Fred Astaire Dance Studios

We took 8 private lessons at Fred Astaire to learn some choreography for our wedding first dance. We both had taken some dance lessons as children, but did not have any experience with ballroom dancing. Caroline quickly figured out our skill levels and planned lessons to get us ready for our wedding day. Our first dance went extremely well and we received lots of compliments on it from our guests, all thanks to Caroline and the team at FADS West Loop!

Took lessons with Caroline at Fred Astaire West Loop for the first dance at our wedding. There was an intro class where we discussed what we thought we wanted to put together and then we booked a package of four classes. The instruction was great and very well tuned to our level. They really well worked with us to create a simple and elegant routine. Scheduling was easy/flexible and we were able to move a lesson last minute because of illness. I highly recommend the studio for wedding dance classes!

Best ballroom dance studio in the region! The instructors are not only incredibly talented but also patient and encouraging. I appreciate the individual approach to every student! 🤝 The atmosphere is always very warm and welcoming!! Location is great - heart of West Loop district. So, whether you're looking to improve your dance skills, compete on a national level, prepare for a special occasion, or simply have fun, Fred Astaire West Loop is the place to be. I'm excited about my dance journey with them! 💃❤️‍🔥🏆

Whether your wanting to learn a few moves for an event or have always wanted to live out a Dancing With The Stars dream, this studio will exceed expectations and get you glowing. I’ve tried other studios in Chicago and Fred Astaire WL is by far the best. Their slogan on the wall says it all: a cozy studio with the most amazing and dedicated dance teachers you could hope for. Andre has gotten me from a flailing tree of limbs to crushing Cuban motion! And what I love most is they work at your speed and comfort levels. No gimmicks and constant sales pitches, just progress.

Fred Astaire Dance Studio West Loop has completely changed my life! Andre, my instructor, is a true "Dance King" with an exceptional teaching style. He focuses on clear instruction, posture, and focus, which quickly prepares you for the dance floor. Whether you want to compete or just feel confident dancing anywhere, Andre will get you there. The studio boasts a strong sense of community, filled with laughter and excitement. Supportive instructors like Ellie and Caroline add to the dynamic atmosphere, offering both individual training and amazing group classes. From the moment I began training with Andre 5 years ago, the positive impact has extended far beyond the studio. Andre inspires his students to strive for excellence, both in dance and in life. The instructors at FAWL are professional, patient, encouraging, and incredibly talented. They simplify complex steps and celebrate every achievement. A big bonus is FAWL's free Open Group Practice technique classes, a fun and social way to practice your skills. Whether you're a beginner or seasoned dancer, Fred Astaire West Loop has something for everyone. It's a fantastic way to exercise, de-stress, and meet new friends who share your love of dance! Don't wait - sign up for a class and join the "Small But Mighty" experience at Fred Astaire West Loop!

We used Fred Astaire for our wedding dance lessons and couldn't be more happier. Caroline was our instructor and was patient and kind with us. Our first dance song was upbeat and Caroline worked with us to develop choreography that was easy to remember and gave us confidence. By the time we were done with lessons, the choreo was like second nature to us! We can't thank Caroline enough for her expert instruction. We also truly loved going to dance lessons-it felt like a little mini date every time!

Highly recommend wedding first dance lessons with Caroline! We had NO idea how to dance or where to start before we booked lessons at Fred Astaire. Caroline helped us build a custom dance for our song, and was super accommodating for squeezing all the lessons in before our wedding. We went from very nervous and shy dancers, to feeling confident. Caroline was a patient teacher who had the best tips and advice, and also made every lesson really fun. We loved our dance and were able to “wow” our guests at our wedding. Thank you Caroline for being the best teacher and setting us up for success!!

If you can walk, this studio can teach you to dance. My husband and I have danced at Fred Astaire West Loop for 11 years. It is fun and fantastic exercise to GREAT music. My husband lost 45 lbs dancing there. I, however, am famished from the workout when I get home. Students can dance at different levels either with a partner they bring or with a dance professional who always makes you look great. We did our first ballroom competition after 5 months of dancing and did well. At competitions, you compete in your age group and skill level. Studio dance parties are so much fun and you can go out to eat or drink before or after because there are tons of establishments in the area. Andre is the ultimate professional and can teach anything to anyone. He produces the best from his students and always makes them look great. Ellie is a great teacher and very thorough with the lessons. Caroline makes everything fun. She is very encouraging. All in all, at Fred Astaire West Loop, you can get what you want from the dancing: fun, exercise, competition, showcases and encouragement and laughs from the other students. Also, there have been many great wedding dances that have come from this studio.

