Dance Coaches

Dancebug

Dancebug

Well-Known Member
So here is a chance that my partner may move to NJ or Atlanta, GA. Instead of being concerned about my job search, I am like, hmm, maybe I should ask around if there are good dance coaches around those locations.

Currently we are very spoiled in terms of having access to good coaches. We are currently working with a former ten dance champion couple and they bring in the top coaches from all over the country and Europe as well. The studio is only fifteen minutes away.

If we move to NJ, it will be one of the four cities in northern NJ (the end of NJ turnpike), none of which is close to New York. So going to a dance studio in New York on regular basis is out of the question. If it is Atlanta, it is north of Atlanta. If anybody has any information about dance coaches and studios in these locations, please share. (We do both Latin and standard.)

Thank you in advance.
 
If it is in Northern NJ at the end of the Pike, it is *very* close to NYC. In fact, if you don't have an exit number, you're even closer! I think you'll find plenty (!!) of good teachers and coaches to choose from, both in northern NJ and in NYC. I would definitely not rule out going into NYC...especially if you are in Bergen or Hudson counties.
 
momboqueen,

Thank you for your response. Could you give me specific names of coaches and dance stuidos in northern NJ?
 
Actually, the best floors in the area are in Northern NJ - NY doesn't have the size...

Starlight, Battista, Rogers are all run by ex champions. A new studio also just opened in Ridgefield that is supposed to look good as well.

And, you are 20 mins or so away from NYC by public transportation.
 
saludas said:
And, you are 20 mins or so away from NYC by public transportation.
Click to expand...

Actually northern NJ - say anything north of Fort Lee - is quite poorly served by public transportation, with what there is running inbound in the mornings and outbound in the evenings, not what a dancer needs. But driving into Manhattan a few evenings a week is actually fairly practical.
 
I would definitely look at the ones that Saludas mentioned. Out of the three (or 4), I have only been to Battista's, and it is a stunning studio. I've only danced with one instructor there, once, so I don't really have names to give you. Standardgirl also went to someone briefly in Teaneck (or Bergenfield) that is an excellent standard teacher. I think the problem you'll have is actually having to make a choice with all the talent around.

Oh, and if you're an afficionado of malls and diners, you'll have plenty to pick from there, too! :lol:
 
We have beed at Battista's because of competitions held there. But we don't know who teach there. Can you tell me?

Also please post if anybody knows anything about Atlanta, too.
 
battistadancestudio.com/


is the first place to start. you can also call them and ask, ehy, who are the xxxx style pro's who are based here?
 
Dancebug said:
momboqueen,

Thank you for your response. Could you give me specific names of coaches and dance stuidos in northern NJ?
Click to expand...

Roger's dancesport is a studio in NJ owned by Gary and Diana McDonald, ex World 10-dance Champions. At that studio you can take lessons with them or with other great coaches who teach there regularly or visit often, such as Ieva Pauksena and Brian and Kristi McDonald. The studio is about 30-40 min away from the city by bus.

Buses DO run between Manhattan (Penn station) and various locations in NJ.

Starlight Dance studio is about 25 min away from Manhattan by bus. There you can take with Giampiero Giannico (who recently was #2 in pro standard in the US and finalist at Blackpool) and lots of other great coaches.

Max Kozhevnikov and Yulia Zagoryuchenko I believe are also from NJ. (latin)
as well as Garry and Rita Gekhman (US finalists in Standard)

and if you take a bus into the city, you have access to all of the best.

I can't imagine a better place in the US for dancing, other than NYC or nothern NJ! So lucky to live here...
 
Dancebug said:
We have beed at Battista's because of competitions held there. But we don't know who teach there. Can you tell me?

Also please post if anybody knows anything about Atlanta, too.
Click to expand...

It is a mostly social dance studio. Besides partner dancing they also offer ballet and tap and jazz and stuff like that + kids ballroom programs.
But most of their business is in social dancing.

They do contribute to competitive danicng by hosting the NJDanceSport Classic comp 3 times a year!
 
Atlanta has some great coaches. I would PM DanceMentor for more info as he is located there currently.

Eddie Ares is there and a slew of others..... They have a very lively USA Dance contingent as well.

Atlanta is an awesome city. :)
 
It seems that we will be Ok if we move to NJ, even though taking a lesson and practicing are not going to be as convenient as they are now. (We will miss our current coaches and their dance studio so very much.)

DancingMommy, I looked up information about Eddie Ares, and it seems to me that his is more American style (we do only international style). Am I mistaken on this?
 
He does Latin I know. I had some Latin coaching from him... ;) There are also other good coaches there. I'm slightly out of the loop since I haven't lived there for almost 10 years...
 
Dancebug: A list of standard teachers/coaches in the NJ/NYC area would be a very long one indeed. In addition to the ones mentioned here, you may wish to call (or check the websites of) Ballroom on Fifth and Dance New York for the names of teachers who use their space. Most teachers in the NYC/NJ area don't really work at any one studio, but rent space during their lessons. Many of them also work out of different studios. Several good teachers work out of Starlight Ballroom in NJ. If you have regular coaches now, you can ask them for suggestions. Also, I am assuming you compete or you take lessons in an environment of competitors. Take a look at the program of a major competition that someone may have, and look at all the names of professionals (dancing in pro and pro-am events) who list their location as NY or NJ. You'll see lots and lots, especially in the top levels. You can then get their contact info from the NDCA website, or by asking around. You can also check out the names of pros from Atlanta.
You can see a list of teachers who frequent Dance New York here:
http://www.dancenewyork.com/teachers_coaches2.htm
And those who frequent Ballroom on Fifth here:
http://www.ballroomonfifth.com/comp.html
(The lists may be slightly out of date, but they are pretty representative).
And many, many others.
I don't know much about Atlanta, but I believe Jari Muller (he does pro-am with Ashlenn Ambanta, who is from Atlanta) is in that area. In the end, you only really need one coach.
 
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