I would recommend this studio to anyone who wants to dance ballroom. I have been dancing at the Durham FADS for a long time and have had a great time there. The very enthusiastic, friendly and patient staff can handle both beginner and experienced dancers. I can go there in the most foul mood and leave feeling so much better. Singles and couples can have a great time taking lessons or attending Friday night "practice" parties. They have both private and group lessons. The group lessons are a great way to meet others interested in ballroom dancing. read more

We had a GREAT time learning from Julia and Sasha from Fred Astaire. We went once a week for date night to learn dancing basics so we would feel confident dancing in public and at weddings. We got exactly what we wanted, but we miss our instructors already! read more

I had an excellent private lesson with Bogdan on a Friday. The people at this studio are truly professional dancers and instructors. I'm an intermediate level dancer and I saw beginners and quite advanced students, all getting excellent instruction. After my lesson, I stayed for the practice session and recommend doing so. (We all need to practice what we learn.) I really mean it when I say this is a five star dance studio. read more

Excellent dance lessons with a fun, friendly group. Vladimir is an awesome teacher! He's very encouraging and patient! The Friday night socials are a great way to meet people. Don't shy away, the dance instructors are very patient with newbies!!! read more

We took a few dance classes here in preparation for our wedding, and it was truly one of the best decisions we made! From the moment we walked in, we were welcomed with such warmth and kindness, everyone who works there went out of their way to make us feel comfortable and supported. A very special thank you to our incredible dance teacher, Olga. She is a total gem, so patient, encouraging, and truly gifted at what she does. Olga took two people with zero dance experience and helped us create something beautiful and memorable for our big day. She made each lesson fun and stress-free, and somehow managed to bring out the best in us with her expert guidance and calming energy. Not only did we learn to dance, but we also made some great memories in the process. We can't recommend this place enough, especially if you're looking to prepare for a wedding or special event. Olga and the entire team made us feel like family, and we're so grateful for the experience! read more

Excellent Instruction by friendly, patient teachers, and a wonderful social atmosphere.

Since January, we've been taking lessons at Fred Astaire, and for someone who's usually steered clear of dancing, I've had an incredible time learning from Nataliya and Vladimir. They're both fantastic, patient instructors, with Nataliya bringing an especially warm and kind touch to her teaching. They've made dancing a genuinely fun experience for this guy with two left feet. read more

We always have wonderful lessons with our instructors, Olga and Sasha. They are both very knowledgeable and professional but we also have so much fun ! The entire staff is always very friendly and are amazing dancers! read more

Wow! What can I say except this is an exceptional place to learn and practice dance. The instructors are so friendly and patient. I had never taken dance before this, cannot learn steps quickly and have physical limitations due to knee replacement. They were so encouraging and fun to work with. Great shout out to Vadim and Sasha. Vadim pushes me to participate in the showcases and classics and despite my protests, they are always so much fun. When I enter the studio everyone calls out my name as if they have been waiting just for me. The Friday night parties are awesome. Can't say enough positive things bout this studio. I've been here for 4 years now and hope to continue ie as long as I can physically dance! read more

I cannot imagine a better dance studio! The dance instructors are so nice and so good at what they do. We are always greeted with hugs and smiles and positive energy. My wife and I joined 3 years ago and it has been a wonderful shared activity. The Friday social dancing is a lot of fun and a great way to practice - no partner required! If you are even the least bit curious about learning to dance, this is your place! read more