I look forward to my weekly dance sessions here! I've been going 2x a week with Andre as my instructor. Andre and Ellie are very welcoming, professional and knowledgeable of their profession. Both are highly trained and are award-winning instructors. The studio is upstairs in a loft, it's very cute and clean. If you're looking to learn something new solo or learn a dance with your significant other, this is where you want to go and the two you want to learn from!

Currently, I am unsure if this location is even open -- I have tried multiple times calling and emailing them, to no response. I even attempted to go to their location just to learn about what it would be like to take classes there. Their unwelcoming and indifferent attitude itself merits this rating.

Best dance instructor in Chicago is Andre ! Get got us ready for our wedding and we honestly looked like professional dancers and my friends and family were shocked

I read the Yelp reviews about the sales pitch that you experience here, but I decided to purchase a Groupon anyway for 1 private lesson and 1 group lesson. Once I purchased my Groupon, I contacted the dance studio to schedule. The process was somewhat confusing because I was told to schedule the private lesson first, and after that occurred, I could attend a group lesson (I wanted to schedule both right away). My boyfriend and I arrived at the studio for our private lesson, and we were warmly welcomed by the staff. Our dance instructor met with us, and first went through a spiel about asking us what types of dance we wanted to learn and why we wanted to take dance lessons (all of which I had already explained over the phone during scheduling and on the paper they asked me to fill out upon arrival). After this, we learned some basic dances - rhumba, foxtrot, and the hustle for all of 25 minutes. The actual dancing was a lot of fun. We enjoyed the experience, but after our 25 minutes were up, we were immediately hit with an intense sales pitch where we were asked to purchase a package of 6 private lessons for over $700 or 3 lessons for around $370 (both included a handful of their group lessons). Once you show signs of sticker shock, he immediately offered us a somewhat lower price. We told our instructor we needed time to think it over at home, but he insisted that he give us a few minutes alone to think it over while we were still in the studio. He came back, and asked us which package we would purchase, and we let him know we had scheduling conflicts and needed to think it over at home. The instructor, while very warm and personable, came on much too strongly with the sales pitch. He also never allowed us to schedule our group lesson - which is advertised as a part of the Groupon offer. Now, I would feel too uncomfortable to call them back to ask to schedule the group lesson for fear of having to go through that high pressure sales pitch all over again. I should note that there were plenty of other students in the studio who seemed to be having a great experience, but if your purchase a Groupon offer, be aware that you will be treated as someone who is not a "full paying customer," and you WILL be asked to buy more (with hints to continuing your paid lessons all throughout your first introductory lesson - furthering the discomfort). My recommendation to Fred Astaire Dance is to simply offer a great first lesson to your first time customers who purchase an offer via Groupon. Those who thoroughly enjoy the experience will come back for more - no need to be so aggressive with selling your lesson packages and leaving your customers with a bad taste in their mouths.

My fiancé and I had an incredible experience at the Lake Street location with Andre. We went in wanting some tips for our first dance for our wedding and we got more than we ever expected to come out with after such a short amount of time! I would highly recommend checking this place out even for a date night for a private lesson. We plan on coming back in the future!

My dad and I took a class here to prepare for my wedding. We took a sample lesson where we learned the fox trot, rumba, and swing all in a half hour. I was skeptical as to how we'd learn three dances in a half hour, but amazingly, we were able to get the basic steps. We were both beginners to ballroom dancing and my dad wasn't totally sold on the idea, but we had a great teacher (yay Kelya!) who was actually able to get through to him and look past his sarcastic attitude. She actually made it fun related the steps to activities or things we were familiar with. She even played our song and showed us different steps that would work well (that wasn't included in the "sample" lesson; Kelya just rocked). We decided not to buy the wedding package, which included 4 private lessons, 2 group lessons, and something else (I forget), because it was a little pricey for what we wanted. We weren't looking to be pros...just trying to make sure my feet wouldn't get trampled by my dad. I definitely recommend this place if you want just a basic lesson like I did, or if you're more serious about ballroom dancing. The staff was very friendly and the studio space was great. Looks like a lot of fun!

