Amber was exceptional to work with. She helped us with not only one, but two dances (Waltz and Hip-Hop). Thankfully for us, she was experienced in both genres and started out as a Hip-Hop dancer. Amber is fun and also gets the job done. She was mindful of the floor space, the pacing of the dance, and our comfortability with the steps. By the end of our lesson, I felt confident and excited. We received many compliments on our wedding night from the dances. Lots of laughs and memories were also shared in our dance lessons. We now have this beautiful first dance and fun dance to look back on for years to come. If you're wondering whether to take lessons, do it! read more

Jessica choreographed our first dance for our wedding and did an amazing job! I've never been even a decent dancer, and yet she was able to put in 4 different types of dance, spins and even a dip. Lots of practice and listening to her great instruction later, and we had an awesome first dance! Plus with all she taught us, I even feel comfortable to go out on the dance floor and put what I learned to work on many other songs! I definitely recommend Windy City Wedding dance if you're looking for a fun and knowledgeable instructor to help you through your first dance on your big day. read more

We LOVED Windy City Wedding Dance and were so happy we were referred to Jessica by our friends that got married in 2019. We had our first intro lesson pre-covid and Jessica put on our song, asked what style dance we were looking for and jumped right into it. She wasted no time! Both my (now) husband and I admittedly have two left feet, so we knew that we needed dance lessons to feel confident for our first dance in front of 245 people. Due to covid, we had to postpone our wedding date and Jessica was so helpful adjusting (numerous times) our lesson dates/times and honored our 2019 package rate. Jessica was also helpful spacing the lessons out appropriately and gave her honest opinion on how many lessons we needed based off where we were at. It's also nice that you can always add an additional one or two lessons as your date approaches, which we did. When we got back in the studio post shutdown, it made us really excited for our wedding and to finally dance to our song. It was also the perfect date night as the location is right in the heart of downtown. It was fun practicing at home too and brought the fun back into wedding planning after postponing. Jessica is so talented, skilled, a great teacher and most importantly: FUN! She gave us constructive advice/adjustments/tips to look less choreographed (robotic) and more confident on the dance floor. At our last lesson, she played our mother/son song as well as father/daughter song and taught us how to dance with our parents. This was something I wouldn't have thought of but was so grateful for. Our parents loved it too. Windy City Wedding Dance is a MUST even if you aren't half bad. Jessica knows multiple styles of dancing and can adjust to your needs/first dance vision. I've already referred multiple friends and they couldn't be happier. Thank you Jessica! Photos: @annkamphoto read more

Windy City Wedding Dance - Dance Schools Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We showed up to Windy City Wedding Dance with a song in mind and they did the rest! We loved our wedding dance lessons. We had 4 lessons and they choreographed the whole thing and helped us practice. Our guests were truly impressed and we had so much fun! Jessica was our instructor and she was amazing! read more

Windy City Wedding Dance - Dance Schools Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Highly recommend Windy City Wedding Dance! We worked with Jessica, who helped choreograph and teach us our first dance, and she was awesome. Neither of us had any previous dance experience, and Jessica guided us through beginner level dance steps all the way through a full dance over the course of 4 lessons. She's super fun and easy to work with. We had a great learning experience and were so happy to have a real dance to do in front of our friends and family! read more

Windy City Wedding Dance - Dance Schools Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My husband and I decided to take a few dance lessons to make sure we could make it through our first dance in front of all our guests at our October wedding and I am SO glad we did. Polina made us feel comfortable on the dance floor and was able to teach us a beautiful dance to our wedding song that flowed perfectly. She even took the time to do one of the lessons with my dad which is something I'll always treasure! Everyone was professional and so helpful - even to rookies like us! We would definitely recommend Windy City Wedding Dance. read more

Windy City Wedding Dance - Dance Schools Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Went here to take a belly dance class with Mayte Garcia, Prince's first wife. The only criticism is that the dance studio is small for a group workshop. They specialize in ballroom dance classes and helping couples with their first dance for their wedding. Their prices are very reasonable, $60 a month for 4 classes, and currently on their website they have a 50% off special. They offer beginner and intermediate levels in ballroom and salsa dance with or without a partner. They are located in the fine arts building on the 2nd floor. The view is breathtaking, but the ride in the elevator is scary. If you live in the neighborhood or would like lessons for a wedding, this is the place for you. read more

