I've become a regular at Harbour Dance Centre now! They have such a good mix of different dance…read moreclasses and all the instructors are very nice as well as professional. My favourite class is their keepin' it sexy taught by Laura, they are so good at dping the basics of the dance form while also teaching us a fun choreo. It's the perfect class for beginners! I also love Trey's keepin' it sexy classes. Can't wait to try more!

Such an awesome dance studio! I just took a hip hop class with Elwin. He is kind, energetic and…read moreprovides great feedback. I love how he has an intermediate slot this summer. The choreography is challenging but fun and he breaks down the move by counts and music. Love the opportunity to repeat certain sections and do it multiple times with music.

Arts Umbrella has really high standards for teachers. I've been sending my kids there for 3 years…read moreand the visual arts, dance and clay-making are all so wonderful. The teachers are caring, professional and passionate about their craft.

As not only a former employee of Arts Umbrella, but a former student, Arts Umbrella is going under…read morewith new management. When i went to Arts Umbrella from ages 10-12, it was easy to get a hold of management for any reason. There was always a manager in the building. The children there clearly enjoyed their classes, and the parents enjoyed how easy enrolment was, and seemed to enjoy the environment as well. Now? Turnover seems to be at an all time high, and management is impossible to reach. If you have a complaint, it will not be handled by management, rather the lovely Front desk workers that seem to clean up after this managers messes, and actually keep the place running. As I mentioned, I was an employee of Arts Umbrella. I took the role of Visual Arts Assistant, which meant doing all the busy work during and in between classes. I would like to add, i recieved no training, I simply signed my papers and they sent me in for my first day. The instructors i worked with? all absolutely amazing people. The lesson plans, energy, and enthusiasm were all top notch. The manager was, as i mentioned, nearly impossible to reach. She also is not interested in stepping up when were short staffed, and instead just let the instructors deal with it. I had no idea I was doing anything wrong until I was being fired. I got no feedback from my manager whatsoever. All of my coworkers said they loved me, and even the parents expressed how excited their kids were to see "Ms. Tessa". I was then given no shifts for Spring Break camps, and recieved a call a couple days ago that my employment was terminated on a "no-cause" basis. If you want to go somewhere that management actually values you as a person? Values your opinions? Even listens?This is not the place.

My love of dance and my less than stellar dancing shoes (that being, my feet) required me to…read moreconsider taking professional dancing lessons if I were to really make an effort in becoming the dancing queen I have hoped for....or some version thereof! Fortunately for me, Urban Beat Dance Company boasts some of the best and most critically acclaimed dance teachers around, founders Graeme and Elizabeth Oxendale, amongst others. While the school offers a variety of different dance classes at different levels, from hip hop, funky swing and pussycat doll style, my boyfriend and I were yearning to learn some sexy Latin style salsa dance. The group dance environment that allows everyone, single or otherwise the opportunity to dance with a partner, is a successful teaching method. I have to admit though, that as another half of a couple who doesn't get to see her other half as often as she'd like to, I would now prefer to do private lessons instead of dancing with often nervous and sweaty strangers. Regardless of that, the classes were always fun, entertaining and humbling and honestly, if you're looking for a partner (of any sort...) this really is a great environment for meeting new people! The classes are very well priced and offer the highest form of flexibility to suit your very busy schedules. THE place to go for couples dance!

After a lifetime of being the shy AV geek who would always be happy to DJ rather than dance, I…read moredecided it was time to change that. A google search for swing dance Vancouver led me to Urban Beat's website where I signed up for both West Coast Swing Level 1 as well Club Freestyle. After a brief panic attack the night before my first class (what am I doing going to a partner dancing class without a partner when I can't dance????) I walked in and was soooo glad I did. Instruction was great, partners rotate in Swing Dance class so it's a great way to meet people, and the dancing is just plain fun. Extra bonus is if you sign up for Tuesday or Sunday class, you can attend the other no charge, gives schedule flexibility and or extra value. 6 months later having progressed through 3 levels of swing classes (2 months each) I'd have to say it's one of the best decisions I made.... which is why I still go to expand my dancing abilities. The Club Freestyle has also proved useful having found myself on a dance floor or two, as well as adding style to my swing dance. Highly highly highly recommended!

This studio is truly breathtaking. I walked in and I really think I gasped. Such a beautiful dance…read morefloor in a gorgeous 100 year old studio overlooking the city with beautiful chandeliers hanging above you. Not to mention a great place to learn how to dance. I spent the day mostly with Anthony and we had so much fun, but the whole staff is great. It's clear they can teach anyone how to dance.

