This has been my first dance training experience of any kind and I am glad that I went to extreme dancesport. I started with salsa classes and soon got into the Latin ballroom dancing program. Despite of being surrounded by very talented students and teachers, I never felt intimidated. Teachers are very approachable and are always eager to help, no matter how long it takes. Apart from the group classes, I have found the Latin drills and dance technique classes to be extremely helpful, especially for a beginner like me who is just trying to get the basics right. Their occasional parties are a great venue try your new moves and meet new people.
I highly recommend them to anyone who is looking for a good place to get into social ballroom dancing or a serious Latin competitor program or just trying to get the basics.
I love this studio!!!
When I first came to the studio about 2 years ago, I was nervous that I wouldn't be able to keep up in class. I was pleasantly surprised and completely hooked after the first class. I have been taking classes ever since. This is a great place for anyone looking to try ballroom, latin or salsa dancing, especially beginners and wedding couples. Helle, Steve, Aaron and all the staff/instructors are friendly and welcoming. Even ChaCha, Helle & Steve's dog, gets in on the act!
In addition to the traditional classes that are offered, great dance talents like Colin James, Michell Albidtrup and Martnio Zanibellato have offered workshops as well. What a great opportunity to learn from the best !
The studio has moved locations in the past year to a great space with lots of parking, so no need to circle around looking for street parking anymore. For those who don't have a car, like myself, it's still easy to get  there. You can take the red line to Alewife station and its about a 15 minute walk or the 74/78 bus to New Street and it's just steps away.
This is the best dance studio in the Boston area! My husband and I love dancing and have tried several other places in Boston...until we found Extreme! The instructors are all super nice and friendly and incredibly talented. Our main instructor was T.J. - he is absolutely amazing! We had a lot of fun and learned a ton with every lesson.
Unfortunately, we had to move out of town and now we really miss Extreme! Would recommend this studio to anyone who is looking to find a good place to learn to dance, practice and have a lot of fun with it.
My husband and I tried this place out for a wedding dance lesson last year. Â
For $100 you technically get a 45 minute "private" dance lesson. What you aren't told is that this private lesson occurs in a large room where three other couples are also having "private lessons." Â Since each couple had their own wedding song, this meant that three other first dance songs were rotated on the sound system every 2-3 minutes or so. Â
As neither my husband nor I have much formal dance experience, it was virtually impossible to learn new steps and focus on the rhythm with the music switching so often. Â And while the instructor was nice, we were disappointed that he recommended an energetic, fast paced dance (the cha cha) for our song, which was a slower reggae tune. Â Didn't work at all. Â HUGE waste of money and we learned absolutely nothing.
Took the 4-week group beginner salsa with Artem - a really fun class! Â I feel like I could go out salsa dancing in a club after these classes, without embarrassing myself. Â This was my first time taking dance lessons, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Â The staff and teachers were all experienced dancers, and really fun and helpful.
Review Source:My husband and I came here for a wedding dance lesson last year.
They offer about a 2 hour workshop where they teach you several dance steps, including the foxtrot and the rumba. Â There were only 6 couples total so there was a lot of space and we all got a lot of attention from the instructor. Â I cannot remember her name but she was tiny but full of energy. Â It was fun and it helped us to look a bit more polished during our first dance.
I would recommend this workshop to anyone who wants to learn some simple basic steps for their wedding. Â They also offer individualized instruction as well.
If you think you can't dance, you could spend your time proving it to yourself or learn to dance the right way in spite of yourself. Extreme Dancesport is the place that gave me a whole new way to have fun and life outside of work. Helle sets the tone of the studio with her natural charm and enthusiasm... you've got to at least try one of her Samba drills to catch the fever. Helle's staff can help you learn things you never dreamt you could do. Good dancers are almost common, but good dance teachers are rare, and Helle has the monopoly on them. You can compete; you can dance in clubs, or just have fun and gain a whole new social life while you're at it. I refuse to watch TV all winter and expect life to start some day, some day is now and Extreme Dancesport is the best place to begin .
My only suggestion for improvement is to give Standard/Smooth more emphasis; the emphasis here is Latin/Rhythm
I swung by the Extreme Dancesport Complex the other night to try their free  intro Zumba class.  I had done a little research prior to know that I was in for an aerobic workout with latin beats.  To my suprise, the class was full with students of both genders, all ages, and all dance levels. The instructor was very energetic and demostrated dance moves/combinations with much ease.
There was no hesitation in signing up for the 10 class special afterwards at Extreme Dancesport. The staff was extremely helpful and the class offerings is extensive. Â I look forward to my next Zumba class and trying the other ballroom classes they offer.
I was so proud that I dragged my lazy bum out of the house to give Zumba a second try. Â My first time was fun, but I did not know what to expect and it kicked my butt thoroughly. Â This time was with a new instructor and while the workout was different I was able to keep up better just knowing what I was getting into. Â The instructor smiled the entire time, you know she was loving life and everyone in the class around me seemed to be into it. Â It was a bit crowded and sometimes hard to see the instructor but I really enjoyed the energy. Â The studio was nice, but received 3 emails from them within 24 hours.