Windy City Wedding Dance - Dance Schools Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I loved my experience taking both group and private lessons here. We took 10 private lessons with Wallach, who choreographed our first dance and it was one of the best investments we made for our wedding. We did a combination of ballroom and salsa, neither of which I had ever done before. Anyone who is on the fence about whether or not they should take private lessons (as I was) should just go ahead and do it! The whole process will teach you new things about your relationship and how to work better together. Wallach is such a cool, easy-going guy with impeccable taste and of course, an amazing dancer. He designed a routine for us beginners that was very manageable. He is patient and encouraging. He gives us regular feedback and valuable tips on how to improve our form. We thoroughly enjoyed performing in front of our loved ones. Thank you so much Wallach!!! read more

We worked with Amber, and our dance couldn't have looked better! She was awesome, so intuitive, and able to adapt to us. We loved her and can't recommend her or Windy City Wedding Dance enough. read more

Jessica M. at Windy City Wedding Dance was recommended to us by another couple who worked with her for their first dance and it couldn't have been a better experience! She was absolutely fantastic. Jessica did a great job tailoring a routine specific to our skills, song choice, and venue. She explained concepts in easy to understand ways, was helpful with demonstrating, and made practice fun! We couldn't recommend working with her any more. If you're a newbie nervous about performing or an experienced dancer, she will work with you to tailor a fantastic routine that you will have fun learning in the process!! read more

This is the perfect place to prep for your wedding dance! My husband and I took 5 lessons from Jessica before our wedding in October. Jessica is amazing! We are veryyy much beginners when it comes to dancing. Jessica made us feel comfortable and ourselves throughout our lessons. We were able to schedule weekly classes that worked with our work schedule. Jessica has later evening/night classes which was perfect for us! In our 5 weeks we learned a full routine (3 minutes) to our song of choice. We learned an entrance, 5 tricks, and transitions from trick to trick. I'm sure my dance lingo is off. Worth the money and added some fun to wedding planning. Thank you Jessica!! read more

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We absolutely love our wedding dance. Vanessa was an amazing teacher. She even went above and beyond re-choreographing the dance when the music changed. Our dance is dynamic, fun and special. We first learned a few steps, then some lifts/dips & then put it together! I recommend opting for the 6 lessons. It's worth feeling confident day of. Vanessa is the sweetest and has great ideas. You can't go wrong dancing with Windy City. Can't wait to show off our dance!! read more

We loved working with Jessica, who choreographed our first dance and patiently taught it to us throughout several sessions. While I do have a fair amount of dance training in classical ballet (no ballroom though), my husband has no background in anything dance-related whatsoever. So teaching him was certainly a challenge, but Jessica was phenomenal. She was extremely patient with us and completely understood our vision. Everything she came up with worked really well with the song we chose. We're so glad we did this! read more

Windy City Wedding Dance - Lesson with Jessica - Dance Schools Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Jessica is awesome! My wife and I took lessons here before our wedding and Jessica was able to formulate and teach us a ballroom routine within 5 lessons. I came in with almost zero dancing skills and she was able to make me look presentable on the biggest day of my life. She's able to hone in on the smallest of details to help you improve your form, and shes great at explaining how everything you learn ties together. Everyone loved our dance, people always say that at least once out of courtesy... but we've heard it multiple times from the same people so it must be true? Highly recommended, you will not regret coming here! read more

Windy City Wedding Dance - Dance Schools Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We had a wonderful time taking classes here! Our instructor was Tyler and he was incredibly patient with us. Highly recommend this place for first time dance lessons read more

My husband and I had a ball with Amber at Windy City Dance. This was literally the best thing we did for ourselves during our Covid Wedding planning and we looked forward to our lessons with Amber every week - she had us laughing the whole time. Highly recommend for some wedding fun - ask for Amber! read more

I love this studio!!!! My husband and I took 4 dance classes with Jessica. She was amazing!!! She taught us how to properly dance to our first dance at our wedding! Each lesson was a fun learning experience. Jessica our instructor was very friendly, lighthearted and is an expert on dancing! We couldn't of done this without her. Our first dance at our wedding turned out perfect! I recommend all couples who are about to be hitched to take these classes! You won't regret it! Thank You Jessica for teaching us our moves! Thanks, Adrienne & Carlos read more

