an uncanny ability to thoroughly summarize each lesson in a 5 minute video that we took home for practice at the end of each lesson. We enjoyed the lessons so much that soon we were doing double-lesson sessions, asking to learn more and adding more lessons than we originally planned for. We can't recommend Ken enough. He's an outstanding instructor. His passion, patience, personality and pragmatic approach were a perfect fit. Mission accomplished. read more

Ken is the absolute best! He is such a talented dancer, choreographer, and teacher, and such a kind, funny, caring soul. My husband and I prepared our first dance with him and had such a blast that we continued taking dance lessons with him after our wedding. He is brilliant at making creative, highly personalized choreographies and showpieces and is an extremely effective and intuitive teacher. Plus Ken is so much fun to be around! We are lucky to now count him as our dear friend! Also, Starlite is a great ballroom; it's extremely spacious and really smooth and clean floors. We simply cannot recommend Ken and Starlite enough! read more

Ken was a fantastic wedding dance instructor. My partner and I looked forward to every lesson. Ken was fun, attentive, easy to work with, and patient -- he really made sure we looked and felt our best for our big day. We would highly recommend Ken for any other couples! read more

My wife and I came here for help with our first dance. We feel so lucky to have the opportunity to work with Ken as our instructor. Ken helped with everything from song selection, to dance basics, to choreography. His energy and passion proved infectious, and every lesson flew by because we were having so much fun! Although Ken clearly has years and years of experience, we really appreciated how collaborative and open to feedback he was. He worked with us to make sure we genuinely liked all the moves we were doing as part of our routine, and was quick to brainstorm with us when there were certain moves that didn't feel right to us. We ended up with a 3-minute first dance that we loved practicing and had so much fun performing. So many of our guests were surprised, as they weren't expecting a choreographed routine. For me personally, our first dance was my favorite part of the wedding -- and that's a big thanks to Ken! We also brought our parents in to get some quick lessons for the mother-son and father-daughter dance, and Ken was great working with them as well. Overall, we can't recommend Ken enough. We want to come back soon for social dancing as well, since we had such a good time working with him! read more

My New Year got off to a great start at Starlite Ballroom in west San Jose. Ken, an owner, and his Gal Friday...the lovely Mei...hosted a classy and hyper-local party for the west-side of town. It started with an hour dance lesson and continued with a 3 and 1/2 hour Dance Party including appetizers, apple cider toasts and a balloon drop at midnight. DJ Dave (Saturday nights) does a good job of "spinning" the classic ballroom music with a wonderful sound system. The mini-mall location belies the beauty of the studio, including the dance floor and lighting. Each night has its own signature; I like Fridays and Sundays. Check Starlite's website for details. And most important are the people...from my friends at the front door (Nancy, Roberta, and Carmen) to the friendly dancers, it is a welcoming vibe. read more

My wife and I took Starlite's 5-lesson package for our reception first dance, and we are satisfied with the whole experience learning to dance here. First off, the price of class package that studio offered is appealing, and they allow us to use the discounted rate to buy more classes if a package is purchased (although we did not use it). And it turned out the quality of class is not discounted. Ken was our instructor. I have little experience in dancing before, but my wife and I wanted to challenge a 2-minute Viennese Waltz in 1 month's time. Ken not only help us achieve our goal, but also made the learning enjoyable. He was as passionate to our dance as we are, and it set up a good atmosphere for the classes. The choreography he came up was at a sweet point for us, challenging but achievable. His teaching and homework were effective to get us up to speed for our Viennese Waltz. In the last class, we were able to get down to small details, and those final touches brightened up the entire image. Like many others here, I would recommend Starlite and Ken. read more

Great place to dance. I'm only an Intermediate Dancer butt they have great programs for Advanced Dancers. Good place for beginners to learn how to dance. read more

Ken is the instructor for our first dance. He designed the entire flow of the dance with our favorite but untypical song. The dance is so beautiful that lots of our wedding guests told us that it's the best first dance they have ever seen. We are super happy with Ken's work. He is unbelievably passionate and serious about dancing. Strongly recommend! read more

