We had a ballet birthday party here (Magnolia location) for our 5 year old. Teacher Heather lead the class of kids, with a Frozen, K-Pop Demon Hunters, Chappell Roan leaning playlist, by request. Heather was warm and welcoming to all the new dancers, and soon had them engaged with games, movement and lots of playful ballet. A really nice and enthusiastic energy, even for the reluctant dancers. We had cupcakes and a bit more play, and it was a comfortable and easy environment for a great birthday party for young kids. Highly recommend for a birthday party! read more

Consistently great classes, and wonderful teachers. We most recently took intro to ballroom and it was not only an amazing class, but also affordable and a small class size. I can't say enough good things about Julia the instructor. She made us feel so comfortable and made things fun. I will absolutely be back to take another class from her! read more

I absolutely love ADI! As an adult who started dance a couple years ago, this is the best studio I've found. The instructors are so knowledgeable, patient and helpful and don't make you feel bad for being a beginner. I've taken ballet, tap and hip hop since I got hooked on dance at ADI! read more

Before covid I was taking beginner ballet classes at another studio but after it closed, they did not resume lessons virtually. I did some Google searching for an alternative and came across the 30 Day Ballet program from American Dance Institute. I took the first class that was offered free, and really enjoyed it so I decided to purchase the program. I am 3 weeks into the course, and I absolutely love it! I can already feel myself getting stronger and making progress in all the barre and centre work. I look forward to class and the teacher is just lovely. She takes time to explain everything really well at the very beginner level, and the classes build gradually on what you have been learning. I look forward to going back and retaking many of the classes after I am finished with the course. Thank you so much for making this program available to us while we are limited to learning ballet at home! read more

American Dance Institute - Dance Schools Near Me - Seattle, Washington

ELIZABETH YOU ARE A FRAUD! YOU NEVER ONCE REACHED OUT TO ME!! THERE WAS NO ATTENMPT TO CONTACT- now with MORE of your lies: 1) the building is old with cracks/creeks and NO- the floors are NOT professionally cleaned and steamed- if her special ed person doesn't show up she makes the receptionist do it with NO instructions and OLD equipment!! 2) I would LOVE to challenge/ race you- you are elderly and a sick crook and I'd like to prove it. 3) your COPY/ PASTE replies to complaints are B U L L S H I T. You treat your staff like garbage, bankrupt parents, and LIE about your studio and experience: Shame on you!!! DO YOURSELVES A FAVOR AND LOOK ELSEWHERE! Elizabeth ( owner) takes advantage of parents, and acts extremely pretentious which is ironic because this place is no doubt on the verge of closing. Everything is old, it smells musky, horrible customer service- owner treats her reception staff poorly and forces them to do tasks outside of their job description while under paying them. They are miserable and it shows. Elizabeth, you are absolutely terrible and your studio is a RIP OFF. Your studio is NOT professionally cleaned like you claim. Time to retire l read more

The classes and staff are professional and organized. The classes start on time and ends on time. Kids love going there for dance lessons. There are at least 2 classrooms in the greenwood branch, with bathroom, changing room, and cubbies, and waiting area. It is not big, but cozy and nice. Teachers allow kids to borrow school's tap dance shoes, it is nice! since kids feet grow so fast, it is a waste to buy new ones. We were allowed to take those shoes home too. It is close to the library, so we always go there before and after. Hope the back-in-the-alley parking lot is bigger... as it is always full. We just park on the street or at the library. read more

Both my daughters have been taking classes at ADI for many years, and we've loved it. The teachers are patient and caring, as well as knowledgeable. It is a small staff so you really get to know everyone. Everyone works hard to make the studio a success. I took one star off because the website and registration process leaves something to be desired. Despite being a repeat family for many years, I find the process to locate the schedule, register for and then pay for classes to be overly complicated and something that could be easily fixed. read more

