Supershag Mega Dance Complex

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  My review is of the Waltham facility where we took a total of 30 private lessons.  They are a good marketing machine, but they fall short in a number of areas:
  
  - My wife and I signed up for a ten lesson.  We knew nothing about what we were doing and the instructor recommended that we learn a few steps of eight different dance styles.  Net result is at the end of ten lessons, we didn't know enough of any dance style to be able to dance to anything (you need 8-10 moves to be able to dance to anything).  I would have preferred if the dance instructor had offered us the option to focus on one single dance style, but then again the goal is to have you keep signing up for lessons and not to have you become self sufficient.
  - No effort was made to teach us the names of the various moves making it more difficult for us to practice on our own and create our own routine.  Again, I suspect the goal is to sell you more lessons.
  - They have only two rooms: a large one and an attached smaller one with no door between the two.  That means whenever you have multiple lessons being given you hear everyone else's music.  Not good when you are just starting.
  - They have a limited number of instructors and very few female instructors.  
  - They had no availability for private lessons on weekends.  My wife and I both work and we are raising a family so getting away weeknights was tough.
  
  On the plus side:
  - we liked our instructor Daniel who taught us lessons 20-30.
  - there are a lot of restaurants in the area so you can dinner following your lessons.
  
  Dancing is fantastic couples activity and excellent exercise.  I recommend:
  1) that you and your partner agree on a single dance style and focus on that until you have enough moves to be able to dance to a 3-4 minute song.
  2) that the guy to take the initial lessons by himself until he is proficient as he will need to lead.  If your wife/girlfriend starts at the same time as the guy she will invariably try to lead and tell you what you are doing wrong even though she is learning herself.  The guy needs to know more than the gal for this to go well.
  3) Learn either chachacha, hustle, or east coast swing (in that order).  At least 50% of pop tunes today are to a chachacha beat so you will be able to dance all night at clubs.  Hustle and swing beats are prevalent in music from the 80s and 90s.  If you are into Latin, learn salsa & meringue.
  
  Have fun!

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  Posted on 02.22.13 Allan S.

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  I started taking ballroom dancing lessons here several years ago and got hooked!  The instructors here are top notch and the studio wins best studio awards at almost all their national competitions.  With them I have progressively reached new levels of performance and, lest I get comfortable, my instructor makes sure I get challenged every time I return.  
  
  There is a real family atmosphere here and they have regular shows and parties.  I have made so many great friends through this studio because we all have a major thing in common....we all love to dance!
  
  For the longest time I thought my instructor, Dave, was the best, but it seems they keep getting new instructors, all of them great dancers and fun personalities.  Eric, not my instructor but always there working when I go in for classes, is a top-notch guy....really nice and such a great instructor!  (he taught a couple of group lessons when he first started).  Tibor, another instructor, is a crazy, fun guy but also very serious when it comes to taking care of his students and teaching others about ballroom and competitions.  
  
  They have Friday night parties with mixers that ensure that every person gets to dance.  There is usually a show or more on Friday nights to allow competitors to have a trial run on their routines.  Then they turn on the lounge in the back room and the crowd really starts to let loose.  Free food and beverage and you realize what a great time you can have for short cash.  
  
  They recently renovated the studio and it looks great!  The dressing rooms are bigger and they have competitions playing constantly on the big screen tvs.  
  
  I took lessons at a very well-known ballroom studio before dancing with Supershag and I have to say that the Bronze level students here dance better than the gold level dancers there, so, if you love ballroom, this is the place to be in Boston!!!

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  Posted on 05.10.11 Paulina R.

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  I've been taking ballroom lessons at SuperShag for about 5 months, sometimes at the Charlestown location, sometimes here.  This spot is a lot bigger which can be good (more space) or bad (not as cozy) - I like both.  I was a spaz on the dance floor when I started and the staff went out of their way to make a newby comfortable.  The atmosphere is laid back and students are all ages and levels.

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  Posted on 12.14.08 Anna B.

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  Ugh.  I tried this place, I really did.  I came in person during their open hours, I waited patiently to speak to an instructor, and even though the place was pretty much empty (it was Monday), it took the guy five minutes to either notice I was there or finish contemplating his navel and come over.
  He said he was too busy (?) to answer my questions, but told me to call tomorrow after noon and speak to 'any of the managers'.  Tuesday afternoon I called and left a message.  I called the Charlestown studio and left a message.  I called the main line just for the hell of it.  Nothing.
  
  Now the rest of the story- I was surprising a friend of mine with a dance lesson, and she had no idea what was going on, but she had agreed to meet me at a  mysterious place and found some time in her schedule to do it, and it had to be Tuesday PM, so I had to schedule it in that window.
  
  At 4:00 PM I called Arthur Murray Dance Studios, and a human answered, scheduled us for a free private lesson that evening, and answered all of my questions with candor and politeness.  Now was that that hard?
  
  So Wednesday I get FOUR calls from an instructor at Supershag (apparently it takes them 24 hours to check their voicemail) when I'm in a client meeting.  When I call the number he keeps leaving in my voicemail and leave him a message to stop calling me, his answering machine hangs up on me.  When i finally was able to answer his repeated annoying calls, I explained to him that my time was valuable and I didn't have time to play phone-tag, they lost my business, and to please stop calling me.
  
  Who knows, maybe they're a great studio.  But their business practices suck.  AMDS may be expensive, but at least they don't waste my time.

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  Posted on 08.06.08 David S.

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  I really wanted to learn how to dance which then lead me to Supershag Dance Studios. Unfortunately my experience wasn't what I expected it to be. I came in for a free introductory lesson and felt thinking that I'll probably never go back because of it. I don't want to name any names but my private instructor wasn't that friendly and seemed frustrated with me when I would get things wrong. I'm a headstrong female that likes to take the lead and I can't help it if that also shows when I dance with a partner. Another thing was that at the end my instructor sat down with me and gave me a critique which wasn't very encouraging. He basically told me that everything "needs work" but also slightly