After our wedding was pushed out two years, from 2020 to 2022, and under a new living situation between two states, Georgia and North Carolina, my wife and I had to find a new dance studio for our wedding dance lessons. I searched Yelp and found this Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Durham. There are several Fred Astaire Dance Studios across the country. In fact, our previous dance instructor at Daza Dance Ballroom Academy in Atlanta (https://bit.ly/3qX4pqX) is now an instructor at the Fred Astaire location in Milwaukee. I've kept in contact with our old instructor and she assured me that we would be in good hands with Fred Astaire. As my five-star rating indicates, we were. I filled out the Fred Astaire Wedding Program form on the studio's website: https://bit.ly/3qZAE8J. Within days, I received a phone call from instructor Alyona Karchanova and booked an appointment for our wedding consultation. Our wedding consultation appointment was with another instructor, Yuliya Klyuchnyk. If you read the bios on Fred Astaire's website (https://bit.ly/3J2ApA5), you'll see that all of the staff are experienced top instructors and performers. Our instructor Yuliya is the sister of Oksana Klyuchnyk, who co-owns Fred Astaire Durham with her husband Yuriy Simakov. Throughout the studio, there are trophies, medals, plaques, newspaper and magazine clippings, and posters featuring Fred Astaire Durham's award-winning team. The wedding consultation appointment was where Yuliya got to meet us, listen to our wedding dance song, and formulate a plan based on our wedding date and schedules. I believe all appointments last 40 minutes. At least for us, that's how it worked. The wedding consultation cost $40 and each lesson cost $98. It didn't matter how many lessons we signed up for, each lesson cost the same. We initially decided on eight lessons which I paid for all at once ($784). We ended up coming back for three more ($294) to polish our dance *and* I wanted to do an additional dance with my mom. I ended up investing $1,118 when all was said and done. The dance lessons weren't cheap, but you only get married once in your life (if all goes well) and my wife and I thought the lessons were worth it. In our biased opinions, we thought we had the best wedding dance of any of our friends. I'm not saying that to brag because it's not a contest. I'm saying it to give you an idea of the quality of dance to expect - at least from our instructor, Yuliya. Admittedly, we think this studio came up with an even better dance routine than we would've gotten from our old studio, and we absolutely loved our old instructor. As we got deeper and deeper into our lessons, we got to know some of the staff better. For example, Yuliya had to take some time off, so we had substitute instructors, Vitaly and Yuliya (another Yuliya, who also goes by Julia). At first, we were concerned, but both Vitaly and the other Yuliya made improvements to our existing routine and added on to it. All three instructors - Yuliya, Vitaly, and Yuliya - each played a critical role in our wedding dance routine. I thought that was neat. It truly was a team effort. Everyone here was very professional and nice. It felt like a family because of how friendly and outgoing everyone was. I'm sure they feel like a family. I remember telling my wife, as we left for a lesson after work one evening, that we would look back on our days going to dance practice as a fond memory. I was already feeling nostalgic before our final lessons. Our song was "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" by Frankie Valli. Yuliya had us start with the rumba and then finish off with the cha-cha. It's amazing to me how she and the other instructors can came up with the choreography on the fly. Of course, they're professionals and this is their livelihood. I knew next to nothing about dancing and by the time they were done with me, I looked like I knew a thing or two (shocking). Both my wife and I thought our routine was really fun, unique, and creative, especially when the dance transitioned from the rumba to the cha-cha. Yuliya developed all of the rumba and the beginning of the cha-cha choreography. The other Yuliya extended the cha-cha choreography and Vitaly choreographed our ending. The original Yuliya then tweaked and polished it all off. Our routine was about 2 minutes 10 seconds. It was challenging, but also a lot of fun. I will say, Yuliya and her team challenged us and maximized our abilities. The extra effort paid off. The song I danced with my mom to for our mother-son dance was "In My Life" by The Beatles. We learned it in only one lesson and the routine lasted about a minute 30. Since my wife and I did the rumba and cha-cha in our dance, Yuliya designed my dance with my mom to be different: the foxtrot. I have never had to do so much dancing in my life! But again, it was a lot of fun. A big thank you to Yuliya, Vitaly, Yuliya, and the team at Fred Astaire Durham! We have memories to last a lifetime. read more

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I have been dancing at this Fred Astaire location for a year and a half now...My instructors Olga and Andrey have been immensely patient, highly skilled and are always a joy to be with. The skill, expertise and knowledge all of these instructors possess is such an amazing gift to this community...We are truly so lucky and spoiled...Please feel completely comfortable coming in to check this out and join the fun, you won't regret it. I have had a blast and it lifts my spirits every time I walk into the studio... read more

My husband and I never thought we would be dancing at this time in our lives, but our oldest daughter gave us two introductory lessons for Christmas 2023. We thought we would do the two lessons and that would be it. We are still dancing! Our instructors Olga And Sasha have been fantastic. They are professional, patient, great instructors and genuinely nice people, as are all the instructors we have worked with at Fred Astaire in Durham. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming to everyone, no matter your dance skills or dance goals. We would highly recommend this dance studio. We feel like we now have a dance "family" and really enjoy spending time with them through private lessons, group lessons, practice parties, and special Fred Astaire events. read more

