If you're on the fence about taking dance lessons before your wedding--do it! Catherine was an…read moreabsolute joy to work with and made the whole experience so fun. Neither of us are dancers, and we were nervous about being in the spotlight, but our first dance turned out to be one of the most special moments of the night. Our guests raved about it, and my husband even impressed his mom with his new skills. We couldn't be more grateful--thank you for everything, Catherine!

My husband and I got married in mid-May 2024. I always dreamt of doing a choreographed dance at my…read morewedding, so we decided to give it a shot. We weren't sure how to begin, so we went to Groupon to begin our search. After finding Abayas' Ballroom, we walked into the studio and met with the fabulous Catherine. We were nervous but she welcomed us with bright and gentle energy. My husband is a guy who never took dance classes but enjoyed moving to the beat. I am a gal who has a minimal dance background and a habit of wanting to lead. Sharing this with Catherine didn't phase her. She adapted her instruction to our experience and learning styles and I could tell she wanted us to believe in ourselves. The most beautiful thing about Catherine and FJ is they don't have cookie-cutter choreography for any of their couples. They dig deep, listen to your story, learn your personality and help you tell your story through dance. FJ wasn't our instructor, but he was so friendly and encouraging, and we got to witness a few times how he teaches his students as well. You will be in equally adept hands with either Catherine or FJ. We requested more sessions because we felt a strong connection with Catherine. She is kind and honest, determined and mindful. She celebrates growth and inspires confidence. I learned to give up the reins and my husband learned to take the lead and immerse himself in the dance. We fell even deeper in love with one another through this intimate shared experience. We were very confident and excited to share our performance with our loved ones. Everyone was so surprised and it was a beautiful addition to our special day. We can't thank Catherine enough for all she has done for us.

Called to ask about 3 classes I was interested in booking was helped by Jericho (must've misspelled…read moresorry) but assisted with my questions so much that I purchased a package and booked all 3 over the phone. Thank you so much for your help. I just moved to the area and have been eyeing / following poprox on insta. Super friendly and helpful and kind overall thank you Jericho (sorry again if misspelled)

It was my first time doing something like this, and I had a BLAST!! I tried the kpop class led by…read moreDerrick. My experience was amazing from start to finish! The dance moves were easy to learn and the instructor goes step by step! Which helped build my confidence too! I ended up in the front and I really enjoyed the one hour class. I'm definitely coming back and do more dancing! The bathroom was clean and well stocked too!

I truly thought that I would be giving this place a 5 star review, and I'm sad that wasn't my…read moreexperience. I am always looking to support the Arts, small businesses, museums, and such - especially now - and this seemed like a good way to do that while also having a fun, unique work-out experience. I have actually had this place on my bucket list for years, so I was super excited to go. My husband and I paid $100 for a 1-hour private aerial silks lesson. We decided on a private lesson partly due to COVID, partly because we were hoping for a class that was at least partly-tailored to us, since it would be just the 2 of us, and partly because I am at one of the least physically-fit points I've been at in my entire life. (My excuses are: a couple of severe medical issues that affected my weight and my energy levels, and my rescue cat who is very needy and loves to cuddle, but he's worth it... but really I just need to get my butt in gear and get fit again.) Despite my low level of physical fitness currently, my minor physical limitations, and my total lack of experience, I was feeling confident that I could adapt or modify anything that I couldn't do, hopefully with the help of the instructor. I didn't even necessarily expect to be able to do every move. What I didn't expect was to be able to do NONE of the moves. None of them. Okay, I'm not THAT lacking in physical fitness... at least, I didn't think I was? I've done many virtual physical fitness classes throughout the pandemic - though yelp, through a few friends of mine who are fitness class instructors and I wanted to support them financially while trying to stay fit, and a handful of other classes, too. For some of these other fitness classes, I wasn't able to do every single move, and I did have to modify some of the suggested moves. However, this is literally the first time in my entire life that I was able to do NONE of the moves. I started feeling frustrated by this. My husband mentioned that it seemed like the instructor, Jen, had no idea what to do when I started feeling frustrated. I certainly didn't receive a single word of encouragement from her, which might have been nice. Although she did suggest corrections, she didn't really suggest modifications or alternate moves for me to try. When I asked her if the private lesson had a set curriculum and was really similar to the intro class, just with only 2 people, or if she was able to adapt to our specific needs and limitations, she got really defensive and insisted that she had given me "another option" for a move. But there were only 4 total moves that she taught us in the entire hour, and it seemed like the "other option" was just the next thing on her list of moves in the pre-set curriculum. My husband also mentioned that Jen seemed ill-equipped to trouble-shoot if one of us was having an issue with any of the moves. He only really had an issue with the last move of the 4 (go, Leo! It was neat to watch him go!!), but the instructor gave him feedback 4 separate times but none of her feedback enabled him to complete the 4th move successfully so she clearly had no clue what the problem was. My poor husband, who is an excellent problem-solver in general, felt badly that HE, as a first-time beginning student, wasn't able to figure out what the problem was - isn't that a big part of the instructor's job, especially for a private lesson? My husband also commented that the instructor's energy was really "flat". I agree with this - she had zero enthusiasm whatsoever, and almost no encouragement. When I was encouraging my husband and cheering him on for the 4th move - by this time I was sitting on my mat letting the lesson be his lesson since I hadn't gotten anywhere on ANY of the 4 moves - she looked over at me and then said a couple of encouraging things to him herself. This was the first time in our entire lesson, with about 5 minutes left to go, that she had said anything encouraging. This seems weird for a fitness instructor, they usually have a pretty infectious energy that is really motivating, and I started out this class super excited to learn this. We sadly would not go back, unless maybe in 5 years when I'm super fit again (it might take that long, LOL), but if we did go back, we would request a different instructor for sure. I will say that our instructor was friendly and welcoming to me when I arrived. My husband was still parking, so I arrived alone for the first few minutes. This reminds me - parking is horrible at this location, and super hard to find. We went today, on a Thursday afternoon. We arrived almost 10 minutes early. By 1 minute until our lesson started, we still had not found a place to park near the studio. Really sad and disappointed. It was nice to watch my husband do 3 of the moves, though. I feel like giving 2 stars really, but their COVID precautions are/were A++ which matters a lot to us since we're super strict ourselves, and the facility was nice.