If you want a dance education, to be a part of a family, and fall in love with dance go to American Dance Institute. If you want to move to LA and be in music videos go to Westlake Dance Center. If you want to take classes from dancers in local companies go to Velocity Dance Center. I was one of those kids that spent their whole childhood dancing at my local studio south of Seattle. I went to college for dance, switched to education and joined the college dance company. I've taught recreation/fitness dance for 10 years, but stopped taking dance classes after college because I couldn't find that studio family I was looking for. I just recently started dancing again and I'm IN LOVE with American Dance Institute. I feel welcomed, I don't feel the competition I normally feel at other Seattle studios, and I feel like an artist again. This is the studio that I'll continue dancing at until I'm 90, will send my future kids to, and will grow to love more with each and every year. I'm currently taking Tap, Jazz & Modern with Abby and I feel like I'm receiving a college level education in dance. She provides useful imagery examples to comprehend correct technique, she differentiates instruction for each student who all vary in experience, she reads the room well, provides all students with feedback in a positive way and most importantly makes her students feel confident and enjoy their time in class. I'm also taking hip hop with Tracey and she is just one of those wonderful people that always makes you smile. She has a large knowledge base of the history of hip hop, the various styles and knows how to kick your butt into shape. It is really silly, but I feel really cool her in class, which is probably what you should feel when you are dancing this style. Again, if you want a proper education and to be a part of a family, this is the place to go. I'm so excited I took the leap (like my dance pun?) and joined this dance studio. read more

My daughter is from Ky and has been taking Ballet since she was 5 ..now she is 12 and she has learn more from the On Line classes at American Dance Institute then she has I think for the 7 yrs of Ky training. They push her and she loves that. Great place and on line..zoom ...zoom...zoom...and very nice!!!! We are signing up for fall!!!Thank you for your great teachers!!! read more

Okay. I'll admit I tried this place out because I bought a Groupon. Looked at the site, and was pleased to see they had adult hip hop classes, and thought those would be fun to try. Now, I've never taken a dance class before, and assumed beginner meant just that, someone inexperienced in taking dance classes. I was wrong, and admit I could have asked for more clarification before I signed up and came in. Barely fit my car in the little parking lot in back, had to repark twice, and thus arrived three minutes late. In that time class had started, so I stood back, stretched, watched what was going on. It was at that point I realized I had made a mistake. I'd say 75% of the class had obviously taken dance lessons before, and the pace of the class was set as such. I was having trouble just keeping from tripping myself, and most everyone else was moving gracefully around. It was a little disheartening, you know? Needless to say, I just never made the effort to go back. Between the trip there from Bothell, the parking and my rank inexperience, it just wasn't right for me. However, I'd recommend this place for people experienced in the realm of dancing that want to take a class. The instructor was good, if how fast the other students caught on is a sign, and the people who register you for classes are absolutely amazing. In short: If you're looking for classes like those at the Y, don't come here expecting to jump right in. It may be a bit difficult. read more

After jumping through multiple hoops to attempt to get my 4 year old daughter enrolled in a Saturday dance class, it was a pleasure to find American Dance Institute. A simple email exchange got everything set up and all I had to do was mail a check before class started to confirm enrollment. No standing in line for hours, or having to show up on a workday mid-afternoon. Yay! American Dance has a simple registration system that works for families with working parents who can't show up in person to register their child mid-day in the middle of the week. And, they have Saturday classes! And Ms. Ines is fabulous with the kids. read more

Hosted my child's 5th birthday party last weekend at American Dance Institute and could not have been happier. All of the kids had a great time and Amanda, who led the party, really went out of her way to tailor the music and dancing to my child's specific tastes. There was lots of rooms for the kids to run around and space for parents to hang out and watch. The party was a really competitive value when looking for a place to host 10-20 kids and I couldn't recommend it more. Thank you Amanda, you really made my child's day!!! read more

