My husband, James, and I took 10 dance lessons at SF Dance Loft to prepare for our wedding in Uluwatu, Bali, on October 26, 2024--and it was absolutely magical! We are so grateful to the incredible team at SF Dance Loft, especially our instructor, Richard. His guidance, creativity, and patience were unmatched as he helped us create a beautiful choreography to our song, "I Knew I Loved You" by Savage Garden. Neither of us had any prior dance experience, and it probably wasn't the easiest song, but Richard's expertise made the entire process not only enjoyable but also a deeply meaningful part of our wedding preparation. The lessons brought us closer as a couple, and thanks to Richard's thoughtful teaching, our first dance turned out beautifully. Dancing confidently in front of 70+ guests (even in the Bali humidity!) was a testament to how much we improved with Richard's help since our first class. No one could tell how cringe we were when we first started unless I showed them our practice video. Our guests were blown away! We wholeheartedly recommend SF Dance Loft to anyone looking for dance lessons. Whether you're preparing for a wedding or simply want to try something new, this is the place to go! Thank you again for such an unforgettable experience. read more

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We needed a wedding dance choreographer to bring our ideas to life and while looking on Yelp, we stumbled upon The Dance Loft. Without hesitation, we reached out because of all of the 5 star ratings and amazing reviews. We had a song mix ready, but needed choreography. We wanted to have hip-hop, disco, tango, salsa, waltz all-in-one dance to amaze our guests. We worked with Richard Hornor because of his extensive ballroom background. I am a dancer, but my partner isn't, so it was important to work with a choreographer that has experience teaching all skill levels. Richard was perfect for that. He was able to loosen up my partner and help him get less stressed out by taking things one move at a time. He was very patient with us. Also, Richard is just an all around great human being. He is friendly and easy to work with. Our first meeting was about going over ideas and to get a few steps in. Over time, we learned more and more steps. Closer to our big day, we were using our practice time to clean the choreography. I think we maybe had around 12 dance lessons? Our whole routine was around 5 mins. On our wedding day, everyone was telling us how good our dance was. All thanks to Richard! If you are looking for an experienced and fun choreographer, book Richard! read more

The Dance Loft - Performing Arts Near Me - San Francisco, California

We had an extremely disappointing experience working with Val as our wedding dance choreographer. From the beginning, she came across as spacey, inattentive, and oddly self-centered. My husband and I hired her for ten private sessions to prepare our first dance, but her approach was largely hands-off and, frankly, frustrating in more ways than I ever imagined . Val often responded to our questions and feedback by pacing around the room and repeating our words aloud, appearing to require an unusually long time to process even simple asks. This disrupted the flow of our sessions and left us uncertain whether our concerns were being acknowledged. In one of our later lessons, I arrived with significant knee pain and informed her at the very beginning of class. Typically, we would start each session by showing the progress we had made at home. However, this time, we asked if she could suggest an alternative move to replace a step that was aggravating my injury. Instead of addressing our request, she instructed us to assume our usual starting position and immediately launched into a 10-minute, abstract monologue filled with wedding clichés--completely ignoring the issue we had just raised. I eventually had to interrupt her, as standing still was exacerbating my pain. At that point, nearly 20 minutes of our 60-minute session had passed, and by the halfway mark, we still had not danced at all. We did not hire Val for vague, new-age visualization exercises--we hired her to choreograph and teach a customized first dance. Unfortunately, her approach did not align with that goal. Perhaps most upsetting, Val never once made eye contact with me during our sessions. She addressed my husband exclusively, often acting as though I wasn't even in the room. This behavior felt not only dismissive but deeply disrespectful. Basically, it seems like she is just constantly too high. Our experience felt less like an instructor and more like a reiki shaman (which she does by the way if thats your thing). read more

Val is truly the heart of the dance loft! she has an amazing energy and way of getting you to feel more comfortable dancing with your partner. We did a five pack of classes for our wedding which we found very fun and helpful. Richard was great - he choreographed our entire dance! our wedding dance couldn't have gone more smoothly and this is coming from two self proclaimed "bad dancers". read more

