Manhattan Ballroom Dance

Manhattan Ballroom Dance has the best ballroom floor of any studio in Manhattan. It is a great place to practice for ballroom competitions. Their floor fees and private lesson rates are very reasonable. And it is open to all!

This review is based on my fiancé and my experience via a groupon deal to learn the waltz for or wedding dance.
We got the groupon deal for 2– 45 minute dance lessons. The first session, we spent 20 minutes going over our song and what we were looking for and then watching the instructor think and dance by herself to feel inspired. The next 20min we «learned» our walk in steps for our wedding song which lasts 4 seconds and is literally walking 4 steps forward. She just kept making us do it over and over again. The second session was pretty much the same thing. Other than spending time learning one twirl we pretty watched the instructor dance and talk to herself to get inspired on what to teach us. After the session, she informs us that to learn more moves we need to purchase 5 sessions more for over $ 500. We complained that we barely learned anything through the two sessions and she said «the two sessions are just an introductory phase where we get to know the instructor».
What a scam. Whenever we had questions during the dance lesson she said «don’t worry I’ll teach you next time. That’s not important right now. I’ll teach it to you eventually» When we tried to record the twirl she was teaching us since I was getting confused, she changed the dance routine every time. Even without recording it she kept changing the count of the dance moves and took so many breaks to get inspiration on her own.
We literally can’t even schedule 5 more sessions even if we wanted to due to schedule conflicts and then she started saying things like «you need atleast 5 sessions» «I taught a couple in two weeks» «I can teach you in two sessions» Nothing she said made sense except the fact that she wanted our money.
There’s a review below that says the place pushes you to buy the groupon deal. It’s probably because they want to do the same thing we got scammed into. Learn minimal to nothing via the cheap groupon deal and then the real stuff when you pay the big bucks.
The only reason they get a star is because we were late to both sessions and the ballroom was so accommodating and polite about it all.

My review is for the space only, not the owner or the classes. Piel Canela dance studio hosts social dance parties at this venue. The floor space was large and the actually floor was smooth and shiny. It was so easy to dance and spin. There was so much room to move, you rarely bumped into anyone. The bathroom could use some work, but hey this isn’t a 5 star hotel.

Took a half hour dance lesson since I can’t dance and have my wedding coming up, it was surprisingly a lot of fun and I’ll be back for more.
They also rent the space out for events, parties and weddings, it’s a large open space with a great location and you can do whatever you want to it. Steve was a pleasure dealing with, very responsive and a nice guy. Would definitely recommend checking it out if you’re looking for affordable event space.

Absolutely love it. Love Oscar Pedrinelli’s lessons. No matter if you are beginner or advanced, you will find your place here. The owner is also super nice.

Awesome studio, very much recommend!

All he’s looking for is to make money. After reading the mixed reviews, i decided to call and see for myself. Before making an appointment, he wants you to purchase the groupon. Why not make the appointment and just bring in the groupon voucher? Surprised people actually fall for this…

This place is amazing. I recently purchased a Groupon for two private dance classes at this studio. I choose to take tango with a partner. This was my first time taking any kind of professional dance class. I was able to reserve a class time pretty quickly and the owner Steve Chen was always very helpful and accommodating. He constantly gave me email updates and notices regarding my class and instructor. He was great at following up after my class as well and made sure I enjoyed myself. I was paired with a wonderful Teacher Lenka. She was always professional but above all she was funny, informative and never made me and my dance partner feel any less because we had a Groupon to this very pricey studio. Lenka gave alot of positive feedback and in two 45 minute classes she was able to teach me and my dance partner an entire tango routine. It was more then just the steps she taught us. She explained the technique, taught us the names of all dance moves, and even helped us learn the attitude and small details that make tango look so flawless. I would recommend this studio to anyone. It’s super clean, has a big dance floor, and the staff are all great. Loved my experience.

I’ve never taken any dance classes there but I went to their Friday Social Dance Party and it was really frustrating because there are very few people who are there to social dance. 80−90% of the people were student-​teacher pairs who stayed with the same partner the whole night. When I got fed up with standing on the side, I asked one of the better skilled men to dance and he said, sorry, he’s a teacher and can’t dance with me (I’m not his student). Only 3 – 4 guys asked me to dance the whole night. I am never going back again.
Facilities are good. The music selection was varied. The floor is large and nice (see pics). There are refreshments and lots of seating on the perimeter.
I have no idea how their lessons are but I do NOT recommend their social dance parties if you actually want to social dance. I was sorely disappointed.

Great studio for both beginner and advanced dancers. I bought a livingsocial voucher for 2 private lessons and then I got hooked after that and bought 2 more 10-​class packages! The owner, Steve, is very nice and friendly. Might be hard to get a hold of them initially, but they always respond. I have been learning ballroom and latin dances with Vlad for a few months now and he’s an awesome instructor. However, I think all the coaches are pretty great just by glancing around the room. One of my favorite things to do is to watch the pros practice on the floor amongst themselves or with students. I wish there was a better way to purchase dance packages online and that they would offer deals and discounts from time to time. This can become an expensive hobby! ;)

As a competitive dancer, this is a great studio to find world-​class coaches, practice space and friends. Not sure how social dancers fare, but if you need an entry to the world of competitive dancesport, this is a good place to start. Students get a floor fee discount.

