Drop in dance classes in DC or NoVA?

January 18, 2007 1:26 PM

Drop-in dance classes in DC or NoVA?

I'm looking for drop-in classes ideally (e.g., buy a card for 10 classes for a set amount of money -- go to whichever class I choose, whenever I choose), though any other recommendations are welcome. I've found two options, which look good, but I can't believe there aren't more options out there in this area.

The two options I've already found: Mark Morris Dance Group and the Metropolitan Fine Arts Center.

I'm pretty open to the types of dance classes offered. The only kinds I'm not interested in are ballet, tap, or any partner-required dances (salsa, ballroom, tango, etc.). I would be interested in flamenco, belly dancing, bharatnatyam, breaking, etc.

posted by sa3z to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (8 answers total)

I have a friend that goes to the Joy of Motion studio in Dupont; she likes it but she says there are a lot of REALLY great dancers that go there (i.e. semi-professionals) and she sometimes feels kind of intimidated.

You definitely can do it on a drop-in basis---they call it Flexicard or something like that.
posted by slenderloris at 1:33 PM on January 18, 2007

Best answer: The DC Dance Collective on Wisconsin Ave. has a large number of class offerings that accept drop-ins; I've been there a few times, and as long as you don't jump right in to an advanced session, you shouldn't feel intimidated. The classes there also seem right up your alley.
posted by sarahsynonymous at 2:00 PM on January 18, 2007

The wife used to take classes at Joy of Motion (until she broke her tailbone) - a friend teaches some hip-hop classes there. Really enjoyed it.

There's also a Joy of Motion studio on Capitol Hill/H St now, in addition to locations Dupont, Bethesda, and Friendship Heights. There's different classes available for dancers of different levels.

And I don't know much about this place other than a friend and colleague of my wife took some belly dancing classes at Lioudmilla Dance Studio in Alexandria. Classes were taught by this woman, who apparrently rents out time in the studio.
posted by Heminator at 2:02 PM on January 18, 2007

There is a group called Siete Tango. They have some great instructors I'm told by my friends. They have events all over town, and roving instructors come in as well. They have all sorts of levels too.
posted by Ironmouth at 3:07 PM on January 18, 2007

Response by poster: Thanks for all the great suggestions mefites! I marked sarahsynonymous's as the best answer, because that's what I've decided to go with, but Joy of Motion and the others seem great too. I appreciate all the help! I just knew there had to be other options.

Feel free to keep the suggestions coming in, for future reference.

Yes, it was the Bollywood and Bhangra classes that tipped the scales in DC Dance Collective's favor.
posted by sa3z at 8:27 AM on January 19, 2007

Response by poster: I just noticed that the Mark Morris Dance Group isn't even in the area.
posted by sa3z at 8:29 AM on January 19, 2007

Arlington Center for Dance on Wilson Blvd in Arlington. They are totally awesome. I've been dancing with them on and off since 2002. They also offer first rate pre-pro ballet training.

I've also danced at Joy, but their classes are almost always overenrolled. One of the things I like about ACD is that they cap the enrollment:walkin ratio and then don't allow the studios to overfill, so you're not fighting people for space at the barre or in the center.

In the burbs, Reston Conservatory offers great adult classes, and not just ballet although they are another pre-pro school.
posted by wildeepdotorg at 8:33 PM on January 19, 2007

Just for future reference, even though you're not interested in ballet, Washington Ballet also offers drop in adult classes.
posted by wildeepdotorg at 8:34 PM on January 19, 2007