The Dance Factory was fantastic. Beautiful new studio, knowledgeable instructors, and flexible scheduling. Lee went above and beyond to make our experience special. read more

We had the absolute best experience with Michael Schroeder. He came to our house for lessons, which was a huge win. My fiancee and I are two people with absolutely no rhythm or dance skills - over the course of 3 lessons, Michael turned us into experts! He incorporated dips, spins, and leans into a routine. He also taught us in digestible bits, starting simple and elevating the routine each week. We are so thankful for Michael! read more

We loved working with Maria for our first dance! My now husband had no dancing experience, and I had a little but not in ballroom. We had never taken a dance class together. Working with Maria individually made the whole experience fun, and we were confident by the time we got to the dance floor. 3 lessons was the perfect amount! It was absolutely worth it for the photos, video, and experience of wowing our guests with our unexpected moves. Maria teaches you about 5 different moves that you can add in whenever you would like. She was so kind, made us feel comfortable, and I felt like she really cared about our success! Highly recommend. read more

Located right next to the Virginia Square metro, Dance Factory provides a good amount of dance classes that vary according to skill level. I started out with the beginners class and I knew some of basics steps but they definitely were very informative for the 4 week class. I initially bought the living social deal online and I subsequently signed up for 4 rounds of classes for the cost of 3 classes. I had MIke as a teacher and he is great. He is very attention to detail, even in the lower skilled class, but it's good to have a great teacher off the bat. read more

I just had my final class yesterday in my four-part salsa series. While the first class was kind of awkward and boring, the following three were a lot of fun. Going to these classes reminded me of my old tap dance competition days: I never wanted to go to class, but once I was there I had a lot of fun. When Tuesday afternoon rolled around, I'd complain that I didn't wanna go to class. But by the time I was twirling and doing dance sequences, my mind was wiped clear of those complaints. I don't remember the instructor's name--he told us once...and he has somewhat of an accent...so I dunno (6/22/07, EDITOR'S NOTE: I just started taking the Argentine tango class, which the same instructor is taking. His name is Sam.)--but he was fantastic. He was funny, talented, and patient. There was a definite difference dancing w/the other guys in the class and dancing w/the instructor: the instructor was a very good leader and pulled/pushed us ladies as we needed to be pulled/pushed. The studios are located down a flight of stairs, although one of the rooms is located above ground. As for the rest of the rooms, you're underground and without sunlight. It tends to get hot in the building, if only 'cause you're working up a sweat, what w/all the sexy Latin moves. I have two complaints, the first of which can't really be helped: 1) On the first day, six guys showed up. By the last day, there was only one guy left. WTF, yo? I did a whole lot of dancing alone during the last three sessions, as those truant men were nowhere to be found. It's a lot better learning to dance when you have a partner. 2) Trying to sign up can be a bitch. Because of the aforementioned problems w/males, the studio puts caps on how many women can sign up for classes. So, if you call, say, two weeks before a class starts, odds are good that you won't be able to get in because they've already met their female quota. They will, however, let you in if you promise to bring a dude w/you to the classes. Helpful tip/hint/info: you're always switching partners in these classes, so if you're looking to always dance w/your significant other, you're out of luck. In that case, take private lessons. Cost? I think my four-part series was $63. read more

My husband and I went to Dance Factory - Old Town location for our First Dance lessons (5). I have zero dancing experience, and Maria made us felt at ease. Maria was always on time, flexible with the schedule, sweet, and listen to what you have to say. We asked her to add some moves we saw on Youtube, and she had no hesitation in teaching us. We are so glad we took lessons with Maria, and thinks she deserves this 5 stars review. Maria, keep being a great instructor! read more

