Omg!!!! This was so much FUN!!! Okay first there is ample parking so, if you're worried about that, don't be! I didn't get a full tour of the whole building but did see the large ballroom and work out of there. The instructors are so sweet and patient. I brought my own heels though I'm not sure if it matters that you need them or not. I would recommend bringing water! This would be great for a date night. Or even a birthday event! Lessons are available privately or there's an all dance on Friday I believe. It was really cool to dance with so many people! Yes! U will be separated from your partner! It's okay!!! read more

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I love the Fred Astaire Dance Studio! My experience with this company was through the competition "Dancing With The Survivors" that they cohost with The Pink Fund annually. I was assigned to Marjaun as my professional dance partner. From beginning to end, the entire process of working with Marjaun was wonderful. I was in a lot of pain from dealing with my treatment, but he inspired me so much that I pushed through. Our dance on the night of the show was FIRE, and I was proud of myself for learning something new. Every person that works here is so warm and friendly. From the owners, to each dancer, they get to know you and take an interest in your success. I loved the free weekly group lessons and seeing people met each other there after work for lessons. It just infuses energy into your day when you put those shoes on and grab your partner's hand. I would encourage anyone interested in adding fun to their life to head to Fred Astaire. They are excellent at what they do! read more

Fred Astaire Dance Studios - Me and my wonderful, professionally trained, Fred Astaire Michigan dance partner, Marjaun. They're all wonderful, but he was my fav. - Dance Studios Near Me - Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

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I found this place on google, but read the other two reviews on yelp before i committed. I bought 8 lessons as my wife's birthday present, but so far i think i enjoy it just as much if not more than she does. I'm surprised. You start off in a beginner program learning just the basic steps to 8 or so dances (after 4 lessons we have learned the basic steps to salsa, foxtrot, tango, swing, waltz, cha cha, hustle (the real one, not the bar crap), merengue, samba, and rumba. i guess that's more than 8, but we kept asking questions about other dances and our instructor (karla, who is awesome) would oblige us. now we're at the point where we need to select 3 or 4 dances to concentrate on. I think this is a great lesson structure because it allows you to get a taste of everything before picking what you really want to do. probably the best part is the group lessons they have almost every night. if you are taking private lessons, you can show up as often as you like for the group lessons (so if you are taking a private lesson every other week, you effectively could get 10 or so lessons for the price of one by showing up every day for a couple weeks). it's a great way to get maximum value. if you've ever even remotely considered taking ballroom dancing lessons, i highly recommend at least going for the free introductory lesson to check it out. (there is not specific reason why i give 4 stars instead of 5, i'd just rather give it a few more lessons to see how things play out) read more

My husband and I got the Groupon deal and yes, the first class was a combination of lesson and sales pitch. Isn't that what Groupon is for? We got a chance to try 4 different dances (and both of us used the same Groupon for only $18), toured the studio, and got sat down at the end to discuss the options for signing up for a package of classes. We appreciate that businesses use Groupon as a way to let new customers sample their services in the hopes that they'll stay on at full price. Nobody's expecting them to give away wildly cheap dance lessons out of the goodness of their heart. Billy was a great instructor and really used a lot of positive reinforcement to make the private lessons fun for us while we learned. We never felt stupid or awkward and really had a great time! In the end we did sign up for some extra classes, though we never felt pressured to do so. The studio is really nice! We went on a Thursday while other couples were practicing, and we went again on a Friday to have a private lesson during a group class. It was a little loud but we still were able to focus. Afterward, they had a "party" which is a regular thing. It's really an opportunity to practice, both with your partner and with the teachers, in an atmosphere similar to where you'd actually use these dance moves: the lights are dimmed and disco/laser lights come on, plus they even have a refreshment table with yummy treats, beer, and wine! We were wiped out at the end of a long workday and dance lesson, but really thought the "party" was a lot of fun and handled very very well by the staff and instructors. The instructors are professional dancers and therefore the lessons are not cheap, but if you want some great classes you'll love Fred Astaire Dance Studio. My husband and I really have no need to learn anything about ballroom dancing, but we are having a blast there and find it not just fun but romantic too! read more