We just finished our parent and toddler class with Miss Alyssa. As a former early educator with a little one who is on the tender/sensitive side, I believe we couldn't have had a better experience and teacher. It was a creative, casual environment where our daughter could watch the other children and adults until she was comfortable participating. Additionally, our daughter went from observing most of the time to doing all the movements and songs at home and participating in the entire class. As parents, it was truly rewarding watching our daughter gain confidence and enthusiasm in expressing herself through dance in front of others. Miss Alyssa is warm, personable, and knows how to involve and engage the toddlers with their different personalities. She keeps things moving along, with enough predictability for the toddlers to anticipate the next part of the class. I had other friends do the parent and toddler class, and when they hear about our class experience, they say they wish they had Miss Alyssa too! I can't say enough positive things about her, especially if you have a slow-to-warm little one as we do. This was a wonderful experience for our whole family. Our daughter gained so much confidence and excitement for creative movement through this experience. Thanks, ADI and Miss Alyssa! We hope to be back. read more

My kids have been at ADI for almost 7 years now and we love it! This isn't a flashy, showy or competitive dance school like you see on TV. ADI is a warm, welcoming, nurturing atmosphere. There are lots of different classes for all ages and levels to choose from - parent/toddler, creative, tap, ballet, Irish, hip hop, contemporary, jazz and musical theater (and more). They offer a free trial class with absolutely no pressure to sign up. The classes not only teach them how to dance, but everyone is also having fun, making friends and building self confidence. They have two dance studios and each has a comfortable watching/waiting area for parents, family members or other caregivers. The facility is clean. I appreciate that they steam clean the studios daily and use non-toxic cleaners throughout the facility. The school's director truly treats everyone like family and the rest of the staff is incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. They are also quite accommodating! If you need to start mid-session or miss a class, they'll work with you. This is the only place we've taken classes that allows for a make up class. Parking can be hectic in Greenwood but they have a small lot behind the school and there is usually street parking on 80th or Greenwood. There is a coffee shop diagonally across the street so you can grab a drink while your little one dances and the Greenwood library is also right across the street if you need to keep a sibling busy during class. I highly recommend checking out their online schedule and taking a trial class. read more

See all

My daughter likes it. She's only taking one class, though. I think the 'AYCE' dance classes deal is an interesting idea. read more

Great place for dance and it's too bad my toddler wasn't interested. We signed up for the trial class and the dance teacher was awesome. I would definitely look into other dance classes for myself in the future! read more

I take adult hip hop dance class with Morgan, and I highly recommend him. He's very patient, encouraging and passionate about teaching. The class syllabus is well thought out and executed. Level I is set up to familiarize us with the variety of hip hop dance and relatively simple combos. Each class we learn about a branch of hip hop dance, pick up some basic moves and do a combo to a song of that branch. At the end of the class we have the freestyling part. Everyone dance as they like and it brings all good vibes. I always feel cheered up after the class. Thanks! read more

My 9 year old daughter has been taking dance class at American Dance Institute for about 8 months. She loves her class and teacher, Miss Tara. They learn technique, musicality, rhythm, as well as teamwork. I find the atmosphere supportive and non-competitive. The philosophy is to nurture a love of dance and movement. The teaching is upbeat, fun, and encouraging. I highly recommend ADI! read more

I started dancing ballet when I was three at Spectrum. Since then I've taken creative dance, jazz, tap, swing, salsa, and for 13 years now flamenco. From Dance Underground, to Century Ballroom I've taken all over town. I've been at American Dance Institute for four years taking flamenco classes with Rubina Carmona. What a dream come true!!! The most cost effective by far, *excellent* instruction, kind people in all the administration, and live music! Plus we participate in the local art walks. Truly as good as it gets for me. The diversity of classes offered, the facility, and the quality of instruction are ideal. read more

We are very happy with the toddler parent classes! Not only is our budding ballerina thrilled every morning there is class, but she also practices throughout the week. Ms. Inez makes the class so fun, and really keeps the children interested. We love American Dance Institute. read more

Not happy a friend of mine met one of the dance instructors and she said she was interested in meeting me and having me join one of her classes. I called three times she has not called me back... So screw dat.... read more