I am dancing almost 10 years, so I know many many dance studios. in NYC, SF, Los Angeles etc. Some people complain this place because their running poor business, but believe me almost all dance studios in the US are pretty similar. Well, please remember, dancers are artistic people. I know many much more poor business running studios. One good part of this studio is really high level dance instructors and not too push to sell lessons. Famous chain dance studio, Axxxx Mxxxx, Fxxxx Axxxxx etc. they are high push to sell their private lessons and usually much more expensive. I do not recommend this place too much for wedding couples. But if you want to learn Ballroom Dancing seriously, I think this is one of the top studio in NYC.

I gotta second other folks on the professionalism of the folks running the place… questionable at best.
That said, SARIKA HUDSON, one of their instructors, is probably the nicest, most intuitive, best ballroom teacher we’ve worked with in the city.
My husband and I came here because we figured «if we have to make people watch our first dance, we should make it fun to watch.» We took two rounds of foxtrot lessons, and three private lessons, at a DIFFERENT studio and despaired of ever getting beyond a few basic steps.
Then we got a groupon deal (two, actually) for a group lesson and four private lessons. We took seven of the eight combined lessons with Sarika… and while we weren’t quite Ginger Rodgers and Fred Astaire, we had several people tell us that our routine was the highlight of the night (and it included lifts, changes of tempo, all kinds of cool stuff). Sarika was INCREDIBLY personable, very flexible about our crazy schedules, and just clearly wanted us to have a dance that we could be proud of. I would work with her again in a heartbeat… and in fact, we’re planning to go back, now that the wedding’s out of the way, just to take classes with her for fun!
YAY SARIKA!!! Twelve stars if this were just about her.

So I went here one night with my girlfriend because she wanted me to give it a try. I’m an athlete, but a terrible dancer so this was not something i really wanted to try… to my surprise however it actually turned out to be a fun experience! I learned how to salsa and the place was so big I didn’t feel like everyone was watching me so it was actually a lot more enjoyable… something different to try

Bought total of 4 private dance classes off living social. Finally ended up getting a refund after just having 2 dance classes.
First was swing with an instructor which was ok, not great. Second was waltz with martina who is awesome. I definitely recommend her. The dance floor IS great, but to try to schedule anything with this group is a pain in the butt. It’s impossible to get a hold of them, and they just didn’t have any information together. they were constantly asking me to verify and re-​verify my voucher even though I had sent it multiple times and the response times were so slow I finally just gave up and cut my losses after just 2 classes!
Probably more like 2.5 stars, but I’m giving 3 b/​c that one class with martina was great!

Great space; great instructor. Poorly run business. Unprofessional. Watch your money!

Manhattan Ballroom offers us the perfect space in a city which is dominated by small dance studios or studios with lots of obstacles.
As Standard dancer space is crucial.
I’m using the space for practicing, parties or private lessons. The studio offers weekly Ballroom parties as well as Run-​Throughs for competitive dancers. You get a peak of really good couples (and I mean top of the world couples by that) and it motivates you to improve your own dancing.
Great studio!

I really enjoyed my salsa class here. I saw some people next to us doing rumba and it looked really hot. I am going to bring a partner and take some rumba next! Location is ideal also.

0 stars if possible. Terrible attitude, unprofessional, and I feel like I got scammed.
My fiancé and I got a two gift certificates for a special package of 4 group lessons, and a ½ hour private lesson. When my fiancé called them up to set up a dance lesson, they told us that they had increased their prices and that we need to pay the difference. She got so annoyed that I had to call again separately.
Scheduling a lesson is a journey in of itself. You call the number on their card, the person answering the call can’t really make any decisions or book you so they have the boss, Steve, call you back.
After 10:30AM minutes, I get a call back from Steve. He was driving and using his cell phone so the call quality was bad. He tells me we can get either 8 group classes or 2 private lessons. Now, if 4 group lessons = 1 private lesson, where did the ½ private lessons in the package go?
And get this, half way through the conversation, he yells out «F**k You». After 3 seconds of shock, I hear him say «Sorry that was not for you». Who curses in front of a client?
I reluctantly agreed to trying a private lesson first and see how things go. We scheduled a lesson for that weekend. I had to change it due to an emergency situation, and he told me that because I canceled within 24 hours, he had to charge me for the full lesson. While I understand the reason for this, there was no mention of it when we scheduled the lesson. He did mention that if anything changes, I should give him a call.
The next morning, I was able to resolve the situation and gave Steve a call at 9AM. (our lesson was at noon). He never picked up. I call the office and the lady told me someone would call me back in 5 minutes. I never got a call back…
While I don’t expect them to be able to reinstate the appointment, at least let me know. It’s been over a week now and still no call. It is completely unprofessional to ignore your client.
I was so fed up with the situation that ripped up the gift certificate. We ended up going to someone else and it’s been a great experience.
STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE.

This is a phenomenal dance floor. First of all, it’s HUGE (it almost feels like a dance floor you’d find in any city where people don’t live on top of each other). Second, the wood floor is slick and well-​maintained.
I come here for Swing Remixed, a swing dance event. They often book live bands… really good live bands. Boilermakers, Baby Soda, Gordon Webster, etc. Considering that most swing dance events in the city are crowded and packed into a tiny hot sweaty space… Swing Remixed at Manhattan Ballroom is a breath of fresh air.