This place is great. I felt so welcomed when I dropped-in for a Flamenco class. The teacher was…read moregreat and I stayed for two classes. If you have been to other studios, you know what to expect regarding coming into the class at the right time (as people are leaving the previous class), tucking your bag away, and stretching in a space of your own. This studio is really cool. It was an old bath house! It has loads of space. You feel like you belong, and it just runs like a great dance studio.

I went along to a breakdance (yes, you heard right, breakdance) class at my local dance studio and…read moreboy was I in for a workout.... I'm a pretty fit kind of gal - go to the gym regularly, eat my veggies, all that kind of stuff, but nothing prepared me for this. I arrived, somewhat sheepishly, at the Fame-esque studios and became gradually more terrified as I walked past room after room of people, perfectly in time, pulling some moves I could only dream of. I arrived at my studio and found that I was not the only person whose age began with a 3 - thank the Lord. Everyone was very friendly and soon swapping stories of their dancing experience. Luckily many were practically nil or fell into the 'I haven't done anything since school' category. To be honest, once you get in there, you're concentrating so hard on remembering the routines and trying not to break your legs/arms that you really don't care what everyone else is up to! Lana was our instructor - a half-woman, half b-boy phenomenon who really looked the part. Bandana, cap on sideways, baggy pants - she had the whole look down pat. And she was lovely. By the end of it I was exhausted, my knees hurt and I certainly wouldn't be pulling any of those moves on a dancefloor near you, but I was on my way. I'm looking forward to the next class already.

Not sure how anyone learns anything here…read more I took an adult Performance Tap dance class here, with the intention of taking a few others while I am here in London on holiday. After this class experience, I have definitely changed my mind. The instructor played the music so unbelievably loud that we could barely hear him speak or dance. Also, the other dancers did not listen to each other at all. Everyone just danced to their own rhythm without any regard for what their fellow dancers were doing. They were not at all in sync; which was incredibly ironic for a Performance Tap class. Part of being a successful performer is situational awareness; being in tune and in sync with your fellow performers on stage/on the floor at all times. Moreover, I expected more discipline from adult dancers. There were entirely too many times during the class where the teacher was speaking or trying to review steps, and other dancers were off tapping and doing their own thing, making it almost impossible to hear what the teacher was trying to teach. I almost can't fault them though because the class was quite unstructured. There was no delineation between warm-up, technique review, and actual choreography. We were just doing whatever the instructor did, whenever he did it. His hand cues were only slightly less awful than his counts and his verbal cues. Only a handful of people were able to keep up with him... I'm guessing they're accustomed to the dysfunction. Suffice it to say, Derek was definitely not one of the best instructors I've had. I found him only slightly less arrogant than his bio implied. At one point during the class, a student asked him a question about the choreography because he seemed to have changed the rhythm of the choreography that we were learning part way through the class. Most of the people in the class seemed to notice it (and it was a point of frustration and spirited conversation among some students after class). The student said something to the effect of, "It looks like you've changed the rhythm a bit," at which point he scoffed at her and replied, "Oh, *I* changed it?" in this condescending "How dare you imply that I'm wrong" kind of tone. As someone who has both taken and taught countless tap classes over the course of my life, I can say from experience that teachers and choreographers forget what they've choreographed all the time...especially when you're choreographing on the spot. We're human. It happens. But apparently not to Derek. Hmm. Classes are cash only, and are payable directly to the teacher at the beginning or end of class. There is also an extra £4 fee for drop-in classes, which are to be paid at the front desk by either cash or credit card. Why they have not made it possible for students to pay for classes with card is beyond me. If you find yourself without cash, not to worry. There is an ATM down the block near the Five Guys. Exit the studio and turn left, then turn right onto the street. It's about 2 to 3 minute walk, and the cash machine will be on the left side of the street. Overall, I am not certain that this experience was worth the frustration. The website is incredibly convoluted and it makes it almost impossible to effectively filter down the classes one wants to take. The website also does not have a long-term class schedule (I think it's only posted week-to-week), so you have to check back every few days to see what's available. Ultimately, I ended up waiting until I arrived in London and called the studio directly to see if they had the style and level of instruction that I was interested in. I am only giving this place an extra star because it was a catalyst for helping me to check off one of my bucket list items; taking my lifelong love of tap dance to another country.