We love this place. The instructors are very friendly and professional. We were initially unsure about what to expect but after 10 minutes in our introductory lesson we were hooked. This started about a year ago and plan to continue. It's so worth it. read more

We had a blast working with Vadim on our wedding dance! He designed us the dance of our dreams (3 different songs combined into 1), and was an incredible teacher! Could not recommend more highly. read more

Really nice studio! The teachers are wonderful and very encouraging. We have progressed so much in a few months. There is a practice dance on Friday night, it is so much fun. And group lessons on Tuesday night.I highly recommend the Fred Astaire studio!! Thank you Alyona and Vadim read more

I have been a student for over a year now and it is the absolutely the best thing I have ever done! At 59 years old I thought my dancing days were in the rearview mirror but I have found a wonderful dance community in my fellow dancers, and especially my teachers. They are patient, kind, and really treat you seriously at every lesson! I have done 3 showcases in front of an audience and stepped out of my comfort zone thanks to them. Ask for Vladimir and Renat....top notch professionals! read more

My husband and I started dancing lessons a few years ago as pretty much novices. With Yulia and Konstantin as our "regular" instructors, and occasional "guest appearances" by some of their colleagues, we really enjoyed the experience. Okay, frustrating at times when we just never looked as fluid and graceful as our teachers, we had fun learning new steps and new dances under their patient guidance. Would highly recommend FAD Durham - they know what they are doing, are fun to spend time with, and allowed us to move at our own pace. Loved it! read more

Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Durham is a great studio for beginners and those just needing to get some practice before a big event. Everyone is patient, knowledgeable and welcoming! read more

This is a wonderful dance studio, where the instructors are patient, fun, and caring. We've learned a lot of dance steps, and we like that it exercises our bodies and brains, plus it's a unique night out. You can take lessons as a single person and dance with your instructor, or you can take lessons as a couple. Either way it can build confidence and also be a lot of fun. read more

The professionals at Fred Astaire - Durham are world-class! They welcome everyone as part of a fun family. Come find your joy and dance, dance, dance!! read more

Loved it! Went for our anniversary and the prices are great! It was a fun time to dance and learn something new! I highly recommend!!

We worked with Alyona for our wedding first dance choreography and had an incredible experience!! We had so much fun dancing with her and our routine turned out so nice! She is so knowledgeable! Although we took private lessons, we enjoyed the fun group atmosphere as well! Highly recommend. read more

Great dance studio. Teachers are international award winning dancers.

My husband and I were learning to dance for a wedding and Krystina and the group were amazing. Always fun! Highly recommend.

My wife and I have been taking lessons for a couple of years now and we have be extremely happy to have met the great folks at Fred Astaire. The dancers there are extremely talented and very, very patient. They've made it a lot of fun to learn how to dance. My wife and I look forward to our lesson each time and it's hard to believe but even at our age we are getting to be pretty decent dancers and are starting to enjoy dancing in other venues (something I didn't think we would ever be able to do). I high recommend Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Durham! read more

We recently signed up for wedding dance consultations. We procrastinated so only had time for two lessons before our wedding day. Our instructor Vitalii was awesome and made us, as total novices, feel completely at ease. The lessons themselves were very fun and he did a great job communicating to us how to dance and interact with each other. We also felt completely comfortable and welcome as a same sex couple. We loved it so much that we plan on going back for regular classes just for fun after the wedding and honeymoon are over. They were professional and we highly recommend them to anyone looking for a dance instructor. 10/10 would dance again. read more

Such a fun, positive place to learn to dance. Every instructor is friendly, knowledgeable, and patient. Highly recommended.

I worked near by the Fred Astaire studio on Garret Road in Durham and drove by it twice a day for 3 years. One day I stopped and signed-up for introductory lessons. Then I became a regular for over a decade. The owners and all the professional staff from the Ukraine and are wonderful dancers and fine people. Dancing is part of the Ukrainian culture and the even have dance studios in gym. If you want to learn or improve your ballroom and latin dancing there is no better place in the Triangle area. read more

All of the professional dance instructors are so eager to teach the dance techniques in a fun, relaxed manner. We really enjoyed the classes and learned plenty of dances, and we were able to participate in dances on our cruises. That added much enjoyment that we were not able to have on previous trips before our lessons. Thank you everyone at Fred Astaire. We highly recommend taking lessons there! read more