Prelude: My background: I signed up for the intro-beginner-dance package having never danced ballroom (or any other dance) in my life. Started from zero, zip, zilch, nada. I also did not have a partner going into this. I danced at FADS for 3 months and now dance as much as possible around SE Michigan. So here is the good and the bad. The good is that this studio has such a well-rounded and strong staff. The instructors (around 6?) should really be dipped in gold. They are passionate about what they do, period. They love teaching dance and are so incredibly encouraging with students that I always felt 100% comfortable wiggling my body a new way in front of people I didn't know (crazy, right?). Oh yeah, and did I mention they are charmingly funny and easy on the eyes? Yes, life is good at Fred Astaire Bloomfield Hills. Speaking of the 'people I didn't know' who I was dancing in front of.... the STUDENTS at the studio deserve their own paragraph! They are quite the social butterflies and not only warmly welcomed me as a new student, but they flooded me with tremendously useful information about my new dancing hobby. Talk to the student there, many have been dancing for years and can tell you the dos and don'ts. I very quickly became one of the family, and even though I am not dancing at FADS anymore, I still feel humbly attached to the little studio on Franklin road. Regarding administration: The owners are very hands on and are willing to work with students to best accommodate their needs and concerns. I truly felt that they were always looking out for my best interest and took my suggestions seriously. Respect gets respect. The bad news is that the studio is not friendly on the pocketbook. Although this studio is COMPLETELY WORTH the fees (you cannot find better instructors in SE Michigan), it's still pricey (between 95-118$ per private lesson"). Life goes on, and you still cannot squeeze blood from a turnip. For those who want to become a competitive dancer, this is the place for you. For those who only want to learn the dances that you can routinely dance out in the public sphere (salsa, west coast), this studio doesn't quite foster that type of learning environment. But in all seriousness, forget about everything I just said. This is why I recommend you go to this studio: because you will gently begin to fall in love with dance. Dance is a true friend in life, and just like music, it demands nothing from you and can be for you (as it became for me) a way to free yourself from everything pulling you down. Donna Tartt said it best, "it is a glory and a privilege to love what death doesn't touch". People have danced for hundreds of years. Its liberating, unifying, and its as if while dancing a tango, you can tap into the same energy felt by those dancing tango years ago in the shanty town of Argentina...or dirty salsa in Havana...waltz in Switzerland...even American swing dancing... The richness! Dance is celebration of people, and that in itself something worth living... read more

Thank you so much! My aunt and I had a great time!! I was planning on "observing" but Donald dragged me in. Thanks a lot for clueing him in that I would be there... he figured out pretty quickly I was a control freak! I found out at lunch that my (great) aunt and uncle had worked at Arther Murray- I knew it was a dance studio but didn't realize it was that one. They were an amazing couple that inspired me at an early age to LOVE Life! My uncle, who was my all time favorite person in the world passed away years ago at 90. My aunt has not enjoyed herself like this in sooo long! She cried on the way home from joy. Thank you again for the opportunity to make her day! read more

I recently returned from Fred Astaire Dance Studio and I must say that my experience was dreadful. My husband and I have taken a few salsa dancing lessons before and we wanted to brush up on our skills. I found a groupon online for 3 dance lessons in the dance style of our choice and decided to buy them. We just returned from our first "lesson" and will never be going back. From the moment we walked into the studio it was nothing more than a 45 minute high pressure sales pitch. (It was seriously like being at a timeshare seminar) We only actually danced for 15 minutes and the 3 minutes of instruction we received was not well done and even a little condescending. The rest of the time the "instructor" was trying to get us to buy lessons for dance styles we did not want or need and insinuated that we would receive better instruction only if we bought a package. My husband and I decided we had enough and walked out of the studio. Do not waste your time or money on this poor excuse for a dance studio. read more

4 year student and haven't found a reason to leave the warm atmosphere and excellent dance instruction. Give them a try- you will love it!

I've been a student for nearly 5 yrs., I have checked out other studios and have never found any that could entice me to leave this place. They are part of a well run franchise that establishes a sensible and proven system for teaching dance. The owners are good people who maintain high standards in both they people they employ and the presentation and maintenance of their studio. They have some incredible dancers on staff. They have some incredible teachers on staff. They bring in experienced coaches regularly broadening the learning. The social aspect is awesome too. Active group of students, really wonderful people. I've been blessed to have my instructor for almost the entire time I've been taking lessons. He is one of the gems that make this place so special. If you're looking for a ballroom studio this is a great place to start. read more