I've only gone here for a free wedding dance workshop, so I can't speak to their paid classes. The free workshop was so fun! My fiance and I had no trouble parking, and the workshop was exactly as promised. I'm pretty sure that the couple in charge that day runs/owns the place, which is a good thing because they were very nice and accommodating. The workshop flew by! We were learning to salsa and waltz and swing dance, and we were all having a great time. I'd definitely go back for a wedding dance package if my fiance and I were planning on having that kind of dancing at our wedding. We might still buy a package later just for fun -- I'd love to really know how to salsa! I was a little irritated that others ignored the no-jeans policy, because I'd taken the time to dress up a little for a fun afternoon. Come on people, dress for the occasion! You only get a pass if you're getting married in denim. read more

Wonderful! My husband and I decided to take some dance lessons before our wedding - no experience. We did the 3 lesson package with Dennis and it was perfect! We were short on time and decided with our instructor to combine the first two lessons into one session. Dennis was very accommodating with scheduling. Dennis was an excellent instructor - he is thoughtful, creative, and patient. He worked with us to choreograph a dance we felt comfortable with and enjoyed! We felt confident for our first dance and received many compliments. Highly recommend!!! read more

I've been taking a Level 2 Foxtrot, Triple Swing, and Rumba class here through an Amazon deal and I've had alot of fun. If you've done some ballroom before, this course goes at the right pace to help refine basic to high basic steps. Classes always start on time and folks at the front desk are helpful with answering questions. I like that they give all students a name tag. It's just nice to know the name of your dance partner without always having to ask! They offer weekly Friday workships at the beginner level and for enrolled students the entrance is $10, from the $20 I believe it would be normally. Instructors are kind and go at a reasonable pace. I wish the space was larger and there was a seperate space for the class instead of having to share one big ballroom with another. read more

I recently moved from Michigan to the DC/NOVA area, and I'm originally a product of a Fred Astaire studio. (And an additional decade of ballet/modern... dance is permanently in my system.) After reading the reviews on the numerous dance studio options around my new stomping grounds, I decided to try out The Dance Factory. Very pleased that I did. My private intro lesson was free of charge, which I appreciated. (Always a good way to test the atmosphere/level of instruction.) Enjoyed it so much that I bought a package of continuing private lessons. I have been paired with one of their many excellent instructors - Dmitri. He's very talented, patient and technically thorough (which I appreciate). Group lessons/classes and "parties" are at a separate cost, albeit a very reasonable one. They also offer discount cards/packages for increased numbers bought. All in all, a comfortable, relaxed studio with decent prices. read more

My wife and I started taking classes here about a year and a half ago to learn how to dance for our "first dance" wedding ceremony. We were convinced that although the group lessons Dance Factory offers are good, we'd get more out of the private lessons. I've taken group lessons in the past so it was evident to me I'd get a whole lot more out of private lessons. Let me tell you it is worth every penny. Although Dance Factory is quite a busy place (they hold group and private lessons, and host dance parties) it is possible to get the time slot you desire for lessons. They are open until 10pm most days and all weekend as well. If you're looking for a place where you can really gain dancing skills and have a great time doing it, The Dance Factory is that place. Calendar of Events: http://www.localendar.com/public/DanceFactory read more

A decent dance studio but there are better ones in the DMV area. I prefer to go to the Joy of Motion dance studios. (Note: My experience has only been in salsa classes). Pros: Affordable prices. They have specials constantly! You could also retake Salsa 1 and Salsa 2a/2b classes for a reduced price. The front desk is also very friendly. Cons: The floor is nice with decent hardwood floors; however, they split up classes with a simple velvet curtain in the middle of the dance floor (the place is only one large ballroom) so you could hear the other teacher behind the curtain yelling and the other class's music. My major gripe with Dance Factory is the teachers. The teachers showed the students how to do the moves and expected the students to pick it up after watching them perform the move. If students didn't get the move (which was usually all the time), then they would break down the steps. However, even when they break down the steps, they didn't give any pointers or directions. It was mostly "watch me and do what I do". Also, salsa classes were taught by two different teachers (Sam and Lemery?) with two different salsa styles. When we showed Sam what Lemery taught us he wouldn't reinforce it, and instead, taught us something completely different. Therefore, it wasn't a consistent dance curriculumn. There was no repetition to get the muscle memory so by the end of it, I forgot half the stuff they taught us. Either that or I suck in dancing. read more