Pineapple Studios is one of the most notorious dance studios in London and really has that 'Fame'…read moreesque vibe to it. I went here for a Musical Theatre training week almost a year ago and the place sported a minimalistic 80's vibe back then and has hardly changed since! Fear not however as the wide range of classes vary from beginners to advanced meaning there is something for every style and ability so you will never feel self conscious. I go every Wednesday evening to Street Jazz with Nicky Bentley which is not only brilliant fun but an amazing workout. Be warned, the tutors work you hard but you feel the benefit. I'm not a member and so pay £2 for a daily membership and an additional £6 for the class. I would advise that if you go to the more popular evening classes, get there early to get a good spot in the studio. Oh and take a towel as it gets quite sweaty if you participate in the more high energy classes! These tutors are the best in the business and I love it as an alternative way to get fit.

Danceworks is probably the less intimidating version of Pineapple studios. I have been here a…read morecouple of times for jazz classes and feel very comfortable. The studios are bright, modern and airy and it is geared completely towards all levels - you don't tend to get too mixed a group in terms of ability so no chance of feeling like the one who can't get it! The range of classes are great - yoga, pilates, jazz, contemporary, ballet....something that everyone can benefit from and most importantly, enjoy. They tend to stick the standard classes as opposed to the more quirky and trendy classes but do sometimes introduce styles such as Cheerleading and Bollywood. It is also fairly cheap to go - around £8 on average for a class plus a couple of pound entry on arrival.

Danceworks is an amazing studio offering a wonderful variety of classes and programs in many types…read moreof dance. The ballet teachers are the very highest caliber and my daughters have enjoyed every program they have attended there. The studio even offers opportunities to join some master classes online. The administration is also excellent. They are always prompt and courteous and make coordinating enrollment very easy!

The wedding I attended here was BEAUTIFUL. I loved all of it and the women's restroom was great…read morewith all the amenities! I'm not sure if that was the venue or my cousin. The only bad part about this venue was the lack of a/c. It got very humid at certain points of the day in certain areas.

Seen/experienced two shows here: Fuel's "Ring", and Forced Entertainment's "The Coming Storm"…read more Both were in different parts of the space, and utilized their locations well. The venue's easy to get to - just a short walk from Clapham Junction station, or via bus. There is a modest bar/cafe downstairs to get a coffee or alcoholic beverage before the show. Limited selection of wine and beer running around £4.5, as well as a few things to eat. (They've also been ok with people bringing in outside food from other nearby takeaways, but I don't know if this is how it always is.) It's an odd space but in a cool way: there's a giant staircase right inside the front doors with cushioned booths to sit on directly on the steps, and a huge mirror on the ceiling of the entry. The Centre is currently undergoing a renovation, so I'm interested to see what it will evolve into.

Firstly, I have to admit we cancelled the lessons. However, here is a summary of our poor…read moreexperience with Karen Hard Dance Studios. We email them specifically asking for a quote for home lessons as advertised on their website. It takes them 8 days to respond with a quote of £135 per lesson (£360 for 3 lessons). We accepted this. They asked for our address so they could work supplemental call out pricing. Some further 11 days pass while we wait for a response and invoice. We contact them again to get things confirmed. Two days after this we receive an invoice for £495 for a 45 minute lesson. I contact them to get the error corrected but apparently £360 is their standard call out charge. We wasted about 20 days trying to deal with them. In summary avoid unless you're willing to accept extremely sluggish replies and pay £11 per minute for home lessons.

This is a lovely place and the one on one tuition I received was great…read more But there is very little attention to customer service which is a shame as it could easily be improved: Some examples: - delay if at all to emails or phone calls, even when you want to sign up!! - staff that answer the phone can't answer even basic questions - no proactive help when you join and pay for a yearly membership. They just take the money and disappear. Eg No welcome email to get you started - website advertises that membership gives you access to a membership area (not actually live and no password maintenance so you can't access it anyway). Call or email for access and no response. - the door to the studio is locked with a bell so you often sit and wait - when you get in the staff often don't say hello so on your first visit you feel less then welcome and lost - membership benefits promised aren't there, no one for example creates any dance schedule for you, a newsletter appears but with no links to 'goodies' as promised and is not monthly, - the dance instructors have to sell the membership but don't really care about it and do it DURING your paid-for-by-the-hour dance class. I am surprised at the low level of customer service because they must lose or miss out on new members every day