My wife has been dancing here 3 times a week for 2 years recreationally. We have met some of our best friends here and everyone is very friendly! She loves the quality of instruction and there is enough variation I always keep it interesting. A few times a year they even have "recitals" as part of the neighborhood art walk, and the place is packed! read more

I love this dance school! As a "used-to-be-a-dancer-now-revisiting-the passion" person, the atmosphere here is very welcoming and not stuffy or chilly at all. I wish i had gone back to dance through this school years ago, because now I know what I've been missing :) I take the flamenco class and Rubina Carmona is just wonderful, as a teacher and a person. I intend to take many more classes there, and look forward to it! read more

It's easy to register, you can try out a class for free, and they have tons of different times for each class available. Teachers seem to be well educated and friendly. We have participated in the parent/toddler class. The space is nice, like a "real" dance studio for the kiddos and the space above allows you to watch their class (if you're not participating). Also, very comparable rates for similar sessions. read more

Members of our family have taken various classes here. Teachers have always been at least acceptable, usually very good. My only real complaint was one (very young) hip-hop teacher who had the music so loud that he couldn't even shout instructions over it. It's a class, not a club, kid. That was several years ago, so probably not still a problem. Now, if only they'd offer Punk Rawk Ballet so you could get away from that tinkly piano music ballet classes always use... read more

My daughter is 4 and attends the Friday evening class. Its ridiculously adorable and the teacher is so sweet and knowledgeable. It`s not only my little one`s favorite time of the week, but mine too. read more

If your child or teen is interested in dance/movement- this is the place. It has enough professional level elements (the teachers, the dress code, the performances) for it to feel "real" but none of the exclusivity of dance classes where expressing oneself is discouraged. Just the right mix of dance, exploring and fun. My teen daughter has taken tons of classes since she was 5- ballet, jazz. hip hop- as she changes interests frequently- which is a good thing!! The teachers are REALLY good dancers in their own right! read more

My daughter has taken pre-Irish, and now Irish, and a creative dance class for a birthday party where we rented a Studio at ADI for a couple of hours. In all cases, I was impressed with the instructors...and they are great with the kids. The office is very helpful and responsive as well. The prices are reasonable. From my experience with the classes we've taken, they focus on teaching the dance and not doing showy performances with fancy costumes (where your child is on stage for 3 minutes). My daughter is enjoying dance and learning a lot. I'm definitely a fan. Now I am taking adult Irish dance. I've never danced before and the teacher is great about giving me steps to work on at my level, while also teaching the other people in the class at their level. read more

My three year old daughter took her first per-ballet classes here a few months back. The instruction was very laid back. A focus on listening to instructions and following through with your body, building balance, and improving coordination. They weren't teaching any real ballet positions but I think that approach makes a lot of sense for this age and my daughter felt like a real dancer and loved the classes. We took a break in the summer to enjoy the rare chance to get some exercise outside but are planning to sign up again this fall and I would recommend it to any parent looking for a low stress but fun introduction to dance. The filtered reviews show that lots of other people have had similar experiences. read more

My daughter is in the parents/toddlers program. She loves going to class. The atmosphere is casual, relaxing and fun. Not too crowded. Registration was easy. The school is great with communication- quick response via email and phone. The price is very reasonable and you are allowed to make up missed class. read more

My daughter (now 6) has taken several creative dance classes here (age 4-5) and is now taking a pre-ballet/tap combo that she enjoys. Ms. Inez is a great teacher who makes class fun and is able to keep them on track with humor and gentle corrections. Participating in the Greenwood Seafair Parade was a highlight! The office is generally responsive and registration is easy. They have viewing areas for parents above the studios, which is a plus. read more

We were delighted at the recital on June 14. This was for the 3:50 Tuesday class of mostly 6 year olds. The class was so graceful and attentive. The girls had certainly learned to perform plies, tandu, truns, and bows. In the year since the last recital class had visibly improved. They wore tutus and at the end had butterfly wings which added charm and an etheral touch to dancing. Judtih Miller read more

