My husband got me lessons to Ballroom Dance Chicago as a birthday present: we planned to get married as soon as it was legal in Illinois, and we wanted to be prepared to foxtrot for our first dance! The amazing BDC team, particularly Matthew, turned us into very good dancers indeed -- but even better, they taught us to love dancing and have a lot of fun doing it. We took lessons for a few months before the big day. Though the wedding was looming Matthew was always a breath of fresh air, never stressing us out or pushing us too far. But despite his casual and friendly demeanor, he is an excellent and thorough instructor. We learned quite a lot, and really quickly. And then, at our wedding, we knocked our guests' socks off with our dance. We still hear about it today, a year after the wedding -- that's how good it was! And it was entirely choreographed and taught to us by Matthew. Now, a year later, my husband and I still go to dance lessons every week. Dancing at Ballroom Dance Chicago is incredibly fun, and they make it seem easy and effortless to learn a new and difficult skill. Since starting, we've done more than learn foxtrot. Now we can swing, bachata, waltz, tango, and we're learning salsa and rumba. It's been an exciting adventure to learn new all these dances, and it's brought me and my husband even closer together than before. Everyone at BDC is an incredible talent when it comes to dancing: we've seen all the instructors bust out some amazing moves, and we've watched students (and we ourselves) progress rapidly from rank amateurs to looking great on a dance floor. We consider ourselves lucky to have found them through their sterling Yelp reviews, and so hope to pass on the torch to other couples lucky enough to find them. If you're considering ballroom dancing for your wedding, or even just for fun, then congratulations! Your search is over. This is the place you want to go and these are the people you want teaching you. Enjoy yourself... we definitely did! read more

This review is primarily for guys who, like me, have managed to get thru life demurring when your significant other (or date) gives you that meaningful glance when the music strikes up and couples hit the dance floor. Now, while you may be confident that it's "no big deal" to sit it out, I would like to suggest that you are missing out on moments of special love and joy with your partner who wants to have you hold her/him in your arms on the dance floor. I too had a lifelong fear of dancing. One of my kids was getting married and so I told my wife that on such an occasion I would finally confront my fear and really dance with her, not just shuffle my feet in place on the floor. Our son recommended Ballroom Dance Chicago and I tried it. Like anything worthwhile in life, you have to be willing to learn - and if you are ready to make that commitment then definitely go to BDC. Matthew and his team are the most loving, nurturing, patient, and talented dancer instructors on Earth. Even a klutz like me can catch on and learn to dance! The wedding event which started this journey for me is long past. And we're still taking lessons - now learning the Rumba for heaven's sake !! Why you my ask? Well I experienced something truly amazing. My wife and I have been married for 35 years. When I took her in my arms at our first dance lesson and looked into her eyes - it was like we were 19 again; I felt like a kid on my first date with a beautiful girl. I kid you not.. So listen up brothers: Dance lessons from BDC are a hell of a lot cheaper than couples therapy - way funner...lots more romantic! Get off your butt and try it! read more

My fiance and I are getting married on June 7th and have been taking lessons for the last 9 weeks with Liz. She has been a dream to work with and we couldn't have made the progress that we've done without her lessons! I figured since we were getting married, it would be the perfect time to get these lessons underway (as cliche as it is before a wedding) as my fiance could only do the classic 'fist pump' for dancing in fast songs, or rocking for slow songs. We've always liked to see others swing dance or dance together as a couple with the faster-beat songs, and this was the perfect opportunity to broaden our dance skills. I can honestly say that we are so well prepared to dance our first dance as well as many other dances in only 9 weeks! We literally started with the lead-follow 101 steps during the first couple of lessons. We can swing dance now like we've been doing it for years without a heavily choreographed dance. It's all free-flow and he can swing me and dip me when ever he feels like it, which makes the dance more "ours" than something a dance instructor made us memorized. I would definitely recommend this studio for the lessons. These are private lessons and the cost is absolutely reasonable compared to a lot of other dance studios that we found around the studio. Plus, we were attracted to this studio since they are all private lessons, rather than putting us into group most of the time. We are, however, about to join in on a monthly group dance showcase this Friday, and we're so excited to show off what we know now! Can't wait to show our family and friends our new dance skills next week! read more