If you're looking for a dance instructor who's fun yet focused, energetic but deliberate, and able to choreograph your wedding dance to wow your guests while making the process completely collaborative, book with Val! Our first dance will forever be etched into our memories as one of the most mesmerizing experiences of our wedding weekend. Dancing with Val was the highlight of our week. It was both our date nite, and the one thing that kept us sane during wedding planning. So if you're stressed and looking for an immensely fun way to unwind - give Val your time and she'll make it worth your while! When we first met Val, we had a song and a lofty goal - to lose ourselves in a perfectly choreographed dance that made sparks fly and dazzled our guests. Over multiple sessions, she coached us through various dance moves, studied our movements, taught us how to move to the beat of the song, workshopped new moves with us, listened to and absorbed our feedback, encouraged us to practice - why wouldn't we?! We were having a blast - and developed us into dance ninjas (or so we felt ;)) As the moment came for our first dance, we weren't nervous, we were exhilarated. Val inspired us to master something entirely original and because of her patience, persistence, honest feedback, and infectious joy of teaching, we looked and felt damn good. Book a meeting with Val, talk with Val and tell her what you're looking for, dance with Val in her studio and most importantly get ready to love dancing more than you thought you ever would! read more

The Dance Loft - Performing Arts Near Me - San Francisco, California

We booked Richard for our wedding's first dance and he was seriously the most awesome and enjoyable dance teacher! We actually chose two songs and he was able to design two dances for us, piece by piece, that both matched the vibe of the music and us as a couple. He was able to simplify the dance moves for us as beginners and we had so much fun throughout the process. We looked forward to our Wednesday dance sessions with Richard every week! It was a great and fun break from our work week. Richard was very welcoming and made learning the dances very enjoyable. He was hands on and we could tell he was as invested in our dance as much as we were. By the end of our 6 sessions, we definitely considered him a friend. We absolutely recommend booking Richard for your first dance or if you're just interested in learning to dance... Shall we dance? read more

The Dance Loft - Performing Arts Near Me - San Francisco, California

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2 months before our big day, we realized that we couldn't just 'wing it' for our first dance - we needed some choreography. We found The Dance Loft, and Richard, through Yelp, and we could not be happier. Richard took the time and completely choreographed our dance based on our dancing abilities, and made it so much fun in the process. He was patient, and helped guide us step-by-step through the choreography over the course of 5 lessons. He was extremely flexible and even let us bring our mothers in for our last class session for a quick mother-daughter/son dance lessons! We loved Richard, and The Dance Loft, and have been enthusiastically recommending them to all our friends! read more

Our first dance went so smoothly during our wedding and my husband and I had a wonderful time dancing - we felt confident, prepared, and had fun with it. I give all the credit to Richard. We enjoyed every one of the five dance lessons we had with him prior to our wedding. Richard gave us choreography that went very well with our song (Yellow by Coldplay) and also adjusted it based on our skill level and preference. Richard has a unique talent for being able to explain dance concepts in simple terms and he breaks down choreography into manageable pieces at every lesson. Richard mirrored both the "male" and "female" parts for the spins, dips, and lifts so both my husband and I understood what to do. I really loved our wedding dance and look forward to watching it from time to time to bring back all the happy memories. We highly recommend Richard to be your wedding dance choreographer! read more

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Richard was a fantastic dance teacher/ choreographer for our first dance at our wedding. Neither of us dance and know our right foot from our left, but miraculously he was able to choreograph a sweet and simple dance to our song of choice that got all our guests applauding like crazy! We had a limited amount of time and budget and we were so happy to work with a professional and get comfortable with the steps before the big day. Richard, thank you for your time and energy, it truly paid off! read more

The Dance Loft - Performing Arts Near Me - San Francisco, California

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We went to The Dance Loft for our first dance on recommendation from our friend whose first dance we loved. Angela helped us go from no confidence or recent experience dancing to doing a dance to our favorite song with wowed our wedding guests. Could not recommend her highly enough. She was a joy to work with, and so patient and kind. The Dance Loft also offers a service to edit the dance song, which helped us finish the whole process for planning this dance. read more

Our wedding dance was a huge highlight for us and our guests, and we would recommend Angela for your wedding dance prep! We took 5 classes with Angela for our wedding dance, and we felt very comfortable by the time our wedding came along. We came to her with two songs we wanted to dance to, and some YouTube Inspo for moves and styles we wanted to incorporate. Thank you Angela for an unforgettable dance and helping us work on our moves and confidence. read more

