Salsa With Silvia

I decided to take salsa classes after my friends, who are very good dancers, took me out to a salsa club for the first time; my goal was to be able to keep up with them. I am by no means a naturally talented dancer, so I was a bit nervous before my first class. Despite my lack of dance experience, I felt comfortable in Joffre’s class from day one.
I have been taking classes with Joffre for a few months now, and I can confidently recommend him as an instructor for people of all levels of dance ability. His enthusiasm and humor make class fun, and I always leave class with some new moves!
My favorite part about his class is the variety. Each time we learn something new, which keeps it interesting for all students, even the more advanced ones. Joffre teaches combinations that are challenging enough for the more experienced dancers, yet attainable for the beginners.
I am excited to report that I can definitely keep up with my friends at the salsa club; I’ve even taught them a few new moves :-)
Thanks Joffre & Salsa with Silvia!

SWS teaches salsa On1. I gave SWS an «A-​OK» rating. My first impression having attended one lesson is that this is a fun studio and a positive learning environment but not the best instruction I have encountered. I have addressed some points other reviewers made too.
On customer service: Customer service from both my instructor and Silvia, via email communication, was great! Very friendly and nice. However, I see what other reviewers said: When I spoke to Silvia over the phone she was terse and disinterested.
On Instruction: In intermediate class with Kelly, the instruction was okay. She was fun and friendly (I don’t mind that she makes class light hearted with jokes), her instruction style is to present a broad overview of the movements. The instruction lacked many technical or fine tuning tips to help you nail the move. The biggest shortcomings for me is that the instruction was only towards the lead’s role (I am follow) and student’s errors weren’t really corrected.
I echo some other comments that class could be improved if fewer moves were introduced in 1 class. I would suggest using that time to share more fine tuning tips and pull students aside individually to correct mistakes!
In conclusion, a fun studio, check them out – especially if you already have a foundation! The students her are friendly and go out dancing together. I have also tried an On2 studio that was, quite honestly, excellent! You can ask me about it if you like, but I won’t place a competitors name on here.

I have now taken lessons at Salsa with Silvia for over 3 months and several classes. I have no hesitation in saying that SalsawithSilvia is one of the best Salsa schools in the Wash DC/​MD area.
I live a bit north of DC, so when I was looking at places to learn Salsa, I came across Silvias, which was bit of a drive and the Unilocal reviews of some of the reviewers were a «hit n miss» so I decided to try out one class in the summer. I really enjoyed the class. From then on, I have taken classes at several places, but keep coming back to Silvia’s.
Silvia herself is extremely prompt at responding to e-​mails. She is also quite accommodating at making changes to billing, scheduling etc. I found it very easy to communicate with her.
The instructors at the studio are just amazing. I have taken classes with three of them, Kelly, Jennifer and Joffre, and I enjoy each of their classes. The studio is a bit small, (they tell me they are moving to a bigger place in the next few months) but they still mange the classes really well and rotate partners often. They focus a lot on technique. Since they themselves participate with the students in the dance classes, they are able to point out the mistakes for each person — which I find very helpful. I can go on and on about them, but I would just say that they are really good instructors.
It would be wonderful if they added some practice time after the end of the classes.
All in all a great place to learn Salsa in the metro DC area.

Not bad of an experience, and a good Unilocal deal available, however the studio was too small, and too hot for you to actually enjoy salsa dancing.

I was very disappointed with Joffre’s Intermediate Salsa on 1. I took Salsa lessons for 6 years growing up in Puerto Rico, and signed up for lessons in DC with my boyfriend so he could learn and we could dance together. First, the discounts offered make the class size too large to dance in the small studio, and too large for the teacher to make any corrections. You will learn a sequence of fancy moves but have no idea whether you are doing them correctly (technique, posture, distance from partner, step size or learning to lead and let yourself be led aren’t taught here). When Joffre broke his left arm he continued to teach even though it was in a sling which made him literally unable to lead (and therefore teach), and one day when he didn’t show up 20 minutes into the class his assistant/​dance partner attempted to teach instead of sending everyone home and refunding our money. I think the greatest example that students are not retaining Joffre’s lessons is that when the class is told to dance freestyle, every single male reverted to moves they knew before taking Joffre’s class, and none remembered his sequences. When I complained to the management I was told everyone else loves Joffrey’s class. You will love Joffre’s class if you just want to dance, for the workout, and feel fancy for 45 minutes. If you actually want to learn to dance salsa that will translate outside of Sylvia’s studio – to lead if you’re a man and follow if you’re a woman– he is not the teacher for you.
Jason Potell substituted for Joffre once and was an excellent teacher, but has no dedicated Salsa lessons.
I agree with the reviewer that said Kelly spends more time making jokes than teaching.

Completely unprofessional and unacceptable. Booked a class online, took a cab from DuPont circle and the place was closed for my first beginner class. No notice on the website or door stating that the class was canceled. Waited 15 minutes for someone to open the door, but no one ever showed up. Called Silvia herself on her cell phone and received no call backs. Total waste of time and money. Don’t bother.