Starlite Ballroom - Dance Schools Near Me - San Jose, California

I wanted to take some lessons to be able to dance with my girlfriend in social situations. I have always felt awkward when trying to dance. I left a message and my call was returned by Ken. He spent quite a bit of time on the phone with me and he really listened and responded to what I was saying. I decided to book a 5 lesson package with him as a birthday present for my girlfriend. We've had four lessons with Ken so far, and they have completely exceeded my expectations. I did not expect to be able to work with such a gifted and passionate teacher for beginner dance lessons. I'm sure he is amazing with advanced students as well, but he showed me that even a tentative beginner who is basically afraid of being on the dance floor can benefit greatly from working with him. The space is clean and comfortable, and Ken is an outstanding teacher. Highly recommended. read more

This is a good place to start with any dance level, we're happy with our wedding dance lessons with Ken, the owner, he is everything we could ask for! We had fun and confident with our first dance on our wedding and our guests love it! Thank you Ken! Cheers! read more

Every single member of the studio is warm, welcoming, and kind. There is a positive atmosphere, and the large well kept facilities also help. But above all else, our instructor Ken is fantastic. Patient, professional, and proficient Ken manages to help the most rhythmically challenged among us achieve great things. While we started lessons for a first wedding dance, Ken's passion and excitement made us fall in love with the art. We now continue thanks to him. read more

We came here looking for some help with our wedding first dance. We wanted to make sure we felt comfortable on the dance floor, and also did something fun and special. We were so lucky to get Ken as our instructor. We came to him with the challenge of choreographing a reggae song and he did amazing. He also took our input and we came up with something great together. Our guests still talk to us about our first dance every time they see us! read more

Tommy was our first dance choreographer and dance instructor. Both my partner and I had minimal dancing experience prior to starting lessons with Tommy, but he made us feel so comfortable and made us look good! We originally purchased the package of 5 lessons, but loved the experience, Tommy, and the choreography so much, we purchased an additional 5 lessons. With the 10 lessons, we were able to fill out our 3.5 minute long first dance song. Our guests loved our first dance as much as we did and inspired the entire wedding (100 people) to dance all night long. I highly recommend Tommy and Starlite Ballroom for your wedding first dance choreography and instructor. read more

Starlite Ballroom - Dance Schools Near Me - San Jose, California

We had Tommy as our instructor for our first dance, he was amazing! We showed him a video from dancing with the stars and he choreographed his own version to fit our skills which turned out even better than the video. Tommy was a very responsible teacher. He was a little strict, took the dance practice seriously to make sure we got all the steps correctly and look elegant but we were still able to have fun and enjoy the class. read more

Starlite Ballroom - Dance Schools Near Me - San Jose, California

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My husband and I came to Starlite Ballroom for dance lessons for our first dance at our wedding. Let me tell you, it was the best decision we've ever made. From the moment we met our instructor Ken, we knew it was going to be an amazing experience. Ken is not only very knowledgeable and gifted as a dancer, he truly understands people. He brought our personalities out in the moves and really understood who we are as a couple. Ken would always describe the dance as metaphor for our relationship and life, and it was like the most therapeutic way of doing couples therapy. Not only did multiple people tell us it was the best first dance they had ever seen, but it strengthened our bond as a couple. Ken inspired us so much we plan to continue on with dance, as it gives a new way to communicate and enjoy each other. Thank you so much Ken, I could not recommend Ken or these lessons more! 100% do it, you will not regret it. read more

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Tommy is an amazing teacher! He choreographed a beautiful first dance for us to a song that's quite untraditional. He made our weekly lessons super fun, lots of laughter for sure. I would recommend him to any couple interested in getting their first dance choreographed. My fiancé really enjoyed the experience and in fact looked forward to our weekly lessons. Thank you so much Tommy! read more