We did the three private lesson package prior to our wedding. As amateurs, we needed a lot of help and our instructor (Maria) was an excellent teacher. She did a great job keeping the lessons fun and positive while still firmly explaining how to do each of the moves and patiently helping us through our (ok, mostly my) mistakes. She was also very understanding when we had to reschedule one of our lessons. These turned out to be fun dates in and of themselves and, oh yeah, we were able to dance competently at our wedding! If you have little experience like us and you're trying to learn before your wedding, I would recommend starting with the 3-lesson package (they say some couples need 4 lessons but I thought 3 was sufficient) and specifically asking for Maria. read more

My wife and I did a 3 lesson package for our wedding and couldn't have been happier. We had virtually no dance experience but wanted to do something fun for our first dance. Maria was our instructor and from the moment we met her she made the experience comfortable, super helpful, and most of all fun. She was an incredible teacher. She was so clear in how she guided us that we were able to learn a number of sequences in only a short period of time. It was way more fun than expected and I definitely recommend her to anyone looking to nail the first dance. read more

My wife has been pestering me for years about getting lessons so we could go dancing. In truth, I'd had dance lessons as a teen so knew the basics, just wasn't terribly comfortable with the idea of dancing. At any rate, a friend's weeding was coming up, later this summer, and an offer for dance lessons came up on one of the social deal sites - LivingSocial, I think - happened to hit my mail spool, so I opted to buy a voucher for my wife and me. The deal was a very nice price. Last week, my wife finally got around to trying to schedule lessons for us ahead of the pending wedding. She was hoping to cram in four lessons in two weeks, but such was not to be. The first available night was last Wednesday. Unfortunately, Dance Factory schedules their lessons in four week blocks and we'd already missed week one. Not wanting to go to the wedding with having no lessons, my wife opted to go ahead and make week 2 our starting lesson. Got to the place and noticed two or three other group lessons going on. Each room was crowded with couples and only one instructor visible in each room. When our appointment time came, we faced a similar situation: crowded room and only one instructor. I'm not a big fan of crowds to begin with, even less so when the crowds are clumsy, as new dancers tend require more space than more experienced dancers. As the evening wore on and kept getting jostled, bumped and run over, I lost patience with the situation and left. I don't intend to go back until and unless they can assure lower student-density in their rooms. While I have no problems with contact in proper context, I really only expect what I encountered at Dance Factory to happen in a mosh pit. Ballroom-style dancing isn't generally supposed to be a full-contact event. read more

Unfortunately the number of places to learn salsa in Nova are rather limited for someone that doesn't have a car. It's also really hard to progress from beginner to advanced. I've been intermediate forever I feel! The dance factory was less than average in terms of their teaching - they teach the LA style but it's not really structured beyond learning the basic step. We even had a teacher who didn't know the proper names for the moves and called one move "the macaroni arm". I switched to another LA style teacher in Bethesda and she actually had a printed curriculum for each series and really took her time teaching us the spins and turns. If you didn't pass the curriculum, you couldn't move on to the next level. Needless to say that I had to almost start from beginner with her after doing quite a few months at the dance factory... That was disappointing. However, the factory does a pretty good job at making sure that there are enough gals/boys. I tried one of the friday nights parties and it was pretty lame - they were only teaching the basic steps. I've also tried a private lesson with Sam (first private lesson is free) but I really didn't like it at all. I've had other private lessons somewhere else and I felt I learned a lot more. It didn't help that there was another couple in the room dancing another style so I never got to dance - he just had me walk! read more

Michael was a great instructor! We appreciate the accelerated dance lessons for our first dance. The five sessions was perfect and people loved seeing the routine at the wedding! Would highly recommend for beginners looking to learn a few cute moves! read more