I've just come back from a ballroom dance competition. Yes. Seriously. About 6 months ago, I started taking dance lessons at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Bloomfield Hills. The same great things I said about the place still apply. It's fun place with a family atmosphere, and it's a great place to learn how to ballroom dance. My dance competition experience went a little something like this. A couple of months ago, it was suggested that I try to make it to the Cross Country Dance Competition (CCDC) of the Fred Astaire Dance Studios. The CCDC was in Las Vegas. My instructor Karla and my buddy instructor worked with me on the dances I was going to do. We had a Rumba routine put together by Jack Davy, one of the coaches who would serve as a judge in Vegas and who travels around to various Fred Astaire studios to help coach students. We worked on these things right up until the competition. I went to the competition not caring whether I won or lost. I just wanted to feel like I did well, and I wanted to have fun. The whole experience was great throughout--even if it wasn't free. We had to pay to join the competition, but that's understandable. Everything was taken care of except for my plane ticket. I got on the plane with some other students from the studio, our instructors who were going to dance with us, and the studio franchisees/owners Evan Mountain and Lada Reschikova. We got a minibus to get us and our luggage to the airport. We got tickets to a show in Vegas, Le Reve. We got dinner each night, breakfast every morning, and all but one lunch. Evan and Lada took us around. The paid for taxis, thrill rides to give us a break from dancing. We got a competition that was run by the Fred Astaire Co. seamlessly with people from all over the nation--students, instructors, amateur couples--competing basically from 8am to almost midnight every night. Each event involved an approximately 60-90 second dance. Imagine the logistics of getting the right competitors to the dance floor with the right music and the right judges again and again and again and again... It was a marvel of organization. Not only was it that. It was unbelievably fun to watch all the great dancers. This was especially true when the pros competed--when it was all pros, no amateurs. The pros also put on a wonderful show for all us students. Imagine being in the front row for "Dancing with the Stars" with every single dancer being a professional--not a professional with a Kate Gosselin/amateur. It was like DWTS, but much, much better! We also got to meet a lot of cool people who share our passion for dance. We got to also hobnob with DWTS-connected people like Elena Grinenko, Corky Ballas, and Fabian Sanchez, who all served as judges. If one wanted to, one could dance with them too! I invite you Yelpers to come and enjoy some dancing with Fred Astaire! Pop in to check it out! read more

You just need to take your first (dance) step inside this studio to really experience the strength that can come from ballroom dancing! It's hard to explain and I didn't believe it until I did finally take a lesson after a lot of encouragement from Evan Mountain one of the owners (which led to more lessons and more good feelings)! The owners and the dance instructors are all incredibly friendly and make you feel very comfortable. Leaving a stressful work day behind and walking into the dance studio really changed my perspective and helped me to relax and feel confident. If you are looking to do something for yourself, or something with your partner to bring joy into your day, I highly recommend walking into this studio! You'll leave feeling lighter on your feet! read more

Best dance studio!!! Highly recommend it. Very professional staff, family environment. You'll meet lot of nice people.

Shout out to Marjuan! (Sorry if I miss spelled it). This guy is the best! He helped us get our dance routine going for our wedding. We did not know what we wanted to do or how we wanted to dance or anything! Marjuan helped us coordinate a dance that was super elegant, fun, classy, and easy! He made dancing so much fun for both of us. We took about 6ish classes. They have this group thing on Fridays that's a little on the later side but it's fun! It's a lot of people who come get lessons and you can bring a friend and dance with everyone. They do all the forms of dancing. Salsa, ball room, the hustle, tango, all of it! All in one night of straight fun! It was very nice going into a well established studio like this one and not being made fun of for not knowing the steps or anything. They encourage you to try and have fun with it! Marjuan helped us a ton. So thanks man!! The rest of the staff is also awesome!! I forget their names but the Latino gentleman and the elegant taller lady and the Spanish shorter lady as well as the main lady of the whole building!! ALL the staff is very nice and helpful and very inviting. So thanks to you all for all your help! We did a few mistakes at our wedding but that's because I did not practice with such a big dress my wife had on!! :-D but we had such a blast learning and dancing and doing it all at this place!! Take our word for it, we both have two left feet and these guys can correct that without you even knowing it!! read more

I just had the most AMAZING Lesson tonight!!!. Please check out the studio---it will keep you young and healthy!!!! Kay Ford

Dance instructors at Fred Astaire are encouraging, easy to follow, respectful and fun! My husband feels very comfortable there, and when his schedule allows, he really looks forward to learning how to dance with confidence, thanks to Fred Astaire instructors (with a special shout out of thanks to Aubrey!). Keep up the great work and thanks for your abundant patience! read more

I was going to this studio before it became Fred Astaire. The new ownership spend considerable money to upgrade and enhance the studio with better lighting, better sound, new window and wall treatments and a great staff. Always a pleasure to go there and dance. Highly recommend. read more