I have enjoyed different classes here as they have a great selection if you enjoy dance cardio,…read moreaerobics, interval, weights, boxing and barre. There are three studios and classes vary from 5 to 12 people on average. Classes are air conditioned so you won't completely overheat. I'm not a fan of the changing room, there is one that feels both cramped and on display as the door is permanently open to the main hall. There are two toilets, a few showers and a changing area with hairdryers. There is a charge to use towels but lockers are in the hall are free. I like the small waiting area as the tables come in handy before class. Their shakes are made fresh daily and delicious. Good selection of snacks and smoothies along with workout clothes. Now you can rent a kit if you forgot yours at home, no excuse to skip your workout! There are other locations so if this isn't convenient it's worth checking out. I will be back to sweat!

What a great addition to Victoria!! This place is fantastic, it's got top notch classes and the…read morebest instructors. Ladies, gents, it's definitely worth the investment! I went for the reformer pilates and it was just so easy to check in at the desk. Locker wise, you input your own code and wella, it's locked. No need to look for change - thank god, as I'm always have the wrong kinda coin and ah usually it's just such a hassle, so major thumbs up for this! Changing room wise, it does get quite congested around class time, especially as they have a few studios. I definitely have to squash to use the hairdressers and bench space. I guess that's what you get when a place is the new PLACE!! Shower wise you get products to use, which is great if you're forgetful like me. The only downside with the showers was I struggled to get hot water, but I didn't hear anyone else having a problem, so I guess I just need to figure them out... The studios are a good size and I can only speak for the Pilates equipment, but the reformer machines were top quality and no budget was spared. Cafe wise, they do a wide range of healthy juices and smoothies, which is a good touch! I got a super healthy green juice, which I loved! It wasn't cheap at £4.50, but it's the perfect tonic after a hard workout. Classes aren't cheap, so if you're looking for a budget option, this isn't the place. However, if you have cash to spend and fancy trying to some different styles of class, such as barre, a Bieber dance workshop, boxfit and many more, then this is the place!

I have taken a real mix of classes at Slice and I am a fan! From hiit classes, to 80s dance…read moreaerobics, spin and my new favorite pound fittness, they really have it all. The studios are all well sized and never overpacked which I have found at a lot of gyms. The bathroom facilities have lockers, very clean showers (there is a difference between having showers and having showers one wants to use) and hair dryers which is great if you are getting ready before work. If you have little ones there is a play area for them as well as a cafe. Warning the cupcakes are amazing but also come in mini size so you dont completely cancel your workout.

Huge variety of classes, cool instructors and great facilities. I attended trampoline and Box Fit…read moreand I can't wait to try more!!

I've only been to Maria's classes twice, as I live pretty much on the opposite side of town from…read morewhere most of her teaching takes place (Fulham). But if you check out her calendar on her webpage, she also has classes at Virgin Actives, in Kensington, and in Holborn. Anyhow, I am a big Zumba snob. Embarassingly so. And I have also taken dozens of classes in London with different instuctors, and I can safely say Maria is one of my absolute favourites. She is a great dancer, is sexy as hell (which, consequently helps you magically, if not falsely feel like a sexy fabulous dancer as well, even if the accurate description is probably more like 'awkward cat in tutu') and definitely makes you break a sweat. She picks great music, is friendly and encouraging, and conveys (through, um, expression and movement) that she loves her job. Plus, since she is so gorgeous, hers is one of the few Zumba classes I've been to that regularly have straight men involved. You can tell that she has a really dedicated group of 'regulars' who follow her. Too bad its too far away for me.

From the owner: Zumba is essentially Latin dance aerobics, a fun and somewhat sassier alternative to the treadmill!…read more Zumba4London offers fun and invigorating Zumba classes. Men and women of all ages and all levels of fitness are welcome to come join the only party where you burn between 600-800 calories per hour! So, grab your trainers, grab your friends, and come join the party!

I had the opportunity to attend Zumba classes at Mango Academy and I really enjoyed the class and…read morethe work out. I have done quite a few Zumba classes and I have to confess this is the best work out so far! I definitly recommend Mango Academy for a good sweat!