Pasadena Ballroom Dance Association

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  Just recently took the introduction to ballroom dance class (level 1) and it was fabulous.  My boyfriend and I wanted to learn to dance and this seemed like the place to do it.  The instructors are fabulous, super patient with the two of us (he gets nervous, I have difficulty following) and turning us into confident dancers by the end of the 5 week session (normally 6 weeks but the 4th of July holiday fell on the 6th week so they cut it short).  Every class we reviewed what we had learned before which was helpful and then learned a new fun step.  The classes went over the hour mark each time, which I appreciated because I feel like the instructors cared more about making sure we had learned everything than worrying about the strict hour mark.  
  
  We just recently attended a wedding and it was fabulous to dance around doing the foxtrot (even if we were the only ones dancing so formally).  We laughed and it was comfortable, a huge credit to how fabulous the instructors are.  Can't wait to take Level 2!

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  Posted on 07.07.13 Lauren E.

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  I asked my now husband to dance here and I'm so glad he said yes!:) we love their teaching style. They r so cute and friendly.  It gets a bit pricey for a couple on some event nights, but $15 isn't bad to hear a big band! I understand why, u wanna support good bands, but we wish we weren't so busy. Fun way to exercise!

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  Posted on 02.18.13 Christiana G.

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  The Pasadena Ballroom Dance Association is located in the Grace Hall of the Grace Lutheran Church.  This was the first Swing Dance venue I attended (back in December 2011).  I went on a Saturday when they had their '50s night.  Every Saturday night there are live Swing bands.  Parking was not hard to find and it was free.  The cover is $15 and raffle prizes are given.  There are refreshments outside the ballroom.  I took the free lesson from Erin Stevens.  She is a good instructor and was also the dance partner of the great Frankie Manning.  
  
  I'm giving this place 3 stars because of the dance scene here.  A majority of the people who dance here are at least middle-aged.  I've seen a handful of 20 and 30-somethings (around my age range).  It was nice that I could rotate with different leads during the free class and I was able to dance with only a few of them, so the social scene was pretty cliquish.  Mind you, this was back when I was a total beginner to Swing.  Not a lot of the leads here (especially the experienced ones) have the patience to dance with beginning follows.  During one of the lessons, I was trying to learn a simple tuck turn for the first time and one of the more experienced leads didn't listen to Erin's instructions on correct hand positioning for leads (to do the tuck turn) and I tried to tactfully and nicely point it out to him and he bluntly said, "Doesn't matter!!"  I wasn't being mean or anything like that.  I was only trying to help!!!  I later saw him on the dance floor with another follow trying to show off.  When I dance with leads like himself, I don't ever bother dancing with them again.  It's just really off-putting to me.  Now that I'm more experienced and have social danced at other venues (for the past 9 months) I don't know if the social scene will change the next time I go.  I would rather go dance somewhere else that is worth my time and my money and has a friendly/patient scene.  
  
  The live bands, refreshments, and raffle prizes are great, but the dance scene didn't really make me happy....just okay.  If I were to go here again, I'd come with a friend or a group of friends. I would go social dance here again if it were not for the cliques.

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  Posted on 09.02.12 April D.

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  I signed up for a Lindy Hop class series on Saturday mornings.  I've only attended one class so far, and will amend this review as the class progresses.
  
  The classes are held in a hall attached to a Lutheran Church.  It's a great hall, with a fantastic floor for dancing.  They also have swing dances with live music every Saturday Night.  Once I get good enough, I'll definitely have to check that out.
  
  I have taken some swing dance classes previously- but that was a couple of years ago, and were classes in smooth or 'hollywood' swing and Balboa.  This class is the classic 'Savoy' style and is done in an 8 count.
  
  I felt the class was very good.  Clear instruction, with well broken down steps.  It moved at a good pace, but no one got left behind.  Also, even though learning the basic step was very easy for me (closer to remembering than learning for the very first time) I was given pointers that really helped, getting me to concentrate on my 'follow'.  
  
  I can't wait to go back for the next class!

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  Posted on 11.08.11 James M.

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  For the value and the time spent, this is as good as it gets.  
  
  I've been dancing at various dance studios for over 15 years, and PBDA is the people's dance school.  The classes are large and spacious, you meet a cross section of folks, you dance on a newly refurbished beautiful wooden floor in a large church auditorium, and the instruction is thorough especially for beginners.  You don't need a partner, and the speedy rotation in class makes sure you dance with a variety of  partners.  The Stevens sisters Tami and Erin also make the classes fun and enjoyable.
  
