You Should Be Dancing...!

We took dance lessons with Brian Gagne for our wedding and he was awesome. We learned a Cha Cha and American Rumba and he made it a blast. We were not natural dancers by any means but he was super patient and we really loved the experience. Hoping to take more lessons with him for fun in the future because we miss it now!

Truly sad to write my first negative Unilocal review. While this is more focused on Dance Manhattan, since they appear to do the tango together, I’m holding You Should Be Dancing equally accountable. Saved my Dance Manhattan gift certificate for a special occasion (which has no written expiration), went to the website
, looked up classes and called the number on the website to confirm. Even asked about my certificate, «no problem! «Excited to come in for the class. Upon arrival, was told they had since closed and I was now at You Should Be Dancing. I noticed that note on the site, but it sounded more like they had merged or was now operating under a new name or in conjunction with the YSBD studio. Needless to say, the wonderfully nice young lady at reception called the owner to see if they could possibly accept. No such luck. I then called the owner of Dance Manhattan (you know, that place with a still functional website, phone number and class schedule) and she explained the closing again, also offered that my GC would have expired (even though not printed anywhere) and that she would not accept the GC. Poor poor customer service etiquette on both YSBD & Dance Manhattans behalf (in whatever capacity they now operate). I graciously would have returned for future classes and purchased many more. However, their unwillingness to accept their mistake and misleading website, left a bad taste in my mouth. I thanked the nice receptionist for trying and decided to cha cha out the door!

Practiced there on Sat for Sophie Cazaneuve’s west coast swing performance class. Got to hurry up– only 4 more classes to go before the first performance. Really nice studio with great staff and teachers

Wonderful studio. Very welcoming staff and great dance instructors. My girlfriend and I had Audrey Martinez guiding us and she is super patient. She gives really helpful examples and analogies to help you comprehend all the moves. I highly recommend.

I love the Frim Fram swing party on Thursday nights! The music is great, the people are friendly, and there’s a wide variety of skill levels present. It’s always a good time — though the room is often quite hot!

I came for the Thursday Night Frim Fram Swing lesson at 8pm-​9pm and stayed for the after party until 1am. Admission was $ 8 + $ 4 for the lesson. Drinks were around $ 5 and up at the bar.
The lessons were fun and basic, a good starter but i learned best from applying it with the other students and more experienced dancers during the afterparty. A great place to learn to dance swing, have fun, and mingle. I love jazz music and dancing, so this was a great combination of the two. Good times!

For the past several years I’ve been a regular in Nourhan’s Tuesday bellydance class, and am now studying with her on Thursdays at YSBD as well.
She teaches HANDS DOWN the best Egyptian style class in the city. Her technique is superb, as is her warmth and attention to students’ progress.
She starts the class with a thorough, butt-​kicking warm-​up — building both strength and flexibility with everything from squats, planks, sit-​ups, and stretch-​and-​tone exercises uniquely suited to bellydance.
Her across-​the-​floor drills are alone worth the price of admission. She presents challenging and fun combinations to hone your strength and precision — and she gives her students a heck of an aerobic workout!
She completes each class by teaching a portion of her signature choreographies. These are not watered-​down routines, but works that she performs herself — packed with the intricate, powerful, precise, and emotional movements that are essential to Egyptian dance.
She even teaches the history of the music and artists involved and translates the lyrics, explaining how each move illustrates the music’s intent.
Whether you’re new to bellydance, a hobbyist or professional, you will always learn something new from Nourhan.

I first started going to You Should be Dancing for their Thursday night Frim Fram. I like the space because even though it’s not a club, it also doesn’t feel like a gymnasium either. My first one was their quarterly with a live band and that was great.
Then I decided to try lindy hop classes even though I hadn’t enjoyed classes I had taken at other dance studios in the past — I usually felt disconnected.
Stephanie was so warm and welcoming from the first moment I walked in the door. And that sets the tone for the class because the students are the same way. There is something different and amazing about Stephanie that is hard to put my finger on. She is fun and personable yet has an attention to detail and nuance that is critical for dancing well. She knows when to let your faults go, and when to point them out.
I like her class so much that even if I am not staying for FrimFram, I’ll travel the hour each way just to take her class :)

I have been a student of dance at You should be dancing for about two years now. Stephanie Shapiro has been extremely helpful to me in learning Swing dance. I take a combination of group classes and private lessons with Stephanie. She is very passionate about dance. I recommend her highly!

