Martina and I arrived in Berlin for a holiday of about 2 months. In Australian terms we are a…read moreMasters 2 intermediate medallist couple fortunate enough to sometimes train with competition couples at our club. We were looking to take a few private lessons to enhance our understanding and skill in the difficult areas of frame, posture and movement in standard ballroom dancing. When I first arrived at Maxixe, I was warmly welcomed by Ele, the principal of the dance school. Ele recommended to us Maria Hirnich and Tania Dimitrova, both very highly accomplished competition dancers. I can only refer to their profiles online. Maria and Tania proved to be excellent teachers and the nicest coaches you can imagine. We loved every minute of our lessons with Tania and Maria and can only warmly recommend Maxixe, Maria and Tania for ballroom dancers looking to obtain some excellent tuition in these rather technical areas. Thank you Maxixe, Ele, Tania and Maria. It's been a privilege!

From the owner: Tanzschule für Standard, Latein, Swing, Tango Argentino, Salsa und Discofox. Jeden Samstag…read moreTanzabend. Wir veranstalten mehrmals im Jahr Tanzreisen und Ballhaustouren. Ihr könnt in Kursen und Workshops die einzelnen Tänze erlernen. Gleich nach der ersten Stunde könnt Ihr z.B. zwei Tänze tanzen. Danach könnt Ihr das Tanz- und Figurenrepertoire erweitern, Bewegungsabläufe und Techniken anwenden, Lieblingstänze vertiefen und auch den Einstieg in neue Trendtänze finden. Tanzen ohne Knigge und starre Rollenverteilung ist bei uns selbstverständlich. Welcome to MAXIXE - Berlin's favourite dance school and ballroom location in Kreuzberg! Dancing at MAXIXE is a great way to have fun, keep fit and make new friends in a relaxed atmosphere. We offer a variety of quality dance classes and private lessons for all levels. Dance the night away at our Dance Party every Saturday at 20:30. Mixed and same sex couples as well as singles with or without partner are warmly welcome!

After desperately trying to find a nice, affordable ballet dance school for our 6 year old, we…read moreended up here. The school offers many different classes all week long, including the weekends! For parents who have a busy schedule during the week are going to appreciate the fact that your child can go to ballet dance on a weekend. The school has instructors who are professional dancers and not only professional dancers but outstanding teachers. I can only review this school in regards to children classes. The school offers trial lessons and allows the parents to sit in the room for the first time coming to a class. This was especially great because our daughter is a bit shy and sensitive. The teacher Franziska was very nice, welcoming and treated our daughter very respectfully. When she noticed that our daughter was close to tears, the instructor did not make a fuss nor did she draw attention to her but instead guided her calmly on her side. I was amazed how well she interacted with the children. The class consisted of approx. 10 girls (at that time we were there) and takes place once a week for 60 minutes. The payments are paid monthly. The payments are lower than other classes in our neighborhood. The school has several dance studios, with mirrors and equipment used for ballet lessons. The girls wear the same outfits that must be purchased at a local store. All girls at the class were treated respectfully and kind by the teacher and really enjoyed the class. The location is a bit tricky. It is located on Kurfürstendamm in a shopping mall (Karree). On the entrance is a big house number 207/208. The school is on the second floor. Once you enter the building, the access to the elevators/school is on the right side. You will be able to find a business directory. From there, there are elevators that get you to the school. So it is a bit hidden. I recommend this school for little ballerinas and possibly even for adults who are interested in professional dancing.

From the owner: Hier tanzt die Hauptstadt…read more Über uns Seit bereits 30 Jahren begeistert das Ballett Centrum große und kleine Berliner für den Tanz. Mit dem ständigen Bemühen um die besten Lehrer in der Stadt machte es sich schnell einen Namen als eine führende Ballettschule. Mit großzügigen Räumen und einem breitgefächerten Kursangebot bieten wir allen Tanzliebhabern eine Vielzahl von Möglichkeiten, ihrer großen Leidenschaft nachzugehen. Dabei verstehen wir uns als mehr als nur eine Ballettschule - das Ballett Centrum ist ein generationsübergreifender Begegnungsort. Wir bieten eine Bühne für Berliner Künstler und damit ein buntes Programm für unsere Besucher. Nach drei Jahrzehnten im Kurfürstendamm Karree freuen wir uns, Sie an unserem neuen attraktiven Standort am Adenauerplatz begrüßen zu können. Unser Kursangebot Das ganzjährige Angebot an Ballett, Modern Dance, Jazz-Tanz in verschiedensten Stilrichtungen (von Musical-Dance über Modern-, Afro- und Hip-Hop-Jazz), Street Dance, Steptanz, Akrobatik, Yoga und Pilates ist kaum zu überbieten. Das ganze Jahr hindurch wird unterrichtet, Ferien gibt es nur zu Weihnachten, Unsere Kurse sind nicht nur auf Profi-Tänzer ausgerichtet - auch tanzbegeisterte Laien und Neu-Einsteiger sind willkommen. Bei uns finden Sie Tanzunterricht für jedes Niveau und jede Altersklasse, von Erwachsenen und Jugendlichen bis hin zu den Kleinsten...