The Dance Loft - Performing Arts Near Me - San Francisco, California

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We worked with Summer at the Dance Loft to prepare for our first dance at the wedding, and we could not be happier with the experience! She helped us put together a really delightful routine to match our music that we could get comfortable with in just a few sessions. And those sessions were fun! We were both a little nervous about being ready for the dance, but when the big night came we were confident enough to enjoy ourselves and received lots of compliments on how polished it looked. Thank you so much, Summer, for helping make that dance one more moment of many that day we will always cherish :) read more

What a wonderful place!! We had a blast Valerie! Thank you for a great time for my wife's 63rd birthday!!! Bravo!! read more

The Dance Loft - A great place for a disco party!! Thanks Val!!! - Performing Arts Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Highly recommend taking partner dance lessons with Richard! I had the best experience preparing for my wedding first dance with my now husband :) and it sure paid off - we pulled off the dance on the big day and felt confident in doing so! We had so much fun I decided to get my dad to take three lessons with me to prep for our father/daughter dance, too! Which Richard choreographed a simple beautiful waltz for us! Richard, thank you so much for helping us with such a special aspect of our big day and being a part of the fun bonding experiences taking dance lessons for these milestone dances! You're the best! Hope to be back to take some salsa lessons one of these days! read more

We weren't looking for anything too fancy - choreographed dance, crazy moves, etc. - but we wanted to have more of an idea for what we should do during our first dance. We did one dance lesson with Val in preparation for our wedding and it was AMAZINGLY helpful. We could have definitely benefitted from a couple more classes, but life happened and we were unable to. Val made us feel confident, helped us visualize what it would feel like to dance at our wedding, and was a huge part in ensuring our big moment was a success. Highly, highly recommend her. Thank you, Val for your help!! read more

My wife Nas and I worked with Angela to choreograph and practice are wedding dance leading up to the big day. Neither of us were great dancers leading up to the lessons, but Angela made learning our dance easy and fun. We went for amore involved routine that included a slow song to start before shifting to a more involved fast song with detailed choreography. We elected to take 10 lessons because we were starting from scratch and had a complicated routine, but Angela had us ready well in advance of that. I can't recommend Angela and The Dance Loft team enough. read more

Summer at The Dance Loft was a fantastic dance instructor. She did a fantastic job balancing our input for our first dance and shaping us up into proficient dancers (at least temporarily). She kept things easy, fun, and memorable and we received many compliments the night of our wedding. read more

We were a group of 7 who went to Dance Loft for our friend's milestone birthday. The vibe of the studio is so positive that as soon as you enter you know it's going to be a good day! Val is very talented, humble and a patient teacher- she helped all of us feel super comfortable- she understood each of our skill level and crafted the choreography to suit us all so that no one felt left out or found it tough. We ended up having such a fun time and enjoyed every bit of our time spent learning the dance moves. Highly recommend!! read more

Love The Dance Loft! We recently celebrated my friend's birthday with a Barbie-themed Ladies Night dance class. So much fun! We're a group of very beginning level dancers. Val patiently guided us through the Barbie routine. She made the class both entertaining and instructive and helped us discover our inner dancers. Val has a tremendous love for dance and it's inspiring and contagious. My friends and I will never win any competitions, but it was amazing to watch how we connected and improved each time the Dua Lipa track played. We are so grateful to Val for creating such a joyful experience and lasting memories. read more

This dance lesson was so fun! I got it for my girlfriend for her birthday and Angela was great. I can say with full confidence that I am a terrible dancer and dancing is way out of my comfort zone, but Angela made me feel way more comfortable learning some of the basic dance moves. She was great at assessing where we were both at and tailoring our session to our skill and comfort level. I also think it's super cute that most people go get lessons here for their wedding. The whole place just kind of makes you feel like love is in the air. The space is also full of natural light and has a lovely feeling. I would definitely recommend it. read more

We have had two wonderful experiences at the dance loft! The first a one hour session with my parents and groom before our wedding and we had a ball! We came to the dance loft again for a surprise for friend (bride and groom) by having their entire wedding party there for a two hour dance class! We had a great time and Mariah was fun and fantastic! We learned some basic moves and some spins that are perfect to always use! Overall a fantastic time. read more

