The Granada LA Dance Studio

Parking is abundant.
I just took bachata class tonight. Yes, lots of quirky people but it’s a good time. Don’t come in expecting to leave as Jennifer Lopez. Just have fun :)
Classes follow a basic format:
Teacher shows basic dance move
Class follows
Adds something
Class follows
Adds something
Class follows
Class forms a circle
Girls rotate guy to guy and dance sequence
Every complete rotation, a new dance move is added.
Around 5 major dance moves to a sequence.
Big tip: call in to confirm class schedules.
I’m Asian and rhythmically challenged. If I can do it, so can you.
Would I return: yes but $ 15 is steep for one class. Maybe not an «every week» activity but once in awhile I’ll return.

I’ve been taking lessons at La Granada for quite a while. The instructors are great and can be comical in class, which puts students at ease when they’re nervous or shy. Some students can be uptight as they try to correct you or back lead. However, I’ve been taking classes long enough were I no longer allow the back lead. I’m confident in what the instructors have taught me. Take a chance and enjoy the teachings of Vanessa, Hector or Bridget. You won’t regret it.

Worse experience ever, the website said they play salsa bachata merengue and cumbia, i thought it was a well balance mix. The bottom floor was playing salsa the top floor bachata, after listening to salsa for 1 ½ hours we decide to go upstair they were playing bachata for the same amount of time, we ask the dj for cumbias he said we dont play cumbias, we ask for merenguen instead and he play 2 songs and that was it he was not goin to play anymore, we went downstairs the live salsa band was just finishing, then the dj started to play not cumbia not merengue they started with bachata, we were like wtf they have bachata in the 3 floor, my wife decided to go ask the dj to play cumbias, he said i will play 1 cumbia at the end of the night. A place that charged us 15 dollars cover charge an 12 dollar drink really sucks.

This place is amazing, I have taken two salsa classes here. It is wonderful. The instructors are humorous and professional, I enjoyed it every minuter.

I absolutely love this place. I come here almost every Tuesday (salsa dancing). The instructors are so patient and talented, which made it a great experience when I first started.
I highly recommend taking the class before the night club opens up if you are a beginner. However, no one is turned away and everyone is welcoming.
I have had a fantastic time every time I’ve been here :)

The dancing classes are different from those other dance studios like Arthur Murry. The teachers actually teach you how to dance and not look like a beginner. I started the beginning salsa classes a year ago and I can now actually dance. Honestly, I am a person with 2 left feet and am not graceful or rhythmic in movement. But I can actually dance and look normal.
The teachers for this class is a husband and wife team, Terryl & Enio. They are very patience and excellent teachers. They throw in some jokes (sometimes a little less funny hearing that more than once though) and are good at what they do. They have won numerous awards and are recognized in the salsa and ballroom dancing world.
As for the Saturday classes, I am surprised that there are a lot of people here for a Saturday afternoon. There is also a pretty good male to female ratio. On Tuesday nights, there is a good number of people there as well and a fair male to female ratio as well. Each week, you learn a few steps and build upon whatever you learned last week (make sure you practice). The first half of the class, you do the warm up routine and learn the new steps to add to your already learned routine. Then after that you dance w/​the male (or female) you happen to be standing in front of and then rotate. At first, I thought dancing with other people would be scary. I really am intimidated by dancing. But you actually learn to dance better and feel more comfortable dancing w/​someone else. In this class, there are a lot of students that are more experienced and so you dance better w/​them (well holds true for me since I am a female. The female just has to follow. I feel sorry for the guys who have to learn all the moves). Everyone of the students I’ve danced with have been very nice and patience. I look forward to this new month of more salsa dancing class. Every month, the classes start fresh again.
After the salsa class on Saturdays, students are welcomed to stay to practice and dance to salsa music. On Tuesday nights, you can stay and watch the dancing class after and then stay for the practice dancing as well. This place offers other dance classes as well (ballroom, cha cha, bachata, tango, etc) and I’m sure I would learn to dance those styles as well. If I can learn to dance, so can you. So don’t be intimidated like me, what are you waiting for? Grab your dancing shoes (preferable real dancing shoes that you buy at a dance store… will be easier on your knees and easier for you to spin) and go for it!
Oh and just had to mention that it’s a nice touch that there are breath mints in the restroom (both men and women) to help freshen your breath since dancing is for getting close to someone.

I love The Granada. The teachers are all phenomenal dancers and also very capable instructors, which is a wonderful combination. The other students are all so friendly too. Whether you’re into salsa, bachata, west coast, or ballroom; social dancing, performing, or both, I can’t imagine a better place to do it.

The Granada is known for it’s Salsa and Bachata lessons and dances. I’m from Bakersfield and the salsa people here know about it and plan road trips there to dance.
I’ve been there on several occasions for West Coast Swing Dance «Where’s Westie» dance parties, but haven’t made it down to salsa yet. I found the wood floors very easy to dance and spin on, and the sound system more than adequate to provide music to dance to. There is a full bar downstairs and I believe there was another one upstairs, too. Very few dance studios have bars which can serve alcohol, so this place straddles both categories: dance studio and dance club. I believe that I read that it has been voted best place to hear live music more than once! The floor to ceiling windows in the downstairs room are nice too. They let in a lot of natural light during the day, and passersby enjoy stopping to look in and watch the dancing.
My only suggestion would be to turn the air conditioning up higher. On each occasion I have been here it has gotten so hot inside that we are all sweating like crazy. I even noticed water condensing on the inside of the windows, so I know it was pretty humid in there as well as hot. Other than that, I’d probably have given them 5 stars for being so many different things to so many different people!

The wife and I are taking salsa lessons, and this is the perfect place. Vanessa is a great instructor and knows how to teach. We are in the beginners class, and the space is great for some dance studio action. From the basic to the cha cha cha, to the cumbia, you are able to soak up what you learned and hit the dance floor. Love this place!

its amazing! i love it there