My wife and I asked Ballroom Dance Chicago to help us choreograph our first dance for our wedding. Ever since, when our friends tell us about their upcoming weddings, they always apologetically say something like, "Well, our dance isn't going to be as good as yours, but...." And my suggestion to them is always to get in touch with the folks at BDC. What we appreciated most was how attentive Matthew and Kathryn were to our personal goals, which included putting on a good show. They helped us select from a few candidate songs based on which ones lended themselves to more exciting choreography. Over the several months we spent working with them, they crafted an exciting dance for us that was both realistic for our skill level and packed with finishes that--as they predicted--drew cheers, oooohs, and applause from our guests. I can't imagine a better, more personalized experience. Ballroom Dance Chicago gave us premium instruction. Though we hadn't danced much before, we loved it so much that we've continued taking lessons there ever since our wedding. My caution to prospective students is that you might just find yourself with a new hobby on your hands. read more

Ballroom Dance Chicago (BDC) is AMAZING!!! I really cannot say enough good things about them. If you need dance lessons BDC is the THE place to go. We took lessons for our first dance at our wedding but we enjoyed it so much that we are continuing to take lessons with BDC. I cannot believe how much we learned from them. Everyone at our wedding raved about how amazing our first dance was and people still talk about it now. It was one of the best parts of our wedding. And we both started out with zero dance skills. We took lessons for 5 months, approximately once a week but increased that to two lessons a week in the few weeks before the wedding. It was impressive to see how much we learned/advanced from the first lesson to wedding. Also, the group here is so warm and friendly and inviting. We were always so happy to go to our lessons because they have created such a fun and welcoming atmosphere. As others have mentioned, they also have great parties periodically, which are a lot of fun. All in all, BDC has been a great experience. It has added a new dimension to our lives and we're enjoying continuing our dance lessons now that we're married! read more

I love Ballroom Dance Chicago! My fiancée and I decided to get serious about putting together a choreographed first dance for our wedding in July, but neither or us had any dance experience. We decided to approach Ballroom Dance Chicago as they offered a free consultation and basic lesson, and we were paired with Liz. From the moment we entered the studio, she and all the rest of the staff were professional and welcoming. Liz is wonderful, and only a week after we settled on a first dance song she had choreographed the whole thing! My fiancée and I were touched that she was so excited to work with us, and every lesson is both challenging and invigorating as we push ourselves to master the footwork. Moreover, our dance lessons have become something that my fiancée and I look forward to, and dancing is a wonderful skill that brings couples together. I can't wait for my wedding where my fiancée and I can show off the fruits of our labor and shine on the dance floor for our guests! So in short: go to Ballroom Dance Chicago! What are you waiting for?!? read more

We signed up for dance lessons for our upcoming wedding, not knowing exactly what we wanted out of it, except to feel comfortable for our first dance. I had taken several dance lessons in the past and my fiance never had, so we had varied levels of training. We were paired up with Liz, who listened to our song and created a dance that was easy for us to learn but provided room to do the moves that we liked best. We took about eight lessons and now feel fully confident to perform our dance in two days! The environment was always laid back and Liz was very patient with us, going over moves we've already learned and giving constructive feedback. The entire staff was very friendly to us and we always felt completely comfortable during our lessons. We are going back to learn other dances (Salsa!) after our wedding because we always have fun when we go. It doesn't hurt that they offer wine upon arrival to loosen the guests up. You will not be disappointed with this company. They are fantastic! read more

My husband and I have been taking lessons at their Lake View location for almost three years with Matthew, Cathy and Lydia at one time or another. All of them are terrific teachers. Anyone can teach you how to move your feet, but beyond that, all of them are also genuinely interested in your being comfortable with the experience and having a good time, as they firmly believe that dancing should be fun. They are super patient with my klutziness and never make us feel bad if we don't get something immediately. The atmosphere in the studio is fun and relaxed, with frequent laughter. To my amazement, we've learned several types of swing, foxtrot, waltz, rumba, tango, and salsa well enough so that we can be confident and have fun at dances and parties. Plus it's great exercise. We highly recommend Ballroom Dance Chicago. read more

As my husband and I began planning for our wedding, one of the things we knew we wanted to have was a choreographed first dance. We tried out a few studios, but ended up going with Ballroom Dance Chicago. From our initial meeting with Cathy, we just clicked. She was so fun to work with and really helped us make our vision come to life. After months of hard work, being able to do our first dance in front of our friends and families was definitely one of the higher points of our wedding day. I highly recommend Ballroom Dance Chicago. Their staff is friendly and professional - not to mention great dancers and just fun to hang out with. It's clear they're passionate about what they do and want their clients to look and feel amazing when they're dancing. We can't wait to go back and lean more dance styles and moves. read more