The Vancouver Arthur Murray is a wonderful place to learn how to dance…read more My partner and I started out here as total noobs and have had a fantastic time over the past 3+ years learning a lot of dances. They really know how to teach here - they structure private lessons and group classes to be good learning environments, and they make it fun and social. It's a very warm, supportive environment to learn in; the other students are friendly and encouraging. We've taken the occassional dance class outside of Arthur Murray (salsa) and the way those classes are taught really make us appreciate the Arthur Murray technique which is less frustrating and more productive. I can't say enough positive things about this studio. As a bonus, it's a franchised studio - so if you travel to another city with one, you can stop in and take classes there. Also - lots of people come as singles - you don't need to have a partner, everyone mixes and mingles in classes and at dance parties. Update: it's 2018 and we're still students here, that's how much we like it. :)

I enrolled my 3 year old for ballet this past school year and overall had a nice experience…read more Dance Co is a very large dance school. I would say they are the largest in town with 2 locations. The entire experience was very well organized but did not feel personal. Besides my daughter's teacher, there was no other staff that knew her name. The class is only 30 minutes long and are the shortest running classes for her age that I've seen in my searches. Other classes for 3-5 year olds are 40-60 minutes long. Their prices are on the higher end despite being shorter in length. At the beginning of the year, you pay everything up front: admin fee, year end video fee and costume fee. This definitely made things convenient. You only need to purchase their uniform from their own store which are also on the pricier side but I found the quality to be well made. There was 1 class where the entire 30 minutes was spent taking measurements for the year end costume and the kids were coloring the entire class. Based on my own dance experience at other schools, measurements were always done outside of class time, usually after class and shouldn't take more than a minute per person. All communication about the year end show was done by mass email and you soon realize how many students this studio has. This year they had 3 year end shows with different groups on the same day and even more performances the day before. It is a lot! At the year end show, my daughter performed with 24 other performances where 21 were all little kid groups (3-7 yr olds). I found the dance quality to be very good as I understand it can be difficult with several children as young as 3 performing on stage for their very first time. I would prefer for our participation to feel more valued but it is tough with such a large dance school.

You get a very big studio with tons of other little rooms inside and everyone is very respectful…read morethere is a lot of other styles and I love dancing there multiple classes can go on at a time and you learn so much there with all of the classes definitely recommend it

Not the biggest fan of spin but my experience is fully reliant on the theme topic, for example when…read morethere was a high school musical x hannah montana class i signed up SO FAST. That class playlist was absolutely fire and I wish they would make it a regular. Some instructors would also take request so don't be afraid to request for something! (e.g. a kpop group specifically :P)

I tried this studio on class pass. The staff are super friendly and check in was organized. At…read moretimes there was a line, but they kept it moving. They have a map for the studio ready with all the bike assignments right when you check in, which was super helpful. Classes include cycling shoes, a sweat towel, bath towels and shower amenities. Lockers are free and quite large. There was a bit of a bottleneck at the lockers and also in the reception, waiting for the studio to open. There is also a hydration station with two taps for water bottles, which is awesome because most gyms only have one and a line always forms. The studio itself has a good vibe. The lights are low and there's mood lighting. The decor is trendy and it's clean, with sanitizer wipes to wipe down touchpoint after the class. There are mirror on three sides so it's easy to check your form. The one con is that the studio itself is not that big and they definitely have crammed as many bikes as possible into it. The back row is tiered though, so that helps somewhat. The space only can become an issue during the stretch and also I think it restricts what can be done with the weights. The instructor was very approachable and had a school dance throwback playlist ready. She made sure to control the lighting so that it matched the class. She also helped people check their bikes. The class had a fun atmosphere. The change room has three showers. They aren't the biggest, but they are sufficient and have good water pressure. They also provide skoah shampoo, conditioner and body wash. Would like to see the ingredients for the toiletries though. Some good amenities in the changing area including razors, tampons, curling irons and a bunch of hair dryers. Lots of bench space as well that is tiled and built in, which is smart.

I have done over 2000 classes - it never gets easier - the best workout! I have been going since…read morethey first opened up in Yaletown at their old studio on Beatty - cannot thank Carolyn enough for bringing this to Vancouver! Marc ---- well love the guy - He is the manager and Kristen rocks too! xoDeb Deb

This barre location has a big studio. It's carpeted, which makes it nice and soft, but also a bit…read moreweird for a gym where people sweat. They have fans going for temperature control, although I imagine if you are on the side of the studio where you are in the sun, it probably gets warm fast. They has two instructors at the open house class, which I tried, Kristin and Connie. This was kind of nice because it meant there was always one instructor free to correct people's form. Everyone working here was friendly. I found the method here was more like pilates than other barre classes. The class used lots of equipment and it was all provided (mats, ball, bands, weights, cushions). A nice touch is that towels were provided for working out. There are showers but only one washroom. The locker area is pretty small and there ends up being a bit of a line to change/access them. Since I attended an open house, they had a clothing pop up, mini facials and fresh juice. Epsom salts were given after the class to newbies and a one month deal. Newbies also were strategically placed between people with previous experience at the studio so there was a lot of thought put into making the experience good. Staff and instructors made sure to introduce themselves to newbies and to watch them during classes to provide extra assistance. They also checked in after the class ended. The negatives are that there is a dress code for this studio that includes no shorts and no midriff showing. I appreciate that this policy applies to all genders, but it is also a bit much, especially the shorts part and not great if you overheat easily. It is also a bit comtrary to body positivity. Another thing to note is that there is no instructor doing the moves with you so it is hard to follow if you are a visual person. The instructions are all verbal and that can be tricky.