Starlight Dance Studio

I have taken salsa classes there for many years and I honestly think it is a great place to learn. David is a great instructor who is extremely nice and talented.

First, this is a review for the studio and specifically for West Coast (WCS) with Parker.
First the studio– you need to know a) that no one will get back to you, at least not for a long while and not with anything helpful, if you call or write them. If you want to go, just go to the class you want the 1^st week of the month. b) the Unilocal deal if for instructors, not contractors, and there is no good way to know which. WCS and Parker were a contractor, but as the Unilocal deal said no exclusions and I had bought 2, I pushed it and they did let me use it. However, this wasn’t a pleasant start to things. Once you get there the studio itself is large and nice, but parking can be tough.
Second, the Beginner WCS class wasn’t like any other beginner class I’ve been to. (And due to injuries unrelated to dance I’ve been to many across the world.) There was no discussion of fun, connection, or repetition of moves. It seemed like an intermediate class at many points, with moves taught that were new to me (after many years of dancing) and which overwhelmed the friend I brought.
After a month, I’m sure we both learned a lot. If you are an intermediate dancer, you can take the beginner class free. Everyone else was intermediate and this class was clearly taught to brush up the intermediate dancers. If that’s you, you might love this.
If you are a beginner, I cannot recommend this class unless you are a professional dancer or want to be. It is very large, you almost never dance with an instructor or get any personal attention, and it focuses on learning many many patterns very quickly. It’s just not a supportive, fun environment. It’s work. Maybe after a class or two somewhere else, this would be a good way to learn new moves.
The clearest thing I can say. I brought a total beginner hoping to instill a love of WCS in them so we could dance together. After a month at Starlight they never wanted to come dancing West Coast ever again. After one day at another studio, they finally smiled while dancing and said they would love to try again.
I would go back as an intermediate dancer because they have a dance after class, but wouldn’t bring a beginner and will look for other dances.

Great instructors for different dances, and the only studio in town that have Brazilian Zouk classes!

I lived in Los Angeles for many years but made often trips to San Diego, including visits to Starlight. Michael Kiehm, the owner, is probably one of the most kind and generous dance professionals I’ve encountered, both as an instructor and as a studio owner. Now that I live in San Diego I’m at Starlight several times week dance and feel fortunate to count Starlight as my dance home. Thank you, Michael, for providing and maintaining such a wonderful dance center for the San Diego dance community!

We love Michael Kiehm and starlight so much. Great lessons daytime and evenings.

I’m the kind of guy who thinks dancing is pretty gay. This guy makes it cool and fun and YO that’s saying ALOT! peace.

I don’t have any experiences with other dance studios since these were the first dance lessons we’ve ever taken. But, I do have experience with customer service and everyone at Starlight makes it a priority! They treat you like family (the good kind, not the dysfunctional kind).
The studio is always clean, plenty of space on the dance floor, and the instructors are top notch. The only minor inconvenience is parking — depending on when you go it can be crowded (Sundays are bad because there are 2 churches in the mall and evenings can be bad due to the restaurant).
If you do private lessons we highly recommend Brandy; she’s a great person and even better instructor. We never feel like she’s criticizing us but instead truly wants to see us get better. Plus she has a way of explaining the steps and the reasoning behind them so that you «get it».

Now 4 times as big as when it originally started, this place has long been known for quality dance instruction and fun parties attracting many of the best local dancers. Whether it’s ballroom, tango, west coast swing, or salsa, this is one of the first places to consider for classes or for dances open to the public. This is also the home studio of Majesty In Motion salsa dance performance company — and Project Swing. If you need dance shoes, Carmen’s Dance Shoes is next door.

I’m surprised that I haven’t already written a review on Starlight yet as I’m here at least twice a week for Salsa with Majesty in Motion (they rock!)
I guess there isn’t a whole lot to say except that the floor (both spaces) is very nice and large enough to support over 100 people, the air-​conditioning very strong, the lighting bright and the parking ample.
Not sure what else I can say, but I’m definitely a fan!

I remember Michael Kiehm when we were hot disco dancers back in the day! He has always been an über talented dancer, and he is a first-​rate teacher. Not all good dancers make good teachers, but he did. The studio is spacious, the classes are fun. If you have the urge to burn up the floor, this is a great place to learn.

I have taken classes at this studio and it is a great space to learn. There are two big rooms and plenty of parking. There are so many classes to choose from and styles. I think Michael Kiehm is a great instructor and very personable. I know there are people who drive from North County just to take classes here!

Love this place… Ronnie and Nancy are great for the two step class and Parker is excellent for the west coast swing. They offer an array of classes for just 10 bucks each or 35 for the month. All of their instructors are good. If you want to become an instructor they also have a class for that. Go try it out! See you there. Oh yeah and they also have an open dance class Friday’s that starts at 715 and goes until everyone leaves 11pm I think. It is predominantly WCS.

Went on a second Saturday, West Coast Swing night. Earl Pingle’s dance. Jack Smith was Dj’ing, playing old school, funk and top 40’s. The sort of music I like to dance to.
Attendance was around 50 – 75 dancers, a few came from LA to dance.
The dance floor is ample, could fit easily twice as many dancers. Long and narrow dance floor, great for ballroom traveling dances like the waltz. AC is great. There is a smaller dance floor next to the entrance and snacks and drinks are offered with your entrance fee of $ 7. They were welcoming and there was another San Francisco dancer there, who I knew… small dance world. Ample parking.