I’ve taken classes with a few of their instructors mostly in swing, and they’ve all been great. The studio is clean and well run by the lovely Tammy, who’s very accommodating regarding extra rehearsal time and access to the studio.
They have a great community going that they cater to by hosting the well known Yehoodi’ s Frim Fram Jam on Thurdays, as well as regular student showcases, and other parties. They are very welcoming to beginner as well as more advanced students. Now, some more on the teachers:
I took balboa with Mimi and Jeff, they were very patient, clear and supportive. They definitely gave me a solid base in a dance that was totally new to me. Having two teachers was definitely a plus as it allows for great tips to both leaders and followers.
I took a swing workshop with Rachel and she was lovely, we worked on some good technique, and gained new moves.
Last but not least, I was part of one of Stephanie’s performance classes, and it was a blast! It gave me the opportunity to clean up my basics, work on choreography, perform in public and meet new people. I definitely made some very good friends there, while we all sweat together! Stephanie was very good at improving our technique, rhythm and overall performing skills such as posture, style and energy.
I would definitely recommend the studio and it’s various classes for anyone looking to learn how to social dance, as well as for the more advanced dancer who’d want solid instruction in a friendly environment.

Stephanie’s remarkably patient, helpful, passionate, and pleasant! I walked into her class with 7 left feet. I now feel confident dancing in public. I’d recommend Stephanie to any and everyone, regardless of skill level.

My review for Frankie Martinez’ — Salsa, Cha Cha Cha & Afro body isolation class.
This is where you go and push the boundaries of your dance. To explore the possibilities and to seperate yourself from everyone else and just… dance. to give it a natural organic feel and look to it. (Looking for cookie cutter style? Not here, nope!)
His instruction is detailed oriented, he goes over all the mechanics of dance, a history lesson of music, and much more. This is more than just patterns, more than shines, he goes into the «why». He introduces you into a world of becoming one with the music and more than just another dancer with a thousand moves.
His classes are challenging from beginner level to advanced, to the open foot work class and the body isolation class is another story. Be ready to push your body to another level and get rid of that stiff look. You truly want to challenge yourself and push your limits, this is it, all of his classes is a true lesson.
I HIGHLY recommend to learn from him, when I go to NYC or any congress around the world I make sure to take his workshops. To me he is the best of the best who continues to strive to get better, (no plateaus) and that is the kind of teacher I want to learn from.
RESPECT!!!

Great time at this studio! Took Frankie’s class and it was phenomenal! If you are want to learn mambo On2, or if you want to improve your body movement, this is the studio to come to. Check out Frankie’s classes, he is the best!

We are learning to dance! I probably should wait until we’re further into this and more familiar with this new (to us) world of partner dance, but we’ve had four classes here (after two intro classes at a competitor dance studio, which wasn’t as good a match for us), and I’m going to get some initial thoughts down now, which I can always add to later.
We both always thought since we like to move and can stay alive on the dance floor respectably, partner dance would be within easy range for us, however we find this is a whole new skill set. Our fearless instructor, Cindi, has gotten us started with basic Rumba, Swing, Waltz and a little Cha Cha Cha, and it’s been quite interesting. I find the process to be a challenge, and fun in moments when something clicks. I am finding it is a practice of humility and patience (in a good way) to work at letting go of having to be good right away. My wonderful partner, is also navigating similar challenges, though he is apparently more rhythmically inclined than yours truly. But I know I will pick things up, even if it takes some time.
Ah but this is supposed to be a review of the studio, so let me refocus! You Should Be Dancing!!! is a pleasant, sunny, clean, airy environment, run by friendly, welcoming instructors, and other staff. The studio is biggish, with three main dance rooms, and we’ve often had a whole room to ourselves for our private lessons, though that’s not required. We have yet to participate in group classes, but have observed them and they always seem to be of manageable size. We met the owner, (Tammy, I think) on our first visit, and she was friendly and lovely. They seem to have a smoothly run, well organized operation going, and the check in before lessons, and settling up afterwards processes are always easy and efficient.
In the evenings, the space transforms into a club environment, with practice party events held frequently, as well as showcases and and other dance events. We went to our first practice party recently, and since it coincided with my birthday, brought along some friends we’d been at dinner with. Fun was had by all. It was cool because after only three classes, we were actually able to participate here and there, and it was a festive, fun atmosphere, with good music and booze provided by the Blarney Stone housed in the first floor of the same building (which apparently owns the dance studio space and thus the collaboration). Our instructor, encouraged us to prepare for the party by getting a few basics under our belts, and this was a great motivator to stay focused and practice at home.
And the prices are fair. slightly lower than Fred Astaire & Dance Manhattan, which I believe are their two main competitors. We liked YSBD! better than FA (though that was a perfectly respectable experience as well), and from the research I did, I had the impression that DM is a bit more hardcore, hip and young, and we were looking for a patient comfy vibe, so we may check out some of their workshops if/​when we’re a bit further along. So far, so good with our partner dance project, with the help of Cindi and YSBD! and I will update as things unfold.

