Group Class Information

All of BDASL'S dance classes are group lessons and are taught in monthly or 6-week sessions. Registration and payment for the full session is due a minimum of 24 hours before the first class. We are unable to accept partial payments. 

IMPORTANT: Prior to attending their first class, new dancers need to fill out the
one-time electronic Waiver Form (link).

Adult dance classes October

Tuesdays - with Andrea

3-week session: 10/07 - 10/28/2025 (no class on 10/21)

6-7pm: Waltz and Rumba
(Beginner Bronze level; no experience needed)

7-8pm: Foxtrot and East Coast Swing
(Intermediate Bronze level; requires previous dance experience with these dances, e.g. 2 months of prior beginner class with BDASL)

8-9pm: Waltz and Rumba
(Pre-Silver and Silver; requires prior experience and permission from the instructor.
Please contact us at ballroomdancestl@gmail.com or approach Andrea in class)

Thursdays - with Tal

6 week sessions: 10/30 - 12/11/2025 (no class Thanksgiving, 11/27)

7-8pm: Argentine Tango 101
(Beginner level)

8-9pm: Argentine Tango 102
(requires some experience with Argentine Tango)

All dance classes require a minimum of 6 registered dancers; in case of cancellation, fees will be refunded.

Children dance classes

[children ages 7-12 years old, no experience required]
There are no children’s classes scheduled.

Course descriptions

Bronze Beginner Ballroom: This is a ballroom dance class for new dancers and those with limited ballroom dance experience. The different dances taught in this class are: Waltz, American Tango, Foxtrot (great wedding dance!), East Coast Swing (also a great wedding dance), American Rumba, and ChaCha.

Bronze Intermediate Ballroom: This ballroom class requires familiarity with the basics steps and builds upon Bronze-Beginner material, hence students should have attended the Bronze Beginner class (for the same set of dances) for a minimum of 2 months before proceeding to the Bronze Intermediate level.

Silver Beginner Ballroom: This ballroom class introduces steps from the silver syllabus. Good familiarity with the steps from the bronze syllabus are required (please get instructor approval before registering for this class).

Silver Intermediate Ballroom: This ballroom class builds upon the foundational silver steps introduced in the Silver Beginner Ballroom class - instructor approval required. [currently not offered]

Argentine Tango 101: In this class, students will be introduced to the fundamentals of tango, including movement, connection, walking steps, basic elements of turning and navigation. Students will gain improvisational skills, historical background and social dance etiquette.

Argentine Tango 102: This class will expand on the fundamentals of Argentine Tango 101 and introduce more vocabulary and concepts. There will also be more focus on musicality, technique, styling and embellishments.

Intro to Salsa: This class is appropriate for those who have little to no prior Salsa dance experience. Concepts taught in this class provide the building blocks for social salsa dancing and other classes such as Salsa Rueda. You will be introduced to proper footwork, technique and basic step patterns to give you confidence and a solid dance foundation. Footwork: forward and back basic, side basic, fifth position breaks, right turn, left turn, cross body lead, Miami walk and New York walk. Partnering: basic step, right turn, left turn and cross body lead. [currently not offered]

Beginner Salsa and Salsa Rueda: This class will set you up for dancing salsa either with a partner or Rueda with a group. Each class begins with a warm-up to learn new steps and practice the footwork necessary for partnering. Following the warm-up, the first half of the class focuses on beginning level moves and combinations with a partner. The second half of class focuses on using the steps from the first half of class in Rueda. Rueda is a popular dance where pairs of dancers form a circle and execute dance moves called out by one person. [currently not offered]

registration

Students must pre-register (sign up) and pay online (see Class Registration & Payment tab) at least 24 hours prior to the first class of the session. No in-person sign-up or cash/check payments are available. We reserve the right to cancel a session if not enough dancers sign up prior to the first class of the session. In that case, a refund will be given.

Cost break-down (prices per person, payable by the session):
Bronze Ballroom Levels, Swing 101, and Ballroom Ballet: $11/class
Argentine Tango 101, 102: $12/class
Silver Ballroom Levels: $12/class
Children’s Ballroom: $10/class

Refund policy
All payments for classes, workshops and events are final and non-refundable. This policy helps us to maintain the highest standard of instruction and a quality dance environment.

Class payments are made in 3-5 week sessions for Tuesday’s ballroom classes, and 6 weeks sessions for Thursday’s Argentine Tango classes. We are unable to accept partial payments. For any concerns, please contact us via email, ballroomdancestl@gmail.com.

Classes cancelled by BDASL due to extreme weather will be refunded.

do I need a partner?

We typically rotate partners during our dance classes. Of course, couples not comfortable with switching partners are not required to do so.

Why do we even rotate partners? As a "social" dance studio (as opposed to dance studios that focus on competitive dancing), BDASL has highly valued the concept of changing, i.e., rotating partners throughout a dance class. This not only makes class more fun and "social", but also makes everyone a better dancer. Rotating partners is a very common concept in many ballroom dance studios around the country. Instead of coming up with our own list of benefits, here are two great articles on the advantages of rotating:
- https://www.nannettesballroomdance.com/partner-changing/ (a bullet-point list of all the advantages of changing partners during a class)
- https://socialballroom.dance/you-dont-need-a-dance-partner (a blog post by a social ballroom dancer)

What to wear

Clothing:  Wear comfortable clothing that allows movement across the dance floor.        
Shoes:  Do not wear flip flops or backless shoes as you could walk out of them. Wear enclosed shoes with low heels. Spike heels are not allowed. Leather soles are best, rubber soles can make it more challenging (“Tom’s” are also surprisingly good dance shoes).

Location

We are having classes in the Grand Hall at The Grandel Theatre (3610 Grandel Ave, St. Louis, MO 63103). There are dedicated parking lots (e.g. NW of the building, across the street, free for Grandel-users) and ample street parking (meter is free after 7pm). As stated above, the Grandel is generally locked these days. Please arrive 5-10 minutes before the scheduled class time, as you might not be able to enter the building after the class has started since we’re dancing on the 2nd floor and will likely not hear you knocking.