OK, yes, my girlfriend did indeed drag me down there using that old, old trick, the Dance Course as…read moreChristmas Present! Apparently I had at some point murmured something about quite fancying trying it out (she says). So it was initially with much trepidation and brave-face-putting that we first turned up there. And yes, I was won over. Completely. We did the Beginners Course, we returned for the Mid Level Course, and we're planning on doing the Advanced. And it's all been a blast. There are, inevitably, those moments at the beginning of each new course where the girlfriend glowers while you pretend that you do indeed remember perfectly the steps you learned in the last course, and that you're not trying surreptitiously to watch what the others are doing but are in fact just tying your shoelaces. (it doesn't help, by the way, because nearly all the men in the place are doing exactly the same as you, and nearly all the women are doing what your girlfriend is doing). But enough of that. Let me tell you more about the place itself. It is, I think, a quite well-established dance school, and has quite a good reputation. The decor has been done with great taste and subtlety - chic, very smart and yet utterly unpretentious. The teachers are all brilliant (with, I must say, one exception: also coincidentally by far the least camp one. Strange...); but the rest are highly professional, relaxed and very friendly. Through the summer they seem not to have fixed courses (I could be wrong on this) and we went instead (yes, it was my girlfriend's idea) to open Salsa classes: Great! You feel completely sexy! Who cares what you look like! They also hire the place out for weddings and suchlike, and they have Balls and Dances pretty much every week. We attended one and it was a great night out - all very chic and everyone dressed to the hilt, and performances by some of the teachers that looked absolutely wonderful. And really not very expensive. Also what you notice is that it is, I'm told, quite unnusual among most of the dance studios in Berlin in terms of its relaxed informality, and there's a preponderance of homosexual couples. Which I find makes for a very relaxed vibe. Also when the "men" and "women" split into two lines, they say instead the "leaders" and the "followers". And yes, a couple of times we got confused and ended with my girlfriend leading me around the floor. Until we realised. Ah well. Hardly anyone laughed. All in all, I thoroughly recommend it, whether you're a more serious dancer or just want to do a couple of casual classes, or you fancy simply turning up to one of the balls: Go!

From the owner: Ein guter Nachmittagskaffee mit legendärer Swingklängen im Hintergrund, ein Rioja zum Tango um…read moreMitternacht - oder bei prickelnden Grooves ein "Berlinsky Sekt" für den Kreislauf? Wer die Atmosphäre im Walzerlinksgestrickt schnuppern will, ist immer willkommen in unserer Lounge - zum Zuschauen und zum Chillen an der Bar. Viel Glas erlaubt direkte Einblicke ins bunte Tanzgeschehen: Überall bewegen sich Tanzbegeisterte durch die vier faszinierenden Backstein-Säle mit hohen Decken.

Most has been told about GELBE VILLA and the regular activities taking place. However something…read morespecial has been running every year on one Sunday in early September! There is a FAMILIENFEST INTERNATIONAL at the place. It's great, it's for the kids and the family and it's for free. Lock out for it, because it had in the past not been very well promoted beforehand! The event connects to the annual ILB (Internationales Literaturfestival Berlin), a big literature festival in Berlin, running for about a fortnight. Therefore that Sunday in September is about BOOKS for kids of different age, books presented by their international authors. Bits of texts will be read in German by well-known readers or even actors, though parts of it will be read by the authors themselves in original language. Kids and their adult company are welcome to ask questions to the writers. Additionally, there'll be running non-reading activities within the house and outside and inexpensive food and soft-drinks can be purchased.

From the owner: Wir sind ein Kreativ- und Bildungszentrum mit vielen kostenfreien Angeboten für Kinder und…read moreJugendliche im Alter von 6 bis 16 Jahren.

I need to kick up my game here these last couple weeks here in Berlin, because 2-star places like…read moreBrauhaus Südstern are NOT where I want to be spending my time/precious dollar-converted-to-euro money. Uh uh. A group of friends and I came in here today to seek a little refuge from the Karnival (crazy, but awesome, btw) here in Berlin. We ordered the Brauhaus' brews: the Weiß, Dunkel, and Helles. None of them were particularly good. Not the worst, but certainly not as enjoyable as other small-batch brews I've had here in Deutschland. For instance, I couldn't even finish half of my Weiß...and I'm usually the first to finish ANY weiß-style beer. Meh. I ordered food, and man, my plate was lackluster, too. The "Braumeisterschnitzel" was a breaded, flattened pork cutlet in a pepper sauce. The dish came with "bratkartoffeln" (which were really just huge, peeled, SCALDING potatoes) and I ordered a side of rotkohl (red cabbage, still not sure what the difference is from "blaukraut") because well, I love that stuff. The schnitzel was tougher than most I've had--maybe it was a bit overcooked? The potatoes were clandestinely steamy, which resulted in mouthburn. Okay, yeah, mybad. The rotkohl was okay--not anywhere NEAR as awesome as the red cabbage I could.have.eaten.all.day in Munich. Meh. Disappointing. Oh, and our group ordered another round of beers, which after nearly a half hour didn't come. At that point, we didn't want them anyway. At least they didn't charge us. You are SO seriously better off not coming here.

