Take the Lead

I recently started coming to the studio for «Ladies’ Night» dance class with Kelly on Wed. evenings. It’s a welcoming place, no matter what your skill level. An hour flies by with the variety in Kelly’s playlist, the range of dance styles included, the camaraderie, and the encouraging atmosphere. Come join us for a fun, expressive workout!

I’ve come here for all 4 years of college. The current owner Paul, is a great fun guy who runs the studio with a passion. They have a wide variety of classes, however, I would often drop by for the salsa parties which are really great — Paul makes it a point to ensure everyone feels at home, and always has delicious snacks ready for all.
This is a really intimate, friendly place to begin dancing for those with two left feet or believe they can never dance — Paul and his team will prove you wrong!

I started on Unilocal because I had a horrible experience with a dance studio. Take the Lead was my first experience coming back and while I probably won’t be a regular at the place, it was the first studio to tell me not all dance studios were like my previous one.
I only took the Salsa classes which was a good package of 6 classes for $ 75. There’s a new teacher there now, Corinne. In those 6 classes, I learned a lot more about Salsa than I ever learn from my previous dance studio. And that previous studio charged me much more than $ 75. However, while I learn a lot more, for what was a beginner session, I found during the lessons that Salsa dancing and I weren’t really a match. There were Salsa parties that were offer twice-​monthly for practicing and extra lessons, which I didn’t attend. But while Salsa wasn’t for me, I did respect the place for really teaching it to me and doing it at a low price. Likewise, Take The Lead, to their credit, realize Salsa wasn’t for me and did not try to sell me more dance lessons, which is a sin of several dance studios.
While I am probably not the ideal student for the place, I do recommend it anyone for who is serious about dancing. There is plenty of salsa to be learn here and you will get better, if you are serious about it. Likewise, while I taking was one of the salsa dancing lessons, someone else was conducting a private Waltz lesson and both the teacher and student were very good. I’m not an expert on what the cost of dance studio lessons are, but I checked the site to see what they offer on other type of lessons such as private lessons, they were not only cheaper than my previous studio but had a price that is affordable.

Very nice! Teach you the skills in no pressure, fun atmosphere. And instructors are both insightful and relaxed for a beginner not to feel intimidated.

I started dancing with Garincha years and years ago, before he had this studio space, and he was the first person who I had ever taken lessons from. He and Jen are a phenomenal team. I spent about two years practicing under them and I hope someday to go back. Their salsa parties became a great community event when I was there back when I lived in UCity, and they really got us to loosen up after the long work week. Thanks, guys, for awesome memories and for getting me interested in dance. I was using my rusty skills in Israel when I was just studying abroad and remembered you guys :)

Reasons to come to Take the Lead’s twice-​monthly salsa parties:
–You want to try Latin dancing, but don’t know where to start
–You already love salsa and you want to dance with other people who do too
–You want to BYOB instead of buying overpriced drinks at a club
Ten bucks gets you a ½ hour beginner lesson, snacks, and a night of sweaty fun that will leave you sore the next day. (…Get your mind out of the gutter!) One of the best deals in the city. Bring your own wine or beer, if you like.
The crowd here is friendly, international, and encompasses a wide range of skill levels, from first-​timers to fancy-​pants. The vast majority are there because they like to dance, not because they’re trying to pick people up – so while salsa is a sexy dance and you can certainly meet people here, it’s not a sleazy environment.
Occasionally the salsa parties will feature a showcase, where you can watch students and teachers strut their stuff, Dancing-​With-​The-​Stars-​style.

After two years of deliberation, I finally made it to my first Take the Lead Salsa Dance Party.
You should definitely check it out if you like the following:
1) Small, intimate beginner lesson in which you actually can get feedback from the instructor. Since our group was small, the instructor was really helpful in pointing out ways to improve our steps.
2) Friendly folks at the dance party-​everyone was approachable and willing to dance with a first time beginner like me.
I had made plans to go out to a bar afterwards with some friends, but found myself continuing to delay as I was having a great time in dance party. I definitely plan to make it back in two weeks for their next dance party.

I signed up for a zumba class here. The instructor, who does not work for Take The Lead Dance Studio, is amazing. It’s a nice space, the sound is good and, generally speaking, the people working there are nice. I have really enjoyed the class thus far.
I am a little annoyed that with the information they forced me to give in order to take the class they have now added me to some kind of spam list where I receive really annoying emails about salsa parties that I have no interest in attending.
Edit: Now, almost 2 years later, they are sending me text messages, inviting me to events at the studio. I did not sign up for such solicitation and I don’t know how to make it stop!

I have known Garincha and Jen (owners) for quite some time, but met them through various ballroom dancing activities. However, I would like to think that my review is relatively unbiased. They are two of the nicest people, which makes for a very friendly warm place to dance. The place is usually packed with very nice people and generally pretty good dancers. Garincha himself is an absolutely amazing dancer and is especially talented at choreography. He is a very patient and competent teacher to boot. The best part is that he is not the type of snob who would decline to dance with a beginner. So if you make it out to the Friday night parties, ask him to dance! That one dance is worth more than the paltry price of admission! He often even has food and drinks (including alcohol, if you are into that stuff, unfortunately I am not), which makes this, in my mind, probably the best deal out there.

Tonight, my guy and I headed to Take the Lead to try out one of their latin dance parties. For a mere $ 5 cover charge, they provide you with a group beginner’s lesson (30 min) as well as 2 ½ hrs of dancing after!
The teacher was great, the music was fun, and we had a great time. And it was evident by the number of people that came, that this studio is a respected as well as fun source of entertainment.
I will definitely be back! :)

I attended the beginner’s class, and honestly Garincha does not do much to set true beginners at ease. He pretty much jumps right in, often skipping important details until he realizes that no one really knows what they’re doing, when he has to back up a step and give extra pointers.
When I went back for the second class, there were so many people on the floor that I couldn’t figure out where I would even fit. It was very overwhelming and I realized that I couldn’t do the class under those circumstances. I was told that I would not be granted a refund (even though there were obviously plenty of people in the class for them to get sufficiently paid), but that they would talk about it. The next two weeks, each of them called me individually and practically interviewed me about it. Ultimately, after being told I would receive a phone call the next day, I never heard from them again.
They are excellent dancers but I was unimpressed by both teaching ability and business acumen (or complete lack thereof).
The other students were very friendly and the atmosphere was warm. I would only recommend this place if you already enjoy dancing (salsa, specifically) and want to use your existing skills to meet new people in a great neighborhood. If they gain some focus and social skills, this might become a better place to learn.

Disclosure: I know Jennifer and Garincha, who run the studio. They are two very very nice highly skilled people.
Jen and Garincha offer lessons for the beginner social to advanced competitive dancer. Dances range from Argentine Tango to the usual ballroom/​latin and salsa to African dance. No partners necessary for classes, and a comfortable non-​competitive atmosphere for learning. The space has a nice mid sized floor and wall of mirrors (there are two columns in the floor). The studio is also actively involved with the community/​neighbourhood with art and music as well.

Located in a nice cozy area in University City, Take The Lead is a very relaxed and friendly environment where you can take lessons in ballroom or latin dancing. It’s geared more towards beginners, and they have a latin party every other week on Fridays for only 5 dollars. Floors are great (maybe too polished) and the crowd is very friendly. Don’t be intimidated if you’ve never danced before, come out and learn! Free lesson is included at the latin parties so you can use it to build your repertoire of moves.