I started taking classes at the Salsa With Silvia studio in June after I graduated from my Master’s. I was extremely intimidated to start attending classes (not to mention uncoordinated) but I signed up with a friend who was also interested and that helped ease me in.
I bought the $ 90 salsa for beginners pass (offered in both spring and summer 2015), which gives you access to an unlimited amount of classes for 90 days (it is an AMAZING DEAL). this pass allowed me to sign up for the beginner, beginner with styling and intermediate salsa classes offered on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Not only were the people in the classes extremely approachable, but there was also usually an equivalent female-​to-​male ratio and I almost always had a lead that I could dance and practice new moves with.
I have been able to take classes with Joffre, Jennifer and Kelly, all who I believe are great instructors with different teaching styles. There is also a wonderful salsa community who goes out to different clubs and lounges towards the end of the week including:
–Café Citron in Dupont
–Eighteenth Street Lounge (ESL) in Dupont
–Habana Village in Adams Morgan
–Lucky Strike in Chinatown
I absolutely love it and I’m sad that I have not found that sort of community now that I’m in San Jose, California. But it’s only my second week here so only time will tell ;]
**Located off of 6^th and Kenyon (walking distance from Petworth and Columbia Heights Metro Stations)
**Opening a bigger studio this fall (GREAT NEWS)

My boyfriend purchased a 3 pack of private lessons for me (us) for my birthday. We had been wanting to learn salsa for awhile, and I was thrilled to finally have the opportunity not only to learn, but learn specifically with him! Our lessons were with Joffre on Saturday evenings, and I can’t say enough good things about him. He is an excellent teacher for both the lead and the follow, and he explains the moves in several ways so that you can really get a good grasp on them.
What I appreciated most was when we messed up, he was so patient in helping us figure out what we were doing wrong. Sometimes it’s easy to feel stupid when you mess up what someone told you literally 5 seconds before, but he had a really pleasant demeanor that didn’t make you feel silly. He was very observant and picked up on little things we could be improving.
He also frequently gave us little tips before starting a move to point out frequently missed steps and cues to look for when starting to practice them. That was supremely helpful.
I really appreciated his energy and enthusiasm for teaching, and he really made our time worthwhile. We learned a lot and feel like we have a great foundation to move forward from now.
Highly recommend!

I bought a package of 5 private lessons at Salsa with Silvia. No good reason, just figured it would be fun to learn. I’ve never taken any dance lessons before, and this was a great introduction! I split my classes between Silvia and Jennifer. They each had their own styles and were both awesome. I really liked being able to have lessons with different teachers so that I could learn different ways.
Never had any scheduling issues and they were always on time for lessons.
They both worked with me at my pace and didn’t mind when I wanted to slow things down or move on to a different move. You should definitely mix in some social dancing if you take the private lessons (I unfortunately did not given my work schedule) to put what they teach you to work. There are social classes at this studio. That would be my only critique here but that’s my fault, not theirs. All in all, I was very pleased with my purchase!

Booked a private lesson for our anniversary and it was SOOOOOO fun! Jennifer was our teacher and she was so patient and kind. We’ll be back for group classes. Seriously, so much fun and Jennifer really made us feel good!

I was a student at Salsa with Silvia for many months. I initially really liked it. However, as time went on my experience soured.
Pros:
— beautiful studio
— easy parking
— easy app/​website to sign up for classes
— affordable!
— lots of different class options
Cons:
— TINY studio (sometimes they would jam pack 15 or 16 people in this small space
— poor teaching methods:
— really long routines in only hour class
— Poor time management. Spending a lot of time on moves in the beginning and then rushing in the end.
— One instructor in particular (Kelly) spent a lot of time making bad jokes rather than focusing on the teaching. She also didn’t really take suggestions when she had poor time management.
It was a good experience for a novice Salsa dancer but I moved on to a more professional studio once I got the beginner experience that I wanted.

I’ve been going to this studio on and off for about 6 months, and I’m just not a fan. I I spend about $ 250-​$ 300 per month on salsa and bachata (privates, group, and entrance fees for social dancing). There are better studios, with equivalent classes at the same or better price, with much better customer service.
The studio offers a drop in rate, a 10 pack, private lessons and monthly all you can take style subscription. I used to take drop ins, but tried the monthly subscription and private lessons.
My main problem is the lack of customer service here. I always feel like I’m lucky to even get to spend money there. I have never once felt like a valued customer, despite my repeat business. When I have spoken to the owner, she communicates in a terse and condescending manner.
For example, I bought a 10 pack and didn’t realize that they expired in 6 months. When I lost some of them, I asked the owner about it and she was unsympathetic, despite the fact that I’m a semi-​regular. They claimed they sent emails, but I didn’t receive them. They send so much spam, I imagine these official notes got caught up in my spam filter. They will lose about $ 2,500 of my business by haggling over a few expired classes that I paid for.
They also make you register through an app called Mind Body. I personally don’t like the app or the interface, so it’s a headache. That said, I realize other small businesses use the same app.
The class quality is mixed; some of the instructors are excellent, but others are a bit… bizarre. I think the salsa classes are better than the bachata (but they did make changes to bachata so we’ll see). Joffre is a great instructor.
Overall, I just can’t get over people who are rude and cheap, which has been my experience with the management, so i won’t be continuing here.