  I don't know any other dance school that has a weekly dance with a live band, and PBDA Saturday nite swing dances have been going on now for over 20 years.  For $ 15 you have a free lesson for newbies, over 3 hours of live band entertainment, and lots free crackers, dips, sweets and fruits thru-out the evening with free lemonade, water and coffee.  The swing bands range from full orchestras like Bill Elliot and Pete Jacobs, to country swing Lucky Stars, Ladd Macintosh, Lil Mo & the Dynaflows, Casey McGill and of the great Stompy Jones.  How good is that?  I have friends who come just to listen to the bands!
  
  They have a Ballroom open dance nite too that I've heard is very nice.
  
  Unlike some other venues and dance schools, this is a great place to learn to dance in a comfortable atmosphere.  Other school classes I've danced at can be be pretty intimidating with the high level of elite dancers who don't want to mess with beginners.  At PBDA, There is no 'tude here.  If you're a social dancer that's just starting and want to learn the basics of a wide range of dances with room to grow with dance friendly people, then PBDA is the spot.

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  Posted on 10.17.11 Nikolas H.

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  My husband and I took lessons here a few months ago and we thought it would difficult to follow.  We were surprised that even my husband (2 left feet could follow).  The instructors are great.  I can't wait to take more classes.

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  Posted on 08.04.11 Karla G.

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  The classes are great.  My wife and I haven been taking lessons here of and on for about 5 or 6 years.  Tammy and Erin are both great teachers and the helpers they have working with them--Barry, Joel, and Sandra--and great too!  We've taken E. Coast, W. Coast, Lindy, Ballroom, Western, Argentine Tango and Balboa.  All the classes have been a lot of fun.  I just wish I could remember half of what we learned so I can lead it.
  
  I would have to add a ditto with a caveat to what Dawn D. wrote:  It isn't just PBDA dances that have this problem.  If you go to just about any place in the area with dancing what you experienced is going to happen.  I know because it's happened to us.  Some of it I'm sure is their desire to show off their dance moves, but some I think is just social awkwardness.  But for some it may be because they came with a partner and spend most of their time together.

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  Posted on 07.23.11 Dale L.

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  I'm currently in my 2nd round of Level 1 Lindy Hop and am loving it!
  
  The instruction is broken down into really easy segments with plenty of practice time in between.  A lot can be learned in an hour even if you are among the 'uncoordinated' section of the population like I am :)
  
  It's great that you don't need to have a partner for these classes because they match you up and you rotate so you meet a lot of people as well as not feel so bad if you accidentally smack someone in the ribcage (like I have) because you're getting smacked back!
  
  The teachers are knowledgeable and experienced and I dig when they throw in some history of swing dancing tidbits during the class.
  
  For 5 classes that are 1 hour each, it's only $65 which is SO REASONABLY PRICED!!!   You can even stay for the class following yours at no additional cost.  Parking is easy, the multipurpose room where the classes are held are air conditioned (which helps on hot days), and the bathrooms are clean and orderly.  They provide water in coolers and cups if you're thirsty.
  
  I highly recommend PBDA for classes, they are not pretentious there and are willing to work with you and help you out.

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  Posted on 07.02.11 terrie h.

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  I took from here a few years back. There are a few good things and bad things as always for everything.
  
  I think the location is good and convenient. The instruction is ok but the classes can be extremely large. As a result, if you get put in the back, it's really hard to see what's going on all the way up on the stage.
  
  In terms of the ticket prices, I wish they would just do a punch card format. Unless it's changed since I was there a few years back, you sign up for a full month's worth of lessons. If you miss a week, you have to come on the other repeated class or you're out of luck. This is probably the one thing I really didn't like the most since most people are busy and don't have time to be in a class every single week. So it comes to a point where you may miss two weeks so now you have to make a decision about buying the month and eating the rest of the lessons or you just try to cram it into your schedule again.
  
  The classes are about 1 hour. which is fine.
  
  In terms of instructors, I still believe the Lets Dance LA does a way better job of teaching. However, their strength is more of Salsa and West Coast swing.
  
  I really like Swing music so it's not easy to take classes at Lets Dance LA for other non-west coast swing classes.
  
  Let's Dance LA has longer classes at 90 minutes per class but like I mentioned earlier, their selection is somewhat more limited by what they teach.
  
