5 Great Dance Studios In New York City
Think you can't dance? Head to one of the city's best dance studios, and let the teachers show you otherwise. All offer instruction in the art of moving your body masterfully and majestically, for beginners and experts alike. By Jessica Allen.
M Dance & Fitness, at various locations in Hell's Kitchen, emphasizes the exercise component of dance. Be Ballet Buff, for example, teaches you balletic basics without the barre to build up muscle strength (and, in keeping with the "b" theme, it's beginner friendly). ABSolute Hip-Hop puts the focus on your abs; Dance Cardio Combo blends moves from kickboxing, hip hop, and Latin dance. Va Va Voom will give you a workout while teaching you to move like the sexiest dancers in your favorite music videos.
Sacred Studio, in Bedford-Stuyvesant, bills itself as "a yoga, movement and meditation studio for grown folks & children," where you'll learn to "love your body, and your body will love you back." Among the dance classes available are Core Rhythms, which blends Asian, Afro Caribbean, and African dance styles; Pole Dancing; and Hot Mess, which promises to work your core through stretching, meditation, and targeted exercises in a very room environment. If you can't stand the heat, find another class.
At the School at Mark Morris Dance Group in Fort Greene, you can learn to dance like acclaimed dancer Mark Morris. Or you can take a movement class with your toddler; stretch and strengthen your core; master the Simonson Technique, which helps prepare the body to dance by increasing its somatic and anatomic awareness and intelligence; interpret instruction via Gaga movement language, which encourages individual expression; or simply sign up for ballet, modern dance, or Zumba.
At Liberated Movement, in Chinatown, you can be taught to dance for a small donation (the suggested minimum is $5 per class). Everyone is welcome in this supportive, warm environment, and the low cost means you can experiment to see which class best suits your needs and body type. Recent offerings include Beginners Jazz, Ballet Basics, Swing, and Thriller!, in which you'll learn the routine from Michael Jackson's 1984 video. Something's definitely gonna get you.
Yes, the folks at Wedding Day Dance, in Midtown, specialize in making sure you and your new spouse offer a worthy spectacle on the big day or night. The teachers will work with you to ensure that your first dance as a married couple reflects your idiosyncratic tastes, styles, and desires, whether that's easygoing and relaxed or show-stoppingly choreographed. In addition, you can take courses in mambo, Viennese waltz, the foxtrot, and other ballroom and Latin styles. Several packages are offered, including a pay-as-you-go option and a 10-lesson pack.