Check out their website: http://www.fredastaire.com for a free coupon for 1 private dance lesson/1 practice session - went there for fun with another couple and we had a blast - they also have another location in Chicago North and Tinley Park. They teach all different types of dance from the rumba to tango to swing to waltz. Since we were prepping for a wedding, we took a waltz class. The best part about our dance lesson was our instructor in how she made us laugh and we felt very comfortable as beginners.

My wife wanted to learn to dance and I got brought along. It turns out that the friendly instructors and other students actually made this a fun experience! There wasn't any sort of high pressure sales pitch, and the environment was easy-going and welcoming. After going to about 6 classes over the past couple of months I can say that I'm glad that my wife wanted us to go. I'm still not a huge ballroom dance fan, but I love the fun time with my wife and the entertaining instructors. Their studio has free social parties several times a month that are always a good time. There are opportunities for us to meet other students and create new friendships. It's a great studio overall. I've been to several Latin Dance studios and this is a different culture with a lot more individual attention and structure in what, and how they teach. For the amount of individual instruction and included group classes and parties the price is really fair. I highly recommend the West Loop Fred Astaire Dance Studio.

We've been enjoying learning Rumba, Waltz, Cha Cha, and Tango for the past couple of months. Each lesson (one on one with an instructor) covers two different styles. Lessons are over a hundred dollars each for a couple, but that includes all the group classes too. So the price is the same as all of the other dance studios if you were to pay individually for a group class and an individual private class. The individual attention to detail and proper form is unlike any other dance studio we've been to. They really help you to get it just right. The environment is fun and easy going, and the weekly (free) parties are a nice bonus and a great place to practice. If you can afford it, I highly recommend learning to dance at the West Loop Studio.

This is a cool place that makes it easy to learn to dance. I first met up with this school when some of its teachers presented at Summer Dance on Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago. I had to be talked into signing up for a free class but now I'm glad I did. All the teachers I've worked with here, in particular Taylor, are talented, knowledgeable and patient. Individual lessons are more expensive than I thought they would be, but you're paying for expertise and award-winning teachers. Also, the school offers group classes and dance parties that come with the individual lessons, so that means you can get your money's worth as long as you participate a lot. If you're serious about having fun learning to dance, this is the place to be.

I bought a couple lessons through Living Social and it turned out to be a huge mistake. I ended up paying money for a really uncomfortable hour long high-pressure sales pitch! I did the first lesson with a friend and ended up apologizing all the way home. There's no way I'd go back for the second lesson. Traumatizing!

Fred Astaire in Crestview FL is amazing! All the instructors are friendly and helpful. I am learning so much!! Y'all rock!

Tried them out via a Groupon and will not be back. We specifically went in with previous ballroom dance lessons and stated that we did not need to start from scratch for our private lesson. Unfortunately even after taking with the instructor and the owner about our previous lessons they gave us a lesson starting from the very basics of dancing! Total waste of money and time. Given that for $15 they couldn't even tailor to a potential customers needs for 30 minutes, I can't even imagine paying them hundreds more.

My instructor was very nice, had the most disgusting rotten breath ever, and spent more time pushing a sales pitch down my throat instead of pushing me cross the dance floor. I told him I wasn't interested in buying more packages until I finished the one I had already bought. He had is colleagues come over and try to do persuade me into buying more packages. I didn't even go to my last two classes that I paid for because I didn't feel like wasting more time listening to a sales pitch. It's a much better deal and same level of instructors down the street:-))

We "won" a free session and decided to try it out. We had about 10 minutes of dance instructions followed by a sit down sales pitch of their private dance packages from the instructor. While I actually expressed some interest in purchasing a package we apparently didn't show enough interest as the instructor said bye, got up and awkwardly left. We did not expect much from this since we knew it was a complimentary lesson, but the rudeness and awkwardness were what led me to write this review.

Hubby & I take lessons here - foxtrot, swing, rumba. We are both so pleased and delighted with our two teachers, Kelya & Steve. Not only are they excellent dancers as well as patients teachers, they also know how to make it lots of fun. No matter how many times in a day they say to dozens of newbies "Quick-Quick-Slow; Quick-Quick-Slow", they always make us feel as if we are the only students they have in the whole wide world!