Alyona was our instructor for dance lessons for our wedding. We were inexperienced but she helped us learn every step with a lot of patience. Our dance came together beautifully. Our first dance made a lasting impression on our wedding guests. We would recommend Alyona and the Fred Astaire Dance Studio team to anyone. We look forward to returning for more dancing in the future. read more

It's a wonderful place to learn ballroom dance! The instructors are not only very talented dancers, they are also patient, skilled teachers and just fun, kind people all around! I started a few months ago and have found the other students at this studio to be as kind and welcoming as the instructors. I highly recommend this studio! read more

Albert Einstein once said "Dancers are the athletes of God." Uh, I guess that means I'm on his JV squad. But that's actually leaps and bounds from where Phil and I started! I mean, we're probably still not going to be invited to appear on So You Think You Can Dance any time soon, but with the help of a very patient Yulia and fifteen of her 45-minute lessons, you too can boast a passable repertoire of rumba, salsa, swing and foxtrot! Even though my partner dances with two left feet, and grooves more awkward than a deer on acid, we were able to eventually perfect a choreographed first wedding dance -- without calling off our engagement...and I think we may have impressed a few guests (yes, other than mommy and daddy). They are pretty flexible with their private scheduling and we switched ours up from week-to-week Our private choreo lessons were in a spacious-enough room that's separated by a divider (so you can sometimes hear the neighboring music). The basic lessons were in the main ballroom, which is large enough we were able to share it with the other couples without running into them, mostly. Astaire would be proud. Ok, maybe not. read more

I have had a beautiful experience at this studio. I have been to many, many dance studios in my career. It is rare to find a space that offers such a smooth customer experience. Simply put, this particular Fred Astaire's has it all. The space boasts the largest continuous ballroom dance floor I have seen, and removable wall partitions allow for several more private classrooms with TVs and sound systems for learning dance from a variety of media. High ceilings and large windows make for a comfortable and elegant experience. It is even rarer to find such a community of high-level dance instruction that is so friendly and unintimidating. They employ ten full-time dance instructors, most of whom are international competitors from the Ukraine. Adorable accents and qualified knowledge? Tall, gorgeous men dancing in shirt and tie? And at $10 a pop for a group class or dance party, I can have this for less than the price of a yoga class? Sold! Private lessons are more of an investment. But for the rest of the world who, unlike me, are no longer either graduate students or generally underemployed, it's a very reasonable professional rate. read more

The instructors at Fred Astaire are incredibly positive and happy folks with amazing dance performance and instruction skills! My husband and I wanted to learn some special dances for our sons wedding and for a cruise vacay. The instruction was very step-wise (pun intended!) with much encouragement for our week to week success. We enjoy the Friday night dance parties as a chance to practice! We also have been inspired by watching the successes of students along with amazing dancing by the instructors at the showcases. Lastly, although all of the instructors are Ukranian, amidst the horror of the Russian Invasion they've Not changed their amazingly cheerful and positive approach to their profession. read more

This is the best place to learn to dance. All of the instructors are skilled, patient and friendly. I am having so much fun. I highly recommend them. This is my first time learning to dance. I love it. read more

Had a blast learning to dance different bachata with Natalyia and look forward to learning more dances in the future. If you are looking to learn to dance, this is the place. Also, our dance instructor, Natalyia, is a wonderful person who creates a comfortable, fun environment to learn. read more

My partner and I went to Fred Astaire to learn a first dance for our wedding and we had a wonderful experience! While the private lessons were expensive, they were definitely worth what we paid. Tori is an amazing instructor-- my partner is not a dancer at all and he was able to go slowly without ever making us feel incompetent. He was so fun to work with and choreographed a routine that was easy enough to learn in a few lessons but was fun to watch. My partner even says he wants to keep taking lessons! read more

Yulia was wonderful and we had a great experience learning a father daughter dance for my wedding! Thank you for making our day more special! - Lindsey read more

We started with a Groupon and then ended up buying 5 lessons to help us with our wedding dance. Alyona was our instructor and she was amazing. So friendly, easy going, and fun to learn to dance with! She made our experience better than we imagined. We were very inexperienced, but she made us feel like we were actually good dancers! Would definitely recommend and ask for Alyona! read more