I'm taking private lessons here and I've worked with several coaches. They are all great! The gym…read moreis not too warm in summer while the ceiling is high, which makes it the best aerial gym in the Seattle area.

It's a slow paced option for older people. Music way too soft and all songs and dances I have never…read moreheard or tried. I won't be back but they have some regulars that love it. Not for fast paced sweat inducing workout

Just because I had free time this morning, I dropped in Ida's Zumba class in Greenwood. and I LOVED…read moreit!!! She has such a warm personality that makes everyone around her feel at ease. Her class is for all-level so anyone can jump in and enjoy the class. Another great thing about her class is other ladies in her class who are also very friendly and they asked me to come back soon.

We absolutely love the Ballard Academy of Music & Dance and our daughter gets so excited each week…read moreto attend!! She enjoys it so much, we added a second class-- and now she gets to learn from both Eva and Madison. They're both excellent, patient teachers!

High quality school, with teachers who get it. My kid didn't want to do tap.. the teacher walked…read moreover and said my daughter may have sensory overload and may need headphones. That's what I'm talking about! She didn't say oh your daughter is "having a bad day, or not participating" She looked at the situation and provided a solution! They're moms... they get it!

So kind and welcoming! I had never gone to a fitness class before this because I usually struggle…read moreso much being a beginner and feeling comfortable in athletic places. I feel so safe at Positive Spin that I finally feel excited to be active.

The most inclusive and welcoming pole studio ever!! When I took dance classes in high school, the…read moreenvironment was very intense and there was a lot of pressure to behave and look a certain way. So when I started at Positive Spin three years ago, I was initially intimidated and expected a similar level of intensity. But the vibe here is very different. All the instructors encourage individuality and choosing your own adventure. I like knowing that whether I am trying to train really hard or just have a more lowkey day, I can always show up and get something out of class. Also the community is the best. Everyone is incredibly supportive and there is always lots of cheering in class.

This studio is the best!!! My daughter has been taking dance at eXit Space for going on 7 years…read morenow. She loves it so much. The teachers are caring, positive, professionals who know how to motivate and nurture young dancers. My daughter is now almost 17 years old, currently a Jr. in HS, and is considering a career as a dance physical therapist. Also the year end shows are so well done, you feel as if you are watching a professional production. The adult classes are great too. I can not believe what the adult dancers are able to do in the final show. It's as if I am watching a professional show on Broadway. If you are looking for a creative, professional, dance studio with excellent instruction for all ages and all levels, then check out this studio! PS eXit space is growing so much that they just opened a new additional space a few blocks south of the main eXit Space studios in Greenlake called the Nest. Check it out as well.

"I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white…read moremoderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection. I had hoped that the white moderate would understand that law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and that when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress. I had hoped that the white moderate would understand that the present tension in the South is a necessary phase of the transition from an obnoxious negative peace, in which the Negro passively accepted his unjust plight, to a substantive and positive peace, in which all men will respect the dignity and worth of human personality. Actually, we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out in the open, where it can be seen and dealt with. Like a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up but must be opened with all its ugliness to the natural medicines of air and light, injustice must be exposed, with all the tension its exposure creates, to the light of human conscience and the air of national opinion before it can be cured." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail 1963