I came here to do a beer brewing course conducted by Thorsten Schoppe, a man who looks more at home…read morein a dojo than a brewery. However, looks can be deceiving as this gentleman really knows his stuff. The course was quite interesting and it was even more interesting to hear the (long detailed) questions asked by the other attendees (Germans take their beers very seriously). So I actually learnt quite a lot. Lunch was also provided and it was pretty ordinary - what one would expect from any kneipe in Berlin. The place is quite big, with a stage for live music, so it looks like a happening sort of place in the evenings and weekends. Well, I have now concocted my own beer recipe (thanks to Thorsten's expert guidance) and all I now need is an empty basement to make my brew... By the way, we were compelled to sample the beers here and the general verdict was that it's "nicht schlecht", which, as it came from German beer pros, translates roughly in English to "damn bloody good - gissus another!".

Great little school where the staff will take care of you…read more I've studied German for months to this school and I can tell that the courses were interesting, my teacher was good and would pay attention to each of us. If you have any problem you can surely find someone at the office to help you. I enjoyed being to that school, I think they put the priority on being here for each of us and to the quality of the services. The bad points would be that it's a little bit expensive and that you cannot find intensive evening courses.

I highly recommend DAS Akademie Berlin for language learning. I had a fantastic experience there…read morethis summer as I worked on my beginning language skills. When I first contacted Das Akademie, the support staff responded quickly and were very friendly and supportive in helping me find the best fit for a class. I was only in Berlin for seven weeks and wished to develop more confidence in speaking. I also have mild/moderate hearing loss and felt it might be better to have a one-on-one teacher to work with me. I wear hearing aids and with them most people don't realize I have trouble hearing, but language learning can be more difficult. On my first day, I spent time with the Director at DAS Akademie as he helped to choose a teacher that was a perfect fit. She quickly figured out that although I had learned many individual vocabulary words, I was still having difficulty with pronunciation and sentence structure. Rather than rush through exercises to "cover" material, we spent extra time practicing asking and answering questions so that I felt comfortable actually speaking in public. She was not only very creative in coming up with different ways of helping me practice, she did so in such a positive, energetic and fun way. My seven weeks passed way too fast. Each day that I walked into Das Akademie Berlin I was greeting with big smiles and encouraging words from everyone. Next summer I will likely come back to Berlin and if I do I will definitely be coming back. Everyone from the Director, to the teachers and all of the support staff are wonderful.

Herr Grote is a good instructor -- clear, structured, and easy to follow. However, the course is…read morevery expensive for what is offered. It would be better if the classes were spread over a longer period, with lower tuition and held in a less expensive building. Berlin should regulate private language schools more closely, and student pass rates should be publicly disclosed.

The main reasons I chose Kapitel Zwei were: 1 competitive prices, 2 goos reviews, 3 location. So…read morelet's start. They offer intensive german courses 3 hours a day (4 units of instruction of 45 min) from Monday to Thursday, 4 weeks. Total 64 units of instruction for 222€. They have courses from 9-12, 12-3, 3-6 and 6-9. You get an official european level within 2 courses (so 8 weeks). They do an entry level test to place you in the right level. We were 11 students but 2 quit in the middle and most of the days someone was missing son average 7-8 students. That's pretty good for the course. At the beginning of the course I wasn't happy with my course and teacher. The teacher was playing most of the times games, and I think we should have followed the book more. Most of the students were always late (except 3). I tried to change but there were no empty space in other groups so I continued. Actually it got better through the days, so I am glad I stayed. The teacher was teaching more grammar, and we started to read a book. I find the course very well to know german to everyday life and to speak. We did a lot of exercises in groups, to speak, which I consider great, as now I am able to speak (even though I know I make mistakes), and I loose "the fear" talking in german. I did here B1.1 and I signed up for a B1.2 next month. I am not sure if only with the intensive course you will be able to get through the official german exams, as there aren't too many hours, but they have special courses for that too. I will see, as I have to prepare for the B2 certificate. I think they should include Friday as day of class, so in total make a course of 80 units of instructions, which is recommended for each sub-level. And another thing: we made a 15 min pause after 1,5 h, which it is necessary in order not to get crazy, but sometimes this pause was 20-25 min. My teacher was late couple of times, so if you do the total, we didn't do 64 units of instruction. For me it's fine because I work every day at home too. The school is right in Alexanderplatz, which is Berlin city center and a great location. The staff is very friendly. As far as I know they speak English an also Spanish, which I really appreciate it. Anyways, I was happy with the result, and I am going to continue with them. To conclude, I would recommend this intensive course, it's a very good course for the price!

From the owner: Freundlich nette Fahrschule für die Ausbildung der Führerscheinklassen A und B, sowie…read moreAufbauseminare ASF und FES. Gerne auch in Englisch.