Review Source:I LOVE TO DANCE. So I was really hoping to make this a permanent spot for my creative journey. So, I attended the studio's free ZUMBA® Grand Opening Class. I appreciated the complimentary class offering. However, I did not enjoy the class at all, left in the middle of it, and will not ever return to this place.  It was my first time visiting and it will be my last.
First, as a previous reviewer on Yelp mentioned, I was greeted by an extremely warm, welcoming and attentive staff member at the desk. She asked me to complete a registration form and sign in. In a matter of seconds, the reception area felt very, very tiny. Â There was a mob of students waiting to sign in at the desk fifteen minutes before class. Â Yet, she remained pleasant the entire time. There was an additional staff member who seemed like she was there to help her, but the second staff member didn't seem useful in managing the crowd. There were a large number of people there for the first time, just like me, and I thought they did not handle the traffic well at all. There might have been 6 to 8 people trying to go back and forth in a tiny area. Â I work on the front lines in customer service every day, and the staff could have been more hospitable as they greeted folks and made sure they moved along.
Second, what was also driving me insane was that I observed students bumping into each other, pushing by each other, etc without any kind of apology or courtesy. Nevertheless, this was a sign of things to come.....
Third, if you decide to go to a class there, make sure to arrive at least 30 minutes before your class to avoid the traffic of students signing in, and those using the restrooms either to relieve themselves and/or change into and out of their dance clothes. Or, prepare to wait, and potentially arrive late to class, as I did, even though I arrived 20 minutes before class. Moreover, be prepared to not really have a place to sit and relax during your early arrival, because there are very few actual seats in the reception area, and dance studios.
Fourth, as the previous reviewer mentioned, there was no introduction at the beginning of the class that explained the dance, the music, what to expect, etc. The instructor taught the class a) as if everyone knows what Zumba is or, b) didn't really announce if there was a warm-up or what the class was going to be about or focus on or,
c) executed large steps and movements that added more stress and diminished danceable space for students, when she could have been more mindful of  the fact that the room was packed with people on top of each other. It is not clear at all what level of dance (beginner, intermediate, etc.) that the instructor was even teaching to or teaching on.
Fifth, poor etiquette was demonstrated by some students who would leave their spot and never excuse themselves as they walked so closely by you to get to a coat rack, bathroom, etc.. I was afraid I was going to hurt someone--or myself. Â Out of respect to folks around me, I would completely stop to allow someone to walk by. This happened 4 times in a 15 minute span. One guy stood next to me for an uncomfortable amount of time, until I asked him if he was trying to move in to the small spot between me and another dancer. He said no and mumbled something I couldn't hear. He must have been a member of the staff because I spotted him later in a corner of the room, taking pictures. Of course, there is nothing on their web site, their application, warning you or asking you for your permission if the staff decide to take photographs of classes....I ended up having to minimize my moves because there were so many students in the room--we were dancing right on top of one another to the front, left, back, right. I ended up kicking the wall at times, where I danced in the very back. There were too many distractions to enjoy the class.
Sixth, I was dumbfounded at how oblivious this instructor, was to the space and the comfort of her students, and oblivious to varying the pace of the class for first-timers or newcomers. Where's the flexibility and mindfulness of space and timing characteristic of dancers???? She was extremely energetic though.
I left at 30 minutes as I watched the instructor add dance moves that no one seemed free to do because of the crowded room---unless you don't really care about the person next to you,and you just ignore them.
The owners and staff try to maximize what little real estate they have, but the overall design of the dance space reflects more compromise than creativity.
But then again, the space may have a different kind of energy when ballroom dance or any of the other dance classes they offer are going on.
I would like to say that I like this studio very much. I've been with these guys since November 2008, and my dancing has improved a lot. I am commenting on the ballroom dance lessons. Extreme offers both ballroom and hip-hop (interesting mix), so I can't really comment on the hip-hop portion of the studio. If you're looking to improve your ballroom technique and have fun while doing it, this studio is definitely the way to go. I've only had experience with two of the three ballroom dance teachers, and both of them have slightly different teaching styles. Private lessons are definitely a must if you really want to improve.
It seems that they offer a lot more Latin/Rhythm style ballroom as opposed to the Standard/Smooth I guess because there is more interest in Latin/Rhythm. They are also very competition-focused, which is good (at least for me) because I like having a purpose, or goal to work towards when I take dance classes. Other services they also offer are wedding workshops and monthly parties, but I also haven't taken those so I can't comment on that.
Anyway, overall a great facility and it's a shame Cori W had such a horrible experience. I recommend this place in a heartbeat.
Started taking group Salsa lessons there today (Club Salsa Beginner Series 1). Â Great facility, participants, music, instructors, etc. Â People at the front desk were VERY attentive and helpful to all of my questions. Â The only reason I didn't give it all five stars is that I felt we too quickly moved right into the Salsa dancing, particularly for those of us that had no background, at all. Â I would have expected a couple minutes on background or fundamental movements or even a what are we going to hope to accomplish. Â Then again, its said you can only truly learn by doing... Â Regardless, I had fun and learned a lot.
All in all, I am very happy and look forward to next weeks class.
Will continue to edit and update this review as I continue in this series of lessons.