Windy City Wedding Dance - Dance Schools Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Everything was perfect. Exactly what we wanted. The perfect combination of providing input and critique, with listening to what we wanted. Can't recommend enough - 5 stars! read more

Taking dance lessons at Windy City Wedding Dance was one of our best decisions when wedding planning. Other things (DJ, photographer, venue, etc.) are a must, but we are SO happy we did this. We took lessons with the owner, Jessica, and she was great. We went to the intro lesson then signed up for 4 more - we didn't need to be pros, but we wanted to be somewhat coordinated. With just the four 45-minute lessons, we had a dance that was perfect for us (basic steps, spins, a dip ending, and the best - a LIFT). The lift was surprisingly not that difficult to learn, and it was the best part of the dance. It was really fun and our guests screamed with excitement when it happened. The location was great - we live in the south loop, and the price was very reasonable... worth every penny for what we got out of it. My husband (who was somewhat hesitant to take lessons in the first place) told me his favorite part of our entire wedding day was the dance. I was also thrilled that Jessica helped with our first dance song. I thought the song we wanted would be too fast for a first dance, but Jessica showed us how the steps were really not that fast. I was SO happy that we could use the song we wanted, and it worked out perfectly (we danced to Phillip Phillip's "Home"). The dance was fun, taking the lessons were fun, and I highly recommend!! read more

Windy City Wedding Dance - Dance Schools Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I took a class here last week with a young leadership group. I came with my boyfriend and we had a great time! Both teachers were fantastic. There was a lot of excited and nervous energy in the room. We learned the fox trot, waltz, hustle and rumba in the one hour class. I know that with more group classes I will be able to learn a lot more and practice what I learned. I would love to go back! read more

We had the absolute pleasure of working with Jessica from Windy City Wedding Dance to ensure we were ready for our special day and our first dance. Jessica was fantastic! She assessed our initial ability level and initially instructed us on the basic ballroom dancing moves that can be used at any time/any event. Then, in combination with our selected song, she worked with us to create a flawless routine. We only had enough time for 3 sessions, but we made the most of it through practice, aided by video recordings, playbacks, and adjustments. She made the process seem easy and fun! We would recommend Jessica and Windy City wedding dance to all couples of any ability level. read more

Our dance instructor was Jessica. She is AMAZING! My husband and I came in to learn our first dance, and Jessica was so patient with us given that we did not have any dance background. She is so creative with the choreography and was so flexible on what we would like to incorporate to our dance. About 2 weeks in, I decided to add another song to our dance and she was really accommodating and it came out amazing! On our wedding day, we performed our dance and everyone could not keep their eyes off and continuously telling us how beautiful it was! Our first dance wouldn't be as amazing without the help and talented Jessica. I highly highly recommend Windy City Wedding Dance for any events you want to prepare for. YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!! read more

We had an excellent experience with Windy City Wedding Dance and Vanessa (our instructor). She made the lessons fun and choreographed a dance that was great for our music & our styles! I would recommend her in a heartbeat! We learned the basics of fox-trotting and set a routine for our whole first dance in 4 lessons and we feel super comfortable and confident going into our big day now! read more

We had to reschedule our lessons a few times and Windy City Wedding Dance was very flexible with us. Finally, we were able to get in studio one week prior to our wedding. Amber agreed to take us on for four lessons in one week and she did a great job with creating a routine that matched our skill set. She kept it fun and light throughout and it was a fun activity to look forward to and a great way to de-stress heading into the big day. We felt confident on the wedding day for our first dance and most importantly - had so much fun! read more

This is the place to go. Don't go to those other super expensive places A.M. F.E. they just try to milk you for more and more lessons. at an outrageous rate. Windy city is very accommodating at a reasonable price. They also truly care about your progress and giving you what you are looking for. Vanessa is a great teacher. I would definitely recommend them. they do more than just wedding dances. There Salsa class is great and there are enough singles in the class to match you up don't worry about going alone. read more

