This place is the best! The ballroom is so incredibly beautiful, from the minute you walk in the door. Walking up the the wide, spiral wooden staircase with the crystal chandelier, and then you see the dancefloor and your jaw just drops it's so gorgeous-- the lighting, the mirrors! The mirrors are almost my favorite part, I think they're magic, skinny mirrors-- they make you look fantastic! But the very best part is that the instructors are truly awesome. They're all so warm and welcoming and they make you forget about how weird and awkward you feel trying something so out of your comfort zone. They really make you feel like part of the family, in addition to being really great dance teachers.
My boyfriend and I have been taking group lessons here for over a year now and I'm so surprised at how far I've come. He took ballroom lessons in college, but I knew nothing, other than watching dance shows on TV. I can now hold my own with the Cha-Cha, Rumba, Waltz, Foxtrot, Swing, Salsa, Argentine Tango, 'regular' Tango, even the Polka! I'm even comfortable enough now that I'm no longer mortified when the instructor uses me to help demonstrate the dance steps. :)
I look forward to when we get around to taking private lessons someday, as those come with a few more perks, like free admission to the practice dance parties that are held a few Fridays a month. The rates here are totally reasonable, especially if you think about what it would cost for 2 people to go to the movies every Friday night, dance lessons are cheaper and way more fun!
Also, the class sizes are generally small, rarely more than 4 or 5 couples, and depending on the dance style, possibly much smaller. We've gotten nearly private lessons a few times. And the age-range here is pretty wide, young to old, and you don't need a partner to take lessons, there will be someone for you to dance with. Classes typically run for 4 weeks and there's always a new style to try. I'm always excited for when they put out the next month's schedule to see what's being offered and what the theme of their monthly 'fancier' Saturday dance is.
The Blue Ballroom is just a wonderful place. You'd think they pay me in free lessons to rave about them, but I assure you, they don't. It's just a really, really awesome place to learn how to dance.