My husband and I came to BDC about six weeks before our wedding with the goal of learning a first-dance routine that would hold our wedding guests' attention. We had no prior dance experience, but we accomplished that, and much much more! We had so much fun that we kept coming back after the wedding, and now, four years later, we still look forward to our private lessons with Matthew and to the practice parties that the studio hosts. BDC's teaching philosophy is to teach not only particular steps and patterns, but also to teach the skills of social dance and the joy of partnered movement. Matthew and his team have curated a unique physical and artistic space that truly nourishes the soul. My only regret is that I wish we had started dancing with BDC much, much earlier! read more

We give our highest recommendation to Ballroom Dance Chicago Loft, and specifically the amazing instruction we received from Josh! We (my wife and I) worked with Josh on a choreographed first dance for our wedding. Working with Josh was fun and easy, and the result was spectacular. Josh invests in building a customized program for each couple, he listened to our input, and helped us design the perfect dance for us (not a standard or stock set of lessons). We looked at multiple options for first dance lessons in the Chicago area, and after our experience, are absolutely confident we made the right choice - it was exactly the bespoke and fun experience we were looking for. Thank you Josh and team! read more

I had taken dance lessons for my wedding a few years ago and decided that I wanted to get back into it. I decided to return to Ballroom Dance Chicago because Matthew had done such a fabulous job helping us prepare us for our wedding. This time around I was taking lessons by myself. I was very impressed with how quickly I was able to pick up new dances and techniques while working with Matthew one on one. In addition to the private dance lessons, they also have dance parties that are lots of fun. They teach a group class and then have social dancing, which really helped me get more confident in my dancing and get comfortable dancing with different partners. read more

My husband and I came to Ballroom two years ago to help us through our first dance and have been coming ever since. The instructors are a wonderful group of talented people equipped with patience and a good sense of humor for those of us who need ten tries to get that elusive inside turn. Everyone is incredibly friendly and attentive and feeling awkward just doesn't happen here. Maybe at home in your living room after a poorly executed swing move...but never with the team at Ballroom. Matthew has created a wonderful studio that anyone interested in ballroom dance should be flocking to! read more

We had the privilege of taking dance lessons for our wedding with Angela at Ballroom Dance Chicag, and it was an absolute game-changer! We started with little to no skills, but Angela worked wonders. Patient and encouraging, she choreographed the perfect routine to match our skill level. From fundamental steps to a show-stopping dip, she transformed us into confident dancers. Our wedding guests were in awe, and we are forever grateful for Angela's expertise and support. If you want to make your first dance unforgettable, we highly recommend these dance lessons! read more

My wife and I decided we wanted to have a choreographed first dance for our wedding. We tried out a few places and decided to go with Ballroom Dance Chicago. They really made us feel comfortable for two people that had not done any real dancing for a few years. Our instructor was Cathy and she really made the whole process a blast. It was definitely one of my favorite parts of wedding preparations and of the wedding itself. I would highly recommend Ballroom Dance Chicago for their laid back, approachable attitude and their absolute professionalism. read more

My husband requested that we take dance lessons before our wedding or threatened that we wouldn't have a first dance due to his two left feet! BDC not only taught us how to waltz for our wedding, but we're still with them over a year later learning how to salsa, swing and foxtrot! Every single member of the staff is a joy and I could not recommend a better group of people to help you perfect your dancing - for your wedding or enjoyment. Try them out and you'll be hooked! They're total rockstars and repeat "Best of Knot" winners for a reason. read more

BDC is fantastic. We took lessons in the months before our wedding so that our first dance wouldn't consist of us just moving around in slow circles. Mission accomplished. Liz & Lydia were so stinkin' nice, as was everyone else there. I really started looking forward to seeing them every week, picking up a new move, and enjoying a splash of wine as well. We're not pros now, but we weren't aiming to be. They made us feel super-confident about dancing in front of everyone we know! I could not recommend BDC more highly. read more

Agree with the other reviews on here. I would recommend Ballroom Dance Chicago to any couples looking to learn a dance for their first song, or to just learn to how to dance in general. My wife and I were the definition of beginners, but Lydia was so patient, so funny, and so skilled at making us feel comfortable and confident. We nailed our first dance at the wedding and it would have been a boring disaster without Lydia and the rest of the team at BDC. Also makes for a great date night, and they serve booze! read more

My husband and I started taking dance lessons at Ballroom Dance Chicago Loft a few months before our wedding. Cathy is amazing and great to work with! She is very fun, easy going, and dedicated to helping others achieve their goals. After several dance lessons with Cathy, our first dance at our wedding turned out just perfect! I highly recommend working Cathy at Ballroom Dance Chicago Loft as she provided exceptional service. We look forward to continuing our dance lessons and learning new dance styles/moves! read more