My 10 year old daughter wanted to take Hip-hop classes and so we tried out at the American Dance Institute. She was very positively surprised. The teacher is full of great energy and makes these girls sweat (just watch the warm-up sequence and you know what I mean). Every week now she's looking forward to dance class. We're really glad we found this place. read more

I was going to rate ADI for 4 stars, but I decided on 5 to counter Corey's 2-star rating. (I don't understand how a person's singular negative experience amounts to an unhelpful and unfair remark/rating, especially when the negative experience was from their own emotional response to the situation - NOT what the company itself caused. Why is Yelp so often used to punish local businesses in passive-aggressive ways?) That said, I've greatly enjoyed the various adult classes I've taken here throughout the years. The teachers are knowledgeable and worked with my own feet-tripping skill level. You just have to ask for help, laugh for fun, and don't give up. read more

Excellent. Classes are small, fun, non-competitive yet focus on achieving core skills. Staff and director are very attentive to the students and welcome feedback from parents. An excellent school for children with a casual interest in dance or ones who want to pursue it seriously. ADI is also an active part of the community and joins in during neighborhood festivals. read more

I started taking ballet at American Dance Institute about a year ago, as I wanted to start taking class again after a long break from formal dance training. As a performance artist, my goal has been to get strong on pointe again so that I can perform difficult choreography. What I have found at ADI over the last year is a place I can feel at "dance home." I have found it to be quite unique in that I really have not experienced any judgmental attitudes that sometimes come with taking ballet and other forms of dance. I have learned a lot about how to improve my balance, control, strength, and stability from several different teachers. I still primarily take class at American Dance Institute, unless my work schedule doesn't allow me to. I have come a long way on my goal to get stronger on pointe and I choose to continue to work on it here because of the positivity of the staff other students. I have found that there will always be things I will struggle with in ballet (and modern) but this is really a place where I feel safe to "fight for it," as one of my teachers says because the other adults around me are also in tights and trying their best! Whatever level, I highly recommend giving ADI a try. p.s. I finally got to dance in a tutu.. at the Greenwood ArtWalk!!! read more

My five year old daughter currently takes pre-ballet at ADI, and prior to that took creative dance. Both experiences have been fantastic, and she looks forward to class each week. She has had several teachers, since we've done "make-up" days (which they are amazing at accommodating) and there have been times when her teacher has a sub. Regardless of who teaches, the class is marked by spiritedness, collaboration, and a sense of joy. Amy, her regular teacher, is a natural with the kids, and her style is focused, warm, steady, and encouraging. I highly recommend this school for beginning dancers. read more

I've been dancing at ADI for more than six years and my daughter has taken toddler, ballet and tap classes over the years. It's a terrific, friendly studio with really talented teachers. The adult contemporary/modern classes are fantastic. Instructor Rebecca Barney is a marvelous dancer and member of a highly regarded local company, and brings a ton of energy and great choreography to her classes. There is plenty of attention to technique, but the classes are a lot of fun and joking around as well. The school's website, despite multiple efforts to redesign it, continues to be a pretty overwhelming mess. But the women running the office are super nice, helpful and worth a call if you get stalled online. read more

I don't know anything about dance, but my extremely active (handful) almost-4-year-old daughter really enjoys her Creative Dance class and I am really looking forward to her recital. Her friend just had a birthday party here; the boys and girls all seemed to have a lot of fun and the family members were comfortable and had a good time too. read more

My daughter loves pre-ballet at American Dance. When given the choice to join her friends at another dance studio she turned them down in order to stay at American dance Institute even when she doesn't have any of her friends there. Ms Inez is wonderful and so is Ms Sabrina. The way that Ms Inez teaches the girls is so effortless and the girls have so much fun. The teachers are great with getting the girls to rehearse what they have previously learnt and very responsive to parents too. It was easy to enrol online and Ms Kelsey responds within a day to email. It is refreshing to have my 4 year old in a pre-ballet class that is so accommodating and not uptight like a lot of Seattle dance studios. We love ADI! read more