Dance classes in Toronto

Dance classes in Toronto keep the city's passion for music and movement alive. Some of our most cherished events--Pride celebrations, Caribana events, the recent Thomas & Friends Live show where Mayor Rob Ford staged an awkward cameo--involve song and dance, and it's no wonder why Torontonians can't keep their feet still.

Yet there are those of us for whom a knack for movement doesn't come naturally. Some recoil to the safety of the bar stool, while the more adventurous embrace their two left feet and enroll in studio programs. Others opt for classes to build on existing skills, or learn types of dances integral to different cultures. Whatever the reason, here are a few places to take dance classes in Toronto.

Salsa: The Spanish Centre
Here, you don't have to leave the building to go from Spanish language classes to Spanish dance classes. The Spanish Centre on Hayden Street just south of the Bloor-Yonge subway platform offers Salsa dance lessons at four different skills levels through its five-week program. The one-a-week, one-hour classes don't require you to bring a partner, and costs $55 (plus HST).

Belly: Hannan's Belly Dance Studio
You can discover the movement of your hips at this studio's two locations; one on the Danforth and one at Yonge and Eglinton (though I imagine I'd have to journey a little further to find mine). For brave souls looking to venture into belly dancing, Hannan's offers beginner classes once or twice week for six-week sessions, starting at $109. Prospective dancers can try out their first class for free.

Break: City Dance Corps
Do breakdancers suddenly lose their street cred if you find out they've learned their badass moves in a safety-focused Queen West workshop? Well, maybe just leave that detail out of the graffiti. City Dance Corps offers seven-week beginner and intermediate breakdancing classes at its studio at Queen and Spadina. The hour-and-a-half classes run once a week and cost $118.50 for the program.

Swing: Bees' Knees Dance
The Lindy Hop is alive and well at the Bees' Knees Dance studio at Yonge and Bloor. Offering four levels of instruction, sessions run for four weeks and classes are scheduled on five days of the week, ensuring easy access to a healthy dose of jazz music. The first class is free to try, and sessions cost $40.

Bollywood: Divine Heritage Artistry
The synchronized moves once reserved for the streets of Mumbai are being taught at our very own National Ballet School on Jarvis. The Divine Heritage Artistry, run by director Lopa Sarkar, offers Bollywood dance classes in four-week sessions ($80), as well as bellydance/Bollywood workshops ($40). Now we just need some sort of hopeless love triangle...

Hip Hop: Byfield Dance Experience
Run by venerable hip hop/tap dancer Shawn Byfield, who self-describes as "Awesome Dance Studio Owner Guy, Battling A Weakness For Dessert," Byfield Dance Experience at Church and Yonge offers classes all the time. Really. Instead of paying for a certain number of classes, you buy a monthly studio pass ($99), giving you unlimited access. There are usually one to four classes scheduled each day at various skill levels.

Tap: Joy of Dance
Joy of Dance is one of those studios that offers a whole slew of different types of classes, and tap is one of the favourites. Right at Danforth and Broadview, you can kick up your heels with 16 weeks of classes ($240), opt to jump in with just five ($75) or one ($18). You must bring your own shoes though (which is probably a good thing).

Pole: Brass Vixens
Here, you pay to work the pole. And I hear it's a great form of exercise. Brass Vixens (formerly Aradia Fitness) has two locations in Toronto (Queen West and Leslieville), offers 3 levels of pole dance and trick classes, and SexyFit pole moves classes. You can try out a "teaser" class for about $25, or take the plunge with a four-week drop-in pass for approx., $119.

Some other places to take dance classes in Toronto:

Dovercourt House
Danceology
Flirty Girl Fitness
Toronto Salsa Practice
Habeeba's Egyptian Bellydance Studio
Yonge & Bloor Blues Dances
Sugarfoot
Street Dance Academy
Elevation Dancentre
Dance Teq
Arthur Murray
Toronto Dance
O.I.P. Dance Centre
Shall We Dance
The Coco Framboise School of Burlesque
Steps
Jive Nation
Om Laila
Mayada's Bellydance
Ballet Creole
Dance District
Toronto Dance Vibe

Have I missed a great place to take dance classes in Toronto? Please add it to the comments below.

Photo by chewie2008 in the blogTO Flickr pool