This place has kind, patient instructors and a friendly and talented group of regulars. It’s okay if you’ve never danced before, they don’t bite.

I came on a saturday night for a workshop with Dragan for argentine tango. He was great with teaching voltados. Not easy but he would analyze each person’s errors and try to correct them so that helped me a lot.
I also loved the place. They had a place in the middle for coats and two rooms, one on each side. One with Nuevo and one with traditional music. I loved it. When you get bored with one, you switch to the other. It’s also great cuz you get to dance with two different worlds of people, allowing for more things to be learned from the different experience.

Can’t believe this place only has 6 reviews when the place is packed with at least 75 people every Thursday night?!
Come here for the insanely well-​valued lesson at 8pm (level 4 @ 412 8^th Avenue [31^st St; SE corner]) and then stay from 9pm to 1am. Things get crowded sometimes beyond comfort between 10 and 11:30pm but otherwise it’s good fun and the bartender (‘Sevens’ I think) is nice to talk to. Don’t be scared if you’re new — that’s what the lesson is for!

I took salsa classes here for a few months earlier this year. I mostly took classes with Frankie Martinez (world-​renowned salsa dancer/​instructor) but I also had a couple other good teachers sub in while he was away. They also hold a great salsa social every other Friday (2^nd and 4^th Fridays, I believe) — $ 11, great music (mostly salsa with some cha cha), great large space, and good dancers.
As for the classes, the Afro-​Caribbean body movement/​isolation class is my favorite but I’ve heard others complain that it’s just watching and imitating Frankie for 90 minutes as he gives no instruction. Valid criticism worth mentioning. The spinning class was very challenging but definitely good to do on a regular basis. The cha cha and arm styling classes were a bit too advanced for me but I found the content to be very good.
A few notes about the classes:
— They ALWAYS start late. Sometimes 5 minutes late, often 15 minutes late. I found this very frustrating because I would rush to class then sit around for 15 minutes, waiting for the previous class to end. Also makes for post-​class planning difficult since the start/​end time varies
— Occassionally, when the class would start late, it wouldn’t end later so I felt I missed out.
— Frankie is a funny guy but spends quite a bit of time talking and telling jokes which you may find frustrating if you really just want to learn a turn pattern

You Should Be Dancing and Club 412. Great place, Great location!
This place serves as a dance studio by day, teaching beginner dancers how to Salsa, Hustle, Tango, etc.
Then becomes a party haven for people to come out and practice their moves.
Almost every night of the week they have something going on.
Salsa partys, Tango partys, etc.
Last night some friends and I went out to a West Coast Swing party there.
They had a live band, Great dancers, and a complimentary Tea tasting.
It was a swinging good time.
Would recommend to any dancer friends.

If you didn’t know what you were looking for, you’d never find this place. It’s unmarked from the outside (to my knowledge). Once you get upstairs though, the floor is really nice. I do agree with the other comments that the «expert» dancers typically stay on the left side, so if you are feeling a bit self-​conscious the right side might be for you.
I dance on «1» so am learning to dance with New Yorkers, who dance on «2». So, it was a bit intimidating. The music was great! They played some cha-​cha as well. The songs were pretty fast as well.
It was fun. I had a good time dancing with my friend. I only danced with one other guy, so the guys could be more open to asking females, but you do get into that whole «studio» mindset where people only want to dance with really good «on 2» dancers.