Wow, Starlite Ballroom was incredible and I wish I could give it more than 5 stars! My fiancé and I have our wedding this upcoming weekend and needed some help for our first dance as both of us are not dancers. We had Ken as our instructor and he was absolutely wonderful! He was so knowledgable and patient with us and his ability to choreograph a dance that perfectly fit us as a couple as well as the song was amazing. We are so happy with the dance and can't wait to show it off! We had lots of fun and loved working with Ken so much that we are even looking to come back and take some other classes at the studio. I would 100% recommend this place to anyone looking to do a first dance or just to take some classes for fun! Very enjoyable experience! Thank you so so so so much Ken!! read more

Ken was amazing!! We took dance lessons with him to prepare for our first dance at our wedding. Since neither of us had any dance experience we were nervous but Ken made it so easy and fun! He choreographed a beautiful routine for us that matched our song perfectly! He adjusted the routine to fit our personalities and skill level so we felt really comfortable. We had so much fun at our lessons they started to feel like date night and ended up being a welcomed break from wedding planning! We went into our first dance feeling really comfortable and confident. It was so worth the time and money. I think we will actually continue dancing together as a hobby now.Thanks so much Ken!! You ROCK! read more

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My wife and I took classes with Ken for our first dance at our wedding. Ken is the perfect instructor for both beginner/experienced dancers. He quickly connects with his students and immediately picks up on their weaknesses/strengths and energy; he custom-choreographed an entire routine based on this: great coach/instructor! read more

We signed up for a first dance 5 class package and our instructor was Tommy. We had a lot of fun learning to dance from him and loved the classes, but unfortunately we had mishaps at this dance studio. Firstly, on our initial evaluation I showed Tommy the wedding dress I have, and said that even if I get a different one it will be the same style (ball gown/A-line type), he forgot what dress I showed or I don't really know what happened, but he choreographed the dance keeping in mind completely different style and that came out on the last lesson when I made a comment that no one will see my legs or my steps. Unfortunately, we were not able to dance on our wedding :( Secondly, the receptionist counted our initial evaluation as a lesson, so then we came to 4th lesson instructor thought it's the last one and we basically just practiced the dance, entry and exit while we could have had one more proper choreography class and only the last 5 lesson as a practice (now 2 of 5 lessons were just practice) read more

Come her on a Thursday for do your own swing. West coast swing with Michelle Crozier. Tommy works the front desk, so fierce and fabulous. read more

Starlite is a new dance studio specializing in social and competitive ballroom dancing. The amenities: The flooring is very high quality & feels great to dance on. Seating for waiting guests are located all around the floor. Everything is clean - lockers are available in the restrooms. Group classes for beginners and advanced dancers are available. Private lessons are also available. Social parties will be hosted every Friday and Saturday night. My coach teaches as an independent coach but privates are available through the studio as well. Overall, good service to use as a seasoned ballroom dancer. I'm looking forward to see the studio grow! read more

Starlite Ballroom - Grand opening kickoff party! Tons of dancers of all levels here. - Dance Schools Near Me - San Jose, California

My whole family, husband, myself and two boys go to Starlite for lessons, training and fun every week. They are certainly The Dance Studio to go in South Bay. - My older boy started to take junior / youth group classes on Saturdays two years ago and has been taken weekly private lessons from the world champion coaches here for an year. My boy and his partner improved a lot in the studio and has been competing and winning competitions many times in the past year. My younger boy will sure start taking dance lessons at Starlite soon - My husband and I are both amateur competitive dancers and we both enjoy taking lessons here in Starlite. Very good catches and instructions. read more

My husband and I contacted Starlite Ballroom to learn how to two step and other freestyle moves. We were lucky enough to get Ken as our instructor. He is AMAZING AND SO PATIENT!!!!! If you need to learn how to dance KEN is the best!!!! Thanks so much for everything!!! read more

My husband and I decided to sign up for dance lessons for our first dance. We are incredibly lucky to have met Ken. From our very first lesson with him, he had us doing things we never could have imagined we could do. My husband was not a dancer and loved our lessons! We would come home and practice our dance and it would bring us closer. Even if you're not taking lessons for a specific purpose, I highly recommended Starlite Ballroom and Ken specifically. He is attentive, talented, fun, and dedicated. All of our wedding guests loved our first dance, and we had the best time! Thank you, Ken, for making our wedding special!! read more