After having read so many good comments about this place, my boyfriend and me went very excited to our first class. I´m pretty sure this a great place; unfortunately, I think we didn´t get the best teacher. We had a class with Kelly and was a really bad experience: she has no patience at all, does not speak clearly (as me, I noticed that several students were not native speakers which makes really hard to understand her) and even worse, she uses a sarcastic humor which does not get along with someone who is starting to learn salsa and needs confidence.
I can only recommend people who is beginning to dance salsa and might be shy to NOT taking a class with Kelly.

A got a package of private beginner salsa lesson for my boyfriend as a Christmas gift. They were very affordable, and have a schedule that is accommodating. And, as a teacher, Joffre is great. I dance salsa, but my boyfriend does not, and Joffre was super patient and fun. From what we experienced, I can’t complain.
However, when we showed up for our third private class, there was a substitute teacher (they sent an email 30 minutes beforehand, but we were already in the car headed to the studio). We expressed that since we had been taking classes with Joffre, we’d like to continue working with him, so did not choose to take the class with Jennifer, the substitute (though I’m sure she’s great). Jennifer put us in touch with Joffre via email, who did not reply to 2 emails to schedule another class. I’m really disappointed, and sad that we weren’t able to use our last class.

I was looking for affordable salsa classes in DC and I definitely found them. My husband and I have taken the Beginners Salsa 7-​week series and now are taking the Bachata and Merengue 7-​week series. Both have been fantastic! The instructors are fun, funny, and armed with plenty of patience! They have also given us styling tips to make us look good while we dance. We have learned so much in both Salsa and Bachata. We recently attended a wedding where 80% of the music was Salsa/​Bachata/​Merengue and we were able to impress everyone there with our moves. All thanks to the Salsa with Silvia instructors.

I got the Unilocal deal $ 80 for $ 115 and I used t to sign up for classes. I have only taken Joffre’s classes which is on Mondays (evening). I must say, Joffre is a wonderful instructor. I have been dancing salsa on and off for a while, and though I was familiar with the basic steps and turns, I could not say I was much better than a beginner. After just 3 or 4 classes, I could see the difference in my dancing, my turns were smoother, I could combine different patterns. It definitely is worth the money. Apart from just the steps, Joffre also teaches different ways to style it, so you literally get two packages for the price of one. You do not have to take a separate class on styling. If you have trouble with any step, he takes time to break it down for you.
The class is small, usually about 8 — 12 people and so it easy to get that communal feeling where everyone knows everyone and its easy to plan a salsa club outing with the students (esp for people like me who don’t have any clue as to where to go for salsa). You never feel left out.

I’ve been a student at Silvia’s for a few months and have taken classes with Silvia, Kelly, and Jennifer. All three are great teachers! They push you but are also really nice and make the class fun. Also, particularly in the beginner classes, they focus on helping you learn moves that you’ll see often out at clubs. They also choose songs that you’ll likely hear when out dancing and give tips for how to lead or follow out on the dance floor. This class gave me the workout that a gym class would, but with the immediately practical element of being able to use it on the weekends out salsa dancing! I’d highly recommend taking a class there or checking out some of their specials online. Though I’m only at the beginner level, I’m quickly becoming addicted to their classes and to salsa!

Silvia is awesome. She really cares about her students and trying to make sure everyone has a good experience.

Silvia is an awesome teacher! I’ve been doing salsa for almost one year and she’s definitely helped my skills improve. I’ve learned combinations, styling, better timing and confidence for the dance floor. She’s very combination-​focused so if you’re looking for some new moves, definitely check her out. She has a genuine desire to help you improve.
She has two assistant teachers, Kelly and Jennifer, that are some of the most enthusiastic salsa dancers that I’ve met. They are knowledgable, patient and fun. They probably spend every free time they have looking up salsa moves that they can learn and teach their students. They understand that you’ll only get better with practice so they plan outings so that you can practice your social dancing.
Parking isn’t hard to find and it doesn’t cost!

I was fortunate enough to find Silvia when I first moved to the DC area in the beginning of 2010. I was already into Salsa and had been dancing for a few years but she DEFINITELY bumped my skills up a few levels. Can we say, «Multiple spins and aerial tricks?!» Oh yeah… I can do those! Lol.
My appreciation for the style grew as well. I am a true Salsa addict. Like, I stalk it with no shame. It loves me. You have no choice but to have a great time in Silvia’s classes. This woman’s energy is AMAZING! Silvia is also very patient with her students. In a class ranging from the very beginner to the intermediate, no one is left out. Everyone is attended to. Also, everything that she teaches can be applied in the social scene immediately.
If you’re not taking advantage of the many classes that are being offered, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!!! Besides… the instructors are HOT! Hope to see you in class. :)