The Danceasy

My roommate and I did a spur-​of-​the-​moment salsa class. We ended up taking the classes for 3 months and loved it. We met a lot of new people and keep in touch with many of our classmates.
Gale and Robyn were very friendly and encouraging when during the beginner’s class. As us two guys built up some confidence, our feet were moving on their own.
Great place for beginners or experts. Which ever level you are, you’ll have fun on this dance floor.

Excellent place to learn to ballroom dance and gain experience. This low-​pressure dance studio has 1 large main salon and a smaller back studio. Gail, the owner/​manager, is very friendly and will help you feel comfortable, even if you’ve never danced before. The folks who come to the dances are also all friendly and will make sure you have a partner if you don’t bring one yourself.
Coffee, juice, and water are provided. There is no alcohol available (or permitted), which helps keep things low key and focused on fun social dancing, not picking up on people. The crowd tends to skew towards the 40’s age range, but typically includes people of all ages and skill levels.
Group lessons, both drop-​in and progressive, happen before each open dance. You can also arrange for private lessons. My experience has been that the instructors are very good, focusing on really TEACHING the dance, not just demonstrating and then letting you flail. (Howard is great for salsa.)
Learning to dance is a lot of fun, and coming here for a lesson and dance is a wonderful date option!
Trivia: «Ballroom dancing» is a redundant term – «ballroom» comes from the Latin «ballare», meaning «to dance». Also, did you know that competitive ballroom dancing is officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee, even though it is not an Olympic event?

The Danceasy is a hidden gem in El Cerrito for anyone wishing to learn ballroom or Latin dance in a low-​key, informal, wholesome atmosphere. Good teachers, small classes, lots of room to move, and a super-​retro space (which has its charm). It may not the best place for singles looking to meet others, since the classes are so small (at least, the salsa class is small) and the vibe is so utterly mellow. But it’s very nice for couples who just want to learn to dance in an unintimidating environment. It’s right across from the El Cerrito Plaza shopping center, couldn’t be easier to get to it.

We’ve been taking classes and private lessons here for 6 months and enjoying every minute of it! It is not the typical stuck up dance studio, Gale and Kate (owners) are friendly and really break down all the aspects of the dance you are trying to learn. We have taken classes in swing, rumba, foxtrot, and salsa. The Madam longiza (sp) is a great way to start 4 nice private lessons with no intimating atmosphere, super cheap to at 110.00 per couple. The club series is great, you can learn a new dance each month. We have gone to the salsa Friday night dance party a few times and had a blast! Best part about this place — it was once a real speakeasy — no joke!