The Dance Loft - Group flow dance class - bridal party! - Performing Arts Near Me - San Francisco, California

summer and val were INCREDIBLE! my wife and i are uncoordinated but they turned us into less uncoordinated people and helped tremendously! love!!! read more

We had two one-hour dance lessons with Tais Zhukova in preparation of our wedding and it was the best decision we made!! She catered to our needs depending on where we were in the process. In the first session she went over a ton of dance moves and potential sequences and choreography. In the second session (after practicing) she helped us feel confident that things looked good and helped give us new ideas for synergy and flourish! So kind, and such a great experience. We will definitely be recommending our friends do the same and use The Dance Loft! read more

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Angela is incredible. She's so warm and welcoming and makes you feel like you can be yourself! She was so encouraging of the song we picked and then helped us build a dance and practice but more than anything loosen up and laugh through it and be low key and ourselves. She shared her other mindfulness practices with us, and we loved our tea and chocolate breaks in class. The dance at our wedding was so fun and we have her to thank. Definitely go here! read more

Our dear friends recommended the Dance Loft to us after having the best experience (and most beautiful wedding dance), and we were so lucky to get paired with Angela. Neither of us are trained (or innate) dancers, but Angela immediately put us at ease by presenting the experience as a chance to have fun with each other. We certainly did have fun! Every session felt like a fun date, and we didn't even realize how much we were learning until each session ended with a run through, which Angela beautifully filmed. Whenever we watch those videos, we're amazed at how good we look ;) We not only gained some serious dance skills, but also confidence to dance together in unstructured formats. In short: we HIGHLY recommend the Dance Loft, and Angela especially!! read more

We had a great experience working with Angela at Dance Loft. We loved performing our first dance and our wedding guests enjoyed it too. Very thankful we took the 5 pack of lessons here. Angela was great at meeting us on our level, building up to a final product that we were really happy about, and challenging us just enough each lesson. Super friendly and down to earth. We came in with a very clear sense of what song we wanted to dance to and she assembled a great routine - somewhat choreographed, somewhat free form, very much based on what moves we were able to learn over the course of the lessons. We've already recommended her to two of our friends who are getting married. We also really enjoyed the Dance Loft studio itself - it's a cool quirky space in Dogpatch. read more

The Dance Loft - Performing Arts Near Me - San Francisco, California

Let the record be clear. I am not a dancer. My friends are not dancers. That being said, we just pulled-off the most beautiful flashmob dance performance of 30 people in honor of our friend's 50th birthday. It was all due to the wonderful choreography and dance instruction of Val Campbell and the Dance Loft. Val worked with our large group simultaneously at the studio and virtually via Zoom. We were so impressed with Val's piece, but we were honestly concerned that it was a bit too complicated for our ragtag group of non-dancers. Val listen to our concerns, but warmly encouraged us to relax, have fun and have faith in our capabilities. I was Zooming in on the lesson, and I got inspired as I watched my friends catch on so quickly. I thought, "Oh, wow! We are really looking good!" Val's love for dance, people and having a good time was absolutely contagious! She made the night so enjoyable and our 50th birthday gift so very special. She even took the time to incorporate the unique talents of our friends, including a sax solo, to make the performance truly memorable. I highly recommend Val and the Dance Loft for private lessons or group lessons in person or via Zoom. Not only will you be happy with the results, you will have such a great time with Val along the way. read more

We just finished our last wedding dance lesson with Val and are so happy that we went with her. We got the 5 package deal which allowed us to choreograph a fun routine that has everything we were looking for - originality, a little drama, a little sizzle, and it wasn't even complicated. Val definitely knows what she's doing and is great at improvising and finding a good dance flow that matches the couple. If you're looking for a wedding dance that is unique, fun but still recognizable as a wedding number, go with Val. She's worth it! read more

My wife and I signed up for a 2 hour session in order to feel more comfortable with our nontraditional first dance song. Val did an awesome job making us feel comfortable, and had an innovative system of ~8 different dance positions we could transition between as we saw fit. We spent the 2 hours learning the nuances of each position, and then practicing to our song with Val critiquing along the way. We took these home and practiced once a day (5 minutes) for the 2 weeks leading up to the wedding, and when the day came we actually felt super comfortable dancing in front of the crowd. The improvisation took a lot of pressure out of remembering moves, and allowed us to be fluid without looking cheesy or overly choreographed. Overall, it was a great experience and well worth the money. Would recommend this approach to anyone that is looking to tighten up their first dance, or who typically aren't used to dancing in front of an audience. read more