The wife and I took a group Ballroom I class with Daria. Daria is a very good instructor and very funny with her random comments. The dances instructed were the waltz, swing, and cha cha. Usually all three are covered each class...sometimes not. I thought the pacing of the class was VERY slow. The reason we decided to do it is because we stayed with a friend who taught us some swing dancing over a 45 minute period and thought it was cool...unfortunately by the end of the 4x classes we never even came close to learning what we learned in 45 min with our friend. (*Qualifications disclaimer: I am in no way a dancer, but I can pick things up relatively quick.) So if you're skilled at rubbing the tummy and patting your head at the same time, I'd recommend doing private instruction. That way you can progress quickly and not have to re-learn a dance from the start every class which is basically what we did...I mean, we missed the very first class and hacked #2 just fine. read more

My Fiancee and I were looking for a few classes to brush up on our ballroom dancing for our wedding. We were in a severe time crunch and Dance Factory did a great job scheduling us promptly with our instructor, Maria. Maria was prompt and extremely professional. To be honest, I had no idea what to expect, but the outcome far exceeded my expectations! Maria not only taught us Foxtrot, but also helped us with the choreography and timing of certain moves to the music we selected. I could not have been more pleased with this experience and will certainly be going through Dance Factory, requesting Maria, should we have another occasion requiring me to embarrass myself. At least now, I have the confidence to not let it bother me! read more

I finally started taking lessons when I realized living vicariously through dance movies wasn't working for me anymore. I take private lessons with Derrick. He's a great teacher and has a good sense of humor which helps when I'm feeling totally uncoordinated. Also he doesn't get annoyed at all when he has to tell me to put my hip over the foot for like the 10000th time! All the instructors here seem really professional and the studio has a good vibe. read more

My boyfriend and I took a group class here over the summer, and LOVED it! Planning on taking another class in the summer; the teachers are patient and thorough. We had great fun in a pleasant atmosphere :) this studio is definitely a wonderful find. read more

My fiance and I needed major help before our wedding night. Dmitri not only choreographed and helped us learn our first dance, he also gave us some basic dances to get us through the entire night without any problem. He's super laid back and a joy to work with... we also took a group class with Lemery, who was also great, and the price was right. :-) We want to go back for more lessons once we pay off the wedding! read more

My husband and I knew that we needed dance lessons prior to our 9/29 wedding but we had no idea where to begin. Thankfully we found Dance Factory. They were SO easy to work with and very affordable. We started off with a 5 pack and met our instructor Maria. She made us feel SO comfortable and helped us so much. When we first started lessons, we were barely able to do a basic step and by the end we knew 5 different types of turns and had a beautiful first dance for our wedding. We looked forward to going to our dance lessons in the months leading up to our wedding and adored working with Maria. We felt SO good on our wedding night doing our dance, and now looking back on the moment and the pictures and video, I am SO glad we took the time to take lessons. Our crowd loved it and it was such a nice way to kick off our reception. I'd highly recommend Dance Studio, and specifically Maria, for any brides and grooms that need some help for their big day! read more

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Finally heard back from owner apparently all emails/messages were going to his spam. Prob not great for business. Anyway I guess they are still in business. It's close to my place and I would've preferred going here but went with another studio since they responded right away. read more

My fiance Nick and I took some private lessons with Dmitri (very funny but also professional russian guy) to prepare for our wedding. With my ballet and jazz background I wanted to do something fun and upbeat but my fiance hates to dance especially in public so I was a bit nervous before the first class. Dmitri listened to our needs and wants very carefully and in just 5 classes created a fantastic choreography that was both challenging and exciting for me and easy enough for Nick. Lessons were a lot of fun and were totally worth the investment. Also Dmitri was super understanding and accommodating. He let my father to come to the lessons and spend a few minutes to make a father/daughter dance without making us pay extra. Also we were late to one of the classes due to metro problems and Dmitri scheduled our following lesson a little longer even though it was our fault to miss the first 15 minutes. Had some technical problems as the audio system looks like something my grandparents had when they were young. Also had some scheduling problems with front desk but then Dmitri gave us his card to contact him directly to schedule/cancel and any other questions we may have and everything was great. Definitely coming back to learn more dances after the honeymoon. Now the studio itself is a little out of shape and not everyone who works there seems nice and professional. read more