Wow, we are so lucky that a friend recommended Jessica for wedding dance lessons - she is amazing!! As two people who needed a LOT of help (both in terms of moves and confidence), Jessica was able to teach us an entire dance "routine" for our first dance in only 6 lessons - including several different steps, spins, and a dip at the end. Our friends & family couldn't believe it! And to make it even better, we truly had fun with the lessons leading up to the wedding and were actually EXCITED to show off our dance! Jessica is a wonderful person and amazing teacher - highly recommended!! read more

Great friendly smart teachers; studio with a spectacular view of the city and we'll worth it read more

Windy City Wedding Dance - Gorgeous studio! - Dance Schools Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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My fiancée and I took Beginning Ballroom with Vaneza and had so much fun learning to dance we signed up for private lessons to work on our first dance song! Vaneza really took the time to listen to the music we chose and work out a thoughtful, doable, routine we're 100% confident about wow-ing our friends and family with. Even better, we feel like we actually know how to dance now! We can put on some music and dance around our kitchen with confidence. Next stop, the dance floor! read more

I bet you've been to one of those weddings; one where the happy couple walks out for their first dance and just sways in the middle of the dance floor... for an entire song. The audience is captivated for the first ten seconds and then follows several minutes of mind-numbing boredom. Determined not to bore our wedding guests, I secured lessons for us from Windy City Wedding Dance. The experience was very enjoyable. We were lucky to get Tommye, a world champion dancer, instructor, and judge. She is a bundle of energy who seems to truly love what she does. On our first visit she sat with us to learn what we had in mind. She then taught us a three dance styles and asked us to choose what we would like for our wedding. Tommye choreographed a routine for us incorporating the two styles we picked. She helped us pace the routine even providing guidance on brief pauses for good photo opportunities. Through the course of the lessons Tommye helped us fine-tune our routine. On the final day, she decided that we had learned it well enough and even taught us a new dance style. That came in handy on our wedding night too. We received many compliments from our guests on our first dance. I was just happy I didn't drop my new bride during the more elaborate dips. I think my wife enjoyed the dance classes just as much as I did. My Christmas present from her, several months after our wedding, was additional classes for us with Tommye. read more

Jess is an absolutely fantastic instructor!!! My husband and I took lessons from her so we wouldn't look like fools during our first dance at our wedding. She was very patient with our left feet, friendly, funny and flexible. We always looked forward to our lessons, which were one of the most fun parts of the wedding planning process. In the end, all of our guests were very impressed with our moves. We would have looked like complete fools without Jess's help! We'd highly recommend Jess to anyone looking for dance lessons! read more

Our wedding was just last night and I coukdnt wait to post a rave review of Tommye and our time spent with her to make our first dance memorable! It was so amazing, people commented it was the best first dance they ever saw. Our time spent with Tommye was invaluable to us and I would highly recommend that every couple that wants a memorable first dance Come to chicago Windy City dance. Truly made our dreams to dance to our favorite song come true! We had a very unusual first dance request and Tommye choreographed it beautifully!! Thank you !!!! read more

We learned of Windy City Wedding Dance though a recommendation of a close friend that recently got married. We loved how responsive the owner, Jess, was when we reached out to inquire about lessons. We setup an introductory lesson where Jess listened to our first song and showed us what options we had in terms of basic steps. I was so excited after our first lesson! We signed up for 10 lessons which we found reasonably priced compared to other studios. Jess was always very patient and fun when we practiced. She designed dance moves around what we felt comfortable with and she added in a move to show off my ballgown style dress to make it extra special. During our last lesson, she went through several important tips about dancing in our wedding clothes that we wouldn't have thought of and would have most likely tripped us up. Lastly, I just want to say that I think Jess looks like Penny for any Dirty Dancing fans out there and she'll make you feel like Baby by the end of your lesson! read more

Windy City Wedding Dance - Dance Schools Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Windy City Wedding Dance is more than just wedding dance instruction. I bought my wife a gift certificate to Windy City Wedding Dance for a Christmas gift as she has been wanting to salsa for years. We went to a different dance studio a year or so ago, but quit after a couple lessons because it wasn't worth our time. The Windy City Wedding Dance was a really good deal on groupon, so it wasn't a huge monetary commitment. Vaneza is a terrific instructor. She is always positive and has a big smile. Most importantly Vaneza teaches the steps in a way that I can understand, keeps the class fun, but keeps us on track. The amount that I was able to learn during the 4 weeks of the beginning class has inspired my wife and I to take the intermediate. I actually look forward to Tuesdays now! read more