We read the reviews, booked Val for 5 sessions, and had the time of our lives. Our first dance was my favorite part of our wedding. Val's method is unique and approachable, especially for those with limited experience. Each class, we left with a better and better version of our first dance, advancing from a basic routine to something more special and personal. We had a great time learning with Val. Our first dance was the most rehearsed and smoothest part of our whole wedding. Val had great tips to make sure we enjoyed the whole process. read more

My husband and I came to the Dance Loft for dance lessons after we heard great things about the place. Not only was the space beautiful and romantic but the teacher Val made us feel very comfortable and excited for our dance. She went at a great pace for us and choreographed a beautiful dance that everyone was talking about at our wedding! I can't recommend this place enough for your special day! Thanks Val and the Dance Loft for a great experience. read more

My husband is incredibly shy when it comes to dancing in public. So when we were planning the first dance at our wedding I knew that it would go a long way to ease his anxiety about dancing in front of a bunch of our friends and family if we took some lessons. I also hated the idea of the two of us just swaying side to side for 3 1/2 minutes. I did a Yelp search and found The Dance Loft with Val. I purchased five lessons online, which came out to $500. I know it seems like a lot, but we only had a few months before our wedding and I wanted to make sure that we killed it! Our time with Val was well worth it. I brought the song (You're just too good to be true by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons) and Val helped us choreograph a dance to it. Val is a super passionate and warm teacher. She spends a lot of time with her students understanding their motivation and goals. The first two lessons were just Val teaching us basic dance moves to master. My husband and I went home and diligently practiced every night. This led to some laughter and some tears as we argued over who was leading and how we were supposed to be counting our steps. (It turns out my husband is a naturally gifted dancer and if we were off it was usually my fault). The final three lessons were of Val teaching us how to put the moves together to create a cohesive dance with a beginning, middle, and strong ending. Again, my husband and I were practicing like crazy. We really wanted to be able to remember this thing when the time came! In the end, our dance was a huge hit. We were so nervous, but all the practice paid off and we looked great. We got tons of compliments from our guests and had a lot of fun doing it. Not looking like idiots was enough motivation to take dance lessons, but the real payoff came in the journey. My husband and I spent hours working together on this project and it was a great way to spend time together and bond. I'll always treasure the hours we spent dancing in our kitchen every night leading up to the wedding. read more

The Dance Loft - The first dance finale. - Performing Arts Near Me - San Francisco, California

Valerie has been an absolute gem of an instructor. She listens to the music, watches us, gives intuitive notes, and helps make corrections in a thoughtful, helpful manner. We are so grateful to be learning how to partner dance with her! read more

Val did an absolutely amazing job choreographing and teaching a flash mob dance for my wife's 50th birthday. - the dance moves were perfect for the song and emotions. - Val literally got a group of 20 non dancers moving in beautiful synchronicity after a single one hour lesson that included a group on Zoom. She is a literal magician. - Val's studio is city chic and made the practice feel like a party. read more

I've been to the Dance Loft several times. Beautiful space! Val is one of the most gifted teachers and coaches that I have ever worked. - And worked with many! From 1 on 1 classes to group classes and show preparation, she brings a light, humorous and holistic approach to guide her students from chrysalis to Butterflies. read more

I truly cannot recommend The Dance Loft enough. We worked with two instructors, Val and Richard, and they were both incredible. My wife and I had encountered some difficulties finding LGBT-inclusive dance instructors in our area so we actually took our classes over zoom since we don't live in San Francisco. Neither of us had any experience with dance choreography or even really much knowledge of how to formally dance with another woman. We felt nothing but respected and celebrated in dancing as a queer couple through our lessons and choreography with Val and Richard. Richard even managed to teach us how to do a lift that really surprised all our guests! The process and the end results were a blast and we now have transferrable moves/knowledge of how to dance with each other for the rest of our lives. read more