We had a great experience with Dance Factory, getting ready for our first dance for our wedding. It was a hard time deciding on which company to choose - there are quite a few in the DC metro area. This ended up having good reviews, was responsive to our emails, and the price for a 5-class wedding package is one of the cheaper ones around. Also, we first saw them when they were offering a free wedding class - but the class was full. We emailed and the owner set up a free private class for us instead! Our assigned instructor, Jennifer, was really quite good - demonstrated first, then had us perform the step once slowly on our own without the music (still following her), slowly together without music and then finally to the song itself. She observed us and gave us tips on areas for improvement. Oh - and just to be clear, neither of us are expert dancers. I've had a few classes several years ago and enjoy dancing - while my new husband was pretty much starting from the basics. At the end of the package, we felt relaxed and comfortable with our dance for the night. Our instructor even showed a few "fun" dance steps for the rest of the evening. Super basic stuff, but we ended up using one of them! Our first dance couldn't have gone better - we were able to just relax and enjoy the moment, not stress out about getting the steps right. We didn't make a single mistake, and it was perfect! The only reason I've deducted a star (and would prefer deducting only 1/2 a star but that's not an option on Yelp), was because of a scheduling issue for one of our classes. There was some mix up, which was ultimately resolved, but it could have been prevented. However, our instructor was very apologetic about it, and we were still able to have our class with her. Thank you Jennifer and Dance Factory for making our first dance go so smoothly! Once we get more settled in after our wedding, we're thinking of going back for some more lessons - never hurts to learn more moves or improve your current ones! read more

We took the three-class wedding preparation dance classes with Maria at Dance Factory. Maria was great! I could not recommend her highly enough. She took what we had coming in (very little) and turned it into a great first dance, which was exactly what we needed. It was not overly choreographed and she helped us focus on the right things - we did not waste time on minutiae. We learned enough to create a baseline, threw in some great looking spins and dips, how to feel out the music, and how to move with one another. We had 3 45-minute dance lessons and felt very confident by the time we took the floor for our first dance. The reactions of our guests during the dance said it all - I think we surprised people with our moves! Absolutely worth every penny and would highly recommend to anyone who needs a little bit of instruction for their first dance. Thank you, Maria! read more

My fiance and I wanted to take dance lessons for our wedding and stumbled upon this studio. We first took the free wedding workshop, which was a good experience (though a bit crowded). The wedding packages were a bit pricey for us so I messaged the owner to see if he could work within our budget or give any kind of discount (there was a groupon for the normal classes) but he wouldn't budge. He said we could purchase the wedding package or take the normal group workshops but it'd be random dance moves and we'd be responsible for our own choreography. We ended up purchasing the 5 wedding package class for $387. Our instructor, Jennifer, was very nice and sweet. She gave us great pointers. However, I couldn't help but feel like choreography wasn't her strong point, even though she's clearly an experienced dancer. During one of the lessons, she had another teacher come in and he pretty much choreographed it for us. She then just supervised my fiance and I dancing to it and the rest of the dance was almost a repeat of the choreography we already had. None of what we learned at the free wedding workshop was used, though it might have been because of the song we chose for our first dance. With two lessons left, we still didn't have the whole song choreographed so I was a little worried. I therefore ended up having our DJ shorten our song for a second time to make things easier. I couldn't help but feel as though they did this on purpose to try to get us to purchase more lessons. My fiance and I considered it... however, there are only two discounted wedding package options. 5 lessons for $387 (which we got) or 12 lessons for $817.. there was no way to just get 1-3 more lessons unless you paid full price for the class ($89 each lesson). We decided not to do it and basically finished up the choreography in one lesson (which, again, was almost a full repeat of the first part of our dance). So, it was a little disappointing. We also had my fiance's mom come in with my fiance to take a lesson. Of course, no discount was offered or provided. They had to pay the full price of $89 for the lesson (though we did have the option to use one of our five lessons for it). All this said, I'm glad my fiance and I went here. We certainly have a beautiful dance and choreography as compared to if we didn't go at all. I just wish they would have been a little more flexible with their pricing on both the wedding packages and a smaller extension package (5 to 12 lessons for a wedding package is quite a leap.) We would have certainly purchased more lessons if it were at the same discounted rate. As well, they will charge you to come in if you want to practice your dance so be aware of that if you don't have space in your home to practice. My bottom line is, for what we paid, I did expect a little bit more from it overall. Granted, neither my fiance nor I are amazing dancers so I wasn't expecting some miracle... but I still felt a little odd about it. I can't really describe it, haha. read more