What a fun place! They offer big group dance lessons w/ refreshments and great dance instructors! We have gone twice and love it!!!!

I stopped by this studio last Friday, and was very impressed by it's layout. It's located in a nice neighborhood, not to far from shops and other local businesses where you can go to before or after your lesson. When you walk in to the studio, it has a very unique vibe. There are curtains that gives it a more theatrical feeling and the walls are very cool too. I have been to many dance studios before, but this one definitely stood out the most. It's not a typical layout and because of it's layout, it's very intriguing. The instructors there are wonderful dancers and people. I dance at a Buffalo Grove location, but I have watched West Loop instructors on the dance floor at multiple regional and national competition. They really care for their students and their level of mastery shines through. Some of their instructors Andre and Mila have won Top Teacher Awards while working at Fred Astaire. If you live in Chicago and want to check out a cool place, stop on by West Loop. I am sure they will be happy to see you and you will not be disappointed!

I went here after years of not dancing, and it was so much fun! There's no pressure, and it just reminded me how much fun dancing is. Everyone's super good natured, and not catty like some other ballroom cultures.

I have been going to Fred Astaire dance studio for a long time and I highly recommend it. The dance instructors are talented and they are so dedicated and patient. I learn a lot during my lessons and I have so much fun while I am learning. There is a great atmosphere and the people are fun to be around. All the students are great and you get group lessons and practice dance parties as part of your private lessons. If you want opportunities to practice what you are learning, you can perform at a party, perform a showcase or even do a dance competition. The studio brings in professional coaches to choreograph routines and along with your instructors help bring your dancing to the next level. I highly recommend this studio. They offer so much.

Fred Astaire West Loop Dance Studio is a fun and energetic place that has become my home away from home. The professionals/teachers are excellent, not only in teaching but in stepping in to offer advise on ways to do dance steps better. In being students for just over a year, my husband and I have competed in two dance competitions (and did very well) and were spectators at several others. Not only are the pros very talented dancers and patient and excellent teachers, the other students are fun and helpful and supportive in our learning. We have welcomed a whole new group of friends into our lives. And we get to exercise to great music!!!

Joining Fred Astaire West Loop is one of the best things I ever did for ME!!! I am going to start with the only 1 negative I see - The price points in my opinion can be a lot better so I can do more lessons and competitions but I am still with the studio after 2 years because I absolutely love my instructors and everything they have taught me so far. Ballroom dancing, the competitions, the pro performances, the music, the costumes, the hair/make-up, the bling, my new friends, in love with all of it. Andre is strict as hell but I will take my hats off for his patience. Jorge is a riot so lessons with him are party time. Hannah is one of a kind and my greatest wish is to be at least 5% the dancer she is. Taylor - 'The' instructor you want to learn your basics from, So cool and creative and goofy, It's why I am a huge fan!!! Mila is always GO GO GO, she should have become a drill master but she is a fantastic dance teacher :D Very proud to have learnt, competed, performed and looking forward to More!!!

First Time Dance Enthusiast...this studio is very friendly and the instructors are professional but fun! We love Taylor and our 2nd lesson we attended a group session which was only a few people so you will have lots of personal attention..The Margarita Party was fun and we were able to watch other more experienced dancers to motivate us...Thank you to Fred Astaire West Loop Studio for having a Groupon to make getting started less intimidating financially..We are enjoying learning! This studio is 3 blocks west of Morgan/Lake Green-Pink Line so very convenient..There's a lot of parking too..

I have been taking dance lessons at the Downtown now West Loop studio for 18 months and love it. It has been such a great time learning to be a ballroom dancer. The coaches are very helpful and supportive. If you have ever thought of doing this, don't wait, make the phone call for an introductory and group lesson today. You move at your own pace and meeting new people is guaranteed.

They would do anything to get as much money from you as they can. When I came there with my dance partner to sign up for a competition, they told us we have to enroll to some classes and pay $400 for that. In that case they would consider us their students and let us take part in the competition. However, at the end of those classes they told us we have to sign up for something else and pay $1,600 more in order to participate! This lying is so unprofessional.