For our wedding, my wife and I wanted to surprise our guests with a choreographed first dance. We both had little dancing ability (me especially), but the 10-class package with Val set us up perfectly for a fun, light-hearted dance that felt uniquely "us". We had an idea for our first song and the vibe we were going for. In our first lesson, Val listened to the song and had us dance to it as if we had no lessons. This allowed her to get a sense of what we were going for and see what sort of movements came naturally to us. With each lesson, we added new moves and tweaked some of the smaller details. This made it fun to learn and never overwhelmed. Performing the dance for our friends and family at the wedding was my highlight of the weekend. My sister also shared that whenever she's feeling down, she'll watch a video of the dance for a smile. I'm so glad we pushed ourselves out of our comfort zone and prepared a first dance. The Dance Loft set us up perfectly and we had a great time developing it! read more

My husband and I wanted to learn a few moves to wow our wedding guests during our first dance. Friends had recommended The Dance Loft and we were thrilled to work with Angela. She taught us new moves, made suggestions for when to do each during our song, and helped build our confidence as dance partners. We didn't want a fully choreographed routine or anything too advanced. Instead we wanted to be present and enjoy ourselves. Angela completely understood and helped us achieve this! We had different levels of experience but that wasn't an issue for Angela. We ended up doing 5 classes total and now that we're married are considering doing more since we really enjoyed dancing together. The studio was clean, cozy, and spacious. Parking was easy to find, usually within a block or two. read more

A few months before our wedding, my then fiancée and I decided that we wanted to do something a little more appealing and a lot more refined for our first dance than your typical first dance. Shortly after that decision, my fiancée began looking at Yelp reviews for dance studios in the San Francisco Bay Area, and that's when she discovered The Dance Loft. She then booked us for five sessions, which as I understand it, was very easy to schedule online. At our first session, we met our instructor Kayleigh, and she was such a delight. Very professional, welcoming, enthusiastic, and accommodating. The studio seemed very zen-like and calming, with a combination of Buddhist and Celtic decorations. Kayleigh incorporated some new-age elements into our lessons, such as exercises in sensing each other's aura or energy which was supposed to help us in anticipating our next moves. As the groom, this was entirely foreign to me, and I don't know if I fully grasped what I was supposed to feel, but being a team player, I trusted the process. Initially, my fiancée and I thought that Kayleigh would be teaching us a routine to practice, but at The Dance Loft, they instruct you on how to perform several dance moves that can then be utilized in an improvised manner. This improvisation purportedly aids in alleviating the pressure of remembering a set routine. Being Type-A people, my fiancée and I had difficulties with the whole idea of improvising our first dance. By our way of thinking, having a set plan is what alleviates the stress, especially during a major life event such as a wedding where all of your guests would be looking directly at you. In the end, we created our own routine with the dance moves that Kayleigh taught us, and we certainly appreciated having the tools to do so. On our wedding night, my wife and I performed our first dance exceptionally well. There was hardly any pressure at all, which enabled us to focus on each other, be present in the moment, and enjoy our first dance together. Our guests were pleasantly surprised that we had a choreographed routine, that unbeknownst to them, was choreographed by ourselves with the help of Kayleigh. See, what made The Dance Loft a good value for us was that Kayleigh taught us a number of dance moves to put into our repertoire, and based on our comfort level with the steps and how we felt about the song we were dancing to, we were then able to use those moves to formulate our overall routine. The entire experience was very empowering in that we felt like we had complete ownership of our first dance. It wasn't a routine given to us, but rather a routine that my wife and I put together. All-in-all, Kayleigh, and The Dance Loft was an excellent investment for us. It made our wedding memorable, unique, classy, and all our own. The dance moves we learned have a shelf life well beyond our wedding too. Now that the pressure is off, we will be able to use the steps that Kayleigh taught us in future dances whereby we would be more comfortable with improvisation. Additionally, once we get some more time, my wife and I would like to go back to The Dance Loft for some follow-up sessions. It's definitely worth it! read more

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Angela is the best! My fiancé and I did a 10 course pack to choreograph a dance for our wedding and it could not have been any better. The routine was creative and the instruction clear. We had so much fun learning that we plan to do more lessons just for ourselves now that we are married. We couldn't recommend The Dance Loft highly enough. read more