For a couple without any dance experience, this was the perfect place to learn the steps for our first dance at our wedding. Maria was an excellent and patient instructor, and we are looking forward to showing off our moves!!! read more

The dance parties are very good and fairly priced. They are for ballroom However, I took a west coast swing sequence with which I was dissatisfied. The teacher, Lemery, is an excellent dancer, but did not seem to care much about whether her students did the dance correctly. I would guess that the class was targeted more at senior citizens (who made up most of the students), rather than aspiring new West Coast dancers. read more

First I took 5 lessons wishing to learn basics of waltz and tango. My teacher was Dmitri and the way how he taught was perfect for me. He was very patient, always friendly, encouraging when I was able to do something well and not punishing for mistakes. The latter was especially important for me because I am from Russia where learning process is often based on a fear to do something wrong and this is a stimulus to perfect. So I extended my study and took 7 additional lessons. I would continue if I would not have to leave... I also would like to mention the service provided by assistants who answer the phone and help you to decide which teacher to select. It all was done in so friendly and open manner that from my first lesson I felt that I am really in right place. read more

Dance Factory is the best-run, most fun studio in the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. area... group classes with balanced guy to gal ratios, the best private lesson instructors, dance parties open to the public Friday, Saturday and Sunday, theme parties, special events, showcases...fun, fun, fun! I've been dancing in the Washington area for more years than I want to mention here and the Dance Factory is the most fun, best quality, best run studio! read more

Took wedding dance lessons with my husband. We weren't looking for any crazy choreography - just something basic so we didn't look ridiculous. Dmetri was very patient, helpful and fun to work with. I would definitely recommend working with him. read more

We had Yulia help us with our wedding first dance, and it was worth it. You could tell that she took the time to listen to our song, and find the right dance, and even moves that went along with the words to the song at the right time. Yulia was patient with our lack of dancing skills throughout the lessons, and by the end we looked pretty good! We got a lot of compliments on our dance at the wedding. read more

My husband and I took private swing dance lessons to prepare for our wedding, and we had a great experience at the Dance Factory! The prices were reasonable, the staff was friendly, and we learned so much. Our instructor James was very patient with us (we're novices), and we were able to learn more than we thought we would be able to. Our wedding guests were really impressed with our dance! I haven't taken group classes, so I can't speak to that, but I would highly recommend the private lessons at the Dance Factory. read more

I enjoyed my classes last year and just came back to Dance Factory this summer. I took different beginner classes last year and repeated some classes this year. I had Ballroom and Salsa classes taught by Kirill, Daria, Dmitri and Lemery. They are all great. My work is quite stressful and I take the classes after work. So I'm really happy that the instructors keep the atmosphere fun and relaxing while teaching us some nice steps and turns. I also like the online enrollment system better now. It's great to be able to check the class schedule online and pick my own classes at my own pace at home. I usually take 2 or 3 classes per week so it needs some time to plan. Last year I found it stressful to sign up at the Front Desk with several people behind me. I also like the option of getting the 50% refresher rate online when I'm retaking a class. Before, I had to wait for the girl at the Front Desk to check my history. It's definitely more convenient this year. I'm looking forward to more advanced group classes and possibly private lessons. read more

This is a really great place to learn ballroom dancing. I would highly recommend it for beginners. You get to be exposed to many dance forms and meet lots of other people interested in learning to dance. And there are lots of fun parties to attend. But be careful, it can be addicting. No, don't be careful, it's fun to be addicted to dance. read more