I got a Groupon for a few group lessons and had a great experience. The instructor was really well versed in all dance moves and taught the class very well! Due to our enjoyment of the group lessons, my girlfriend and I scheduled private lessons with Polina. These lessons were nothing short of fantastic. Not only did Polina know what she was talking about she was able to teach us in a way that made it fun and worthwhile! read more

We really enjoyed our 8 sessions with Wallach who taught us how to Fox Trot to our first dance. He is a great teacher with a lot of enthusiasm, patience, and knowledge. Wallach was so encouraging when we'd get frustrated with ourselves which was needed in a handful of classes! A few times he had to get after us for not practicing which was also needed because we were really lazy about practicing early on. We liked him so much and didn't want to let him down, so practice we did! He was so flexible with scheduling and easy to work with. He even sent us a nice text the week of our wedding with more words of encouragement. I definitely hope to see his kind face again! read more

My (now) wife and I took our first dance lessons at Windy City Wedding Dance Company. Neither of us had any dance experience, but the folks at Windy City Wedding Dance made us feel right at home (and natural as well)! Weddings are super expensive, so if you're on the fence about doing first dance lessons, then I'd say this review will help make you decide! Every touchpoint we had was a great experience! The initial contact was with Jessica. She's super responsive and very honest about her business. You can clearly tell that she 100% cares about the customers! She is legitimately out there to help you! We scheduled an introductory class with Vaneza soon after, where we learned the basic dance steps. Vaneza really makes you feel comfortable with the dance, along with the song we chose for our first dance - to the point that we immediately signed up for the 4 class package! Every class builds on each other, from the entrance, to the first half, the second half, and finally the dip (note: I'm assuming most wedding first dances end with a dip). As I mentioned, Vaneza was fantastic and she made us feel comfortable! We're actually planning on doing more lessons with her just for fun in the future (she mentioned she teaches salsa lessons every Tue)! They're also located in the Fine Arts/Studebaker Building! If you haven't been, it's a very charming building with manually operated elevators! Anyway, wedding planning is very stressful. My wife and I have been through it - but we can confidently say that the dance lessons were the MOST FUN of the entire process. If you're on the fence about doing this, we say GO FOR IT. Not only will you actually learn some real dance moves, but it adds some fun and enjoyment in the hectic wedding planning. My wife and I sure did enjoy it! read more

I tell everyone that the best part about wedding planning was taking classes with Vaneza. And that's saying a lot because I actually don't like dancing lol. She was so amazing, she didn't make me feel uncomfortable or self conscious (I would not have come back if so, I'm very over-sensitive/stubborn) and she created the most perfect first dance for us. If you are a bride and want to enjoy at least one part of planning, work with Windy City wedding dance. You won't regret it! read more

Jessica took us from two left feet to light on our feet and we nailed our first dance! As two men who married each other, we needed a teacher who could teach us both to lead and to follow and help up create a dance that would be fun and dignified and that would be comfortable to do and to watch. Jessica did all that and more! She is an expert competition dancer and meets you wherever you are at. Everytime you finish with her you will be better and more confident, graceful and prepared. Thanks Jessica!! read more

Windy City Wedding Dance - Jessica Mays expertly taught us to do a dip worthy or two men! - Dance Schools Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Jess is an amazing instructor! I have NO rhythm and she even taught me!! Everyone interested in dancing should have Jess help! I would recommend Jess and WindyCity Dance to everyone without reservation! read more

My now-husband and I worked with Jessica Mays while prepping for our first dance. It's impossible to come up with enough kind words to do her justice! She is a sweetheart and incredibly talented. My husband has the hip flexibility of a hockey player and I'm not exactly Dancing with the Stars material, but Jessica choreographed a dance that was perfect for US! And of course, we nailed it at our wedding! All of our guests and event staff said it was the best first dance they've ever seen!!! Jessica, thank you so, so much for all of your guidance and patience with us. We (OBVIOUSLY) couldn't have had such a special first dance without you!! For all of the future brides and grooms who are questioning getting dance lessons or where to get the lessons, look no further than Jessica Mays with Windy City Wedding Dance. You and your wedding guests will not be disappointed!! read more