  All in all, I think this is probably a good place to learn if you really like Swing but I wish there was a better place that offered better value.

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  Posted on 06.27.11 Danny H.

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  This review is not for the lessons, as I've never taken them from Erin & Tammy, but for the Saturday Night Swing Out Dance.
  
  It's $15 to get in-- includes a beginner lesson from 7:30-8, live band, snacks & refreshments and prizes (so keep your ticket number handy! Don't just toss it carelessly into your purse and/or pocket...) I went last Saturday and there were two different prizes: one was for two free tickets to come back to the Saturday dance and the other one being a Bill Elliott's Swing Orchestra CD.
  
  The snacks and refreshments were YUMMY. As for drinks, there's coffee, water and lemonade and first they had crackers, goldfish, etc available. I thought that's all they had to offer, but halfway into the night they brought out ANOTHER table: fresh strawberries, ice cream éclairs, sweet seedless grapes, cheese & crackers... I totally loaded up on all the fruits. It tasted so good in between dances and I loved that I didn't have to keep buying water and could have lemonade all night~
  
  The dance floor was spacious and there are fans as well as A/C. I found that I had to go stand in front of the fans once in awhile... it got kind of warm inside.
  
  The crowd was much older compared to Lindy Groove. And I don't mean 30/40 older, but like 50+. It seemed that the older people all knew each other and preferred to just dance amongst themselves. I pretty much danced with my partner most of the night because of that!
  
  I would be willing to go and try again--only if there are no other dances going on Saturday night.

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  Posted on 04.01.11 Aein H.

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  Dance lessons are great. Erin and tammy know how to teach. However saturday  night dances are  a waste of time unless you go with a partner. crowd  is old I'm 46 and saying that  and  most of the men  seem to be only interested in the good dancers or on the prowl. It made a singles bar look like a haven. Bottom  line for lessons yes. For saturday night dances dont waste your time  unless you like a  cliquish senior citizen scene

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  Posted on 03.20.11 dawn d.

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  Do you have those Frankie Manning Lindy Hop instructional videos?  I need to get my vcr fixed because I swear Frankie's partner on the videos is Erin Stevens - one of the teachers at PBDA.
  
  I signed up for classes here on accident.  Pasadena seems to have the most active swing dance scene.  The monday class fit my sched, so I signed up for basic Lindy.   Wowie zowie - The first class was a extremely detailed MASTER class on lindy.  For 13bucks.  
  
  Gotta love LA, where you can casually stumble into a class taught by an international dance star.

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  Posted on 04.27.10 Joshua D.

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  73 N. Hill in Pasadena Grace Church is the new location for all classes and dances.  They have a ballroom dance set for 4-16-10 for those who want to waltz, foxtrot, salsa and rumba.  They still have swing dances on Saturdays at this location with lessons at 7:30 and dances to live bands at 8.  More formal swing lessons are still available.

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  Posted on 03.14.10 Lowell H.

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  At the time I was dating someone and we both thought it would be a fun idea to take ballroom dance lessons. We were both wide eyed with big goofy grins on our first night.  It was hilarious not the class but us bumping into each other....lol.
  
  If you want to learn how to ballroom dance or the swing,  this is your place.
  
  Too bad we had to stop taking lessons after I fractured my ankle the same day I received my dance shoes in the mail.

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  Posted on 01.31.10 Rita A.

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  I started taking East Coast Swing lessons here in January 1998 and I have been coming here off and on ever since for various other styles of swing. I have taken a few lessons here and there from other instructors and these guys are by far the best and most authentic.
  
  First of all they style their swing on dance legend and inventor of the air step, Frankie Manning. I had the honor of actually taking a lindy hop lesson at PBDA from Frankie many years ago and he started the class teaching us the electric slide just for fun. He said he learned it from his granddaughter and he thought it was fun. :-P They would hold workshops with Frankie and give informative talks about dance history. Since his passing I'm not sure what they're going to replace these workshops with but his influence I'm sure will remain in their dance lessons.
  
  Second, these guys teach style, not just substance. Lots of places can teach you steps but not every place can teach you how to do it with pizzazz on a real dance floor. Erin and Tammy will show you the right and wrong way to dance to give it the right "look" and they will give you the head's up about what happens in a real swing dance club. Every swing dancer knows each style of swing has its own flavor and PBDA takes special care to show their clients how to dance each with the right style for the dance. Not only that but they will demonstrate sloppy dancing and contrast it with good dancing so clients can trouble shoot their own mistakes and become better dancers. They also teach style steps and every now and again they will do a special dips and tricks class that focus only on styling.
  
  You don't ever need a partner for lessons except for the aerials class of course. They will also do their best to come down to the floor to work with clients that are struggling a bit. Some of the patrons that frequent PBDA are kind of douchy and it sucks to get stuck dancing with them but you can't fault PBDA for that. The up side is if you do get stuck dancing with them it will only be for a few minutes until you rotate on to the next partner. Sometimes Erin and Tammy will throw in dancing etiquette into their lessons when they're talking about what happen in the "real world" outside their doors but IMHO they should do that more often because it might tame the small handful of asshats in the mix. Personally I think Erin is much more on top of disciplining the jerks than Tammy but that's just my opinion.
  
  The Saturday night dance/ lesson I have mixed feelings about. They say you don't need a partner and it's a great place to practice but when I was a young, single lady I did not experience this to be true. Most of the men were older than my parents and seemed only to be interested in dancing with ladies that were really good because they had little patience for my novice feet and wouldn't give me the time of day. It was almost like they were too smarmy to try The Derby or Joes so they would just go there and prey on widows/divorcees and disguise it as dancing. The only time I was actually able to dance was when the instructors would ask me. The raffles and special dances like the Shim Sham were fun but other than that it was a total waste of time if you were a novice lady wanting to practice. Years later when I was a much better dancer I went by myself a few times when the hubby worked on Sat night and the experience wasn't much better. Once the men found out I was married and definitely not interested in anything other than dancing they quickly vanished. It was worse and far more depressing than the bar scene. It's not really PDBA's fault that their clientele are retarded at times but maybe they could be a bit more aggressive about ensuring a more hospitable atmosphere for young ladies. Maybe bring in some extra younger men/leads for ladies to dance with or something.
  
  Going to the dances with a partner is a much better experience for sure. The gym is huge so there is plenty of room to dance and the bands they get are pretty good, professional musicians. The $15 cover is well worth the quality of the music not to mention they have free lemonade, cookies, and a raffle.
  
  I HIGHLY recommend PBDA for dance lessons. They get 5+ stars for their dance lessons. For any style of swing you can't go wrong and you will learn the real and most authentic stylinng for that particular version of swing. Erin and Tammy do their research and they will often pair up with people that are the top professionals in the field when they go outside their realm of expertise. The dances on the other hand should be approached with caution. The dances get 2.5 stars tops. If you have a partner it's great but be forewarned if you go solo.

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  Posted on 01.09.10 Tanya M.

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  I recently went here for the first time. I love the fact that there is a live band every Saturday. The cost is $15 and it includes a free lesson before the dancing. The area for dancing is big so there is plenty of space. Everyone was really nice and I had a great time. There was a also a raffle with door prizes, but I don't know if that is an every week thing or not. I'll definitely be back to get my lindy hop on!

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  Posted on 12.15.08 Ericka S.

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  My brother introduced me to swing and ballroom dancing eight years ago.  Today it is his passion and I love to watch my brother dance.  The first time he brought me to a Saturday Dance at PBDA, I felt indimidated.  However, there were still folks friendly enough to take on a noob and dance with her.
  
  I guess the only way to overcome feelings of insecurity at the dances to.. be more secure and confident in dancing is to... learn and dance some more!  So I signed up for my first class and LOVED it.  The lessons were paced just right, the directions are clear and I was able to learn without getting fustrated.  (Although occasionally some do, but I like to think it's due to personal, perfection issues rather than those attributed to their left feet.)
  
  The  Saturday dances always have LIVE bands!! They are good practice venues for what this business is all about:  teaching, promoting and preserving the American culture of Swing Dancing as well as other types of social (Lead and Follow) dancing:  Ballroom, Salsa, Hustle, etc.
  
  Thank God for the founding sisters Erin & Tami Stevens who started this business in 1983 and helped it's cultural revival by teaching this style of dance and bringing back old time great, "Ambassador of Swing", Frankie Manning.
  
  Through PBDA, I've made many great friends, stepped on too many toes and finally feel like part of a good and lasting community.   I believe one of the greatest joys in learning is the complete freedom to dance from the heart and with great joy.
  
  I suggest you browse on their website and sign-up for a class today.

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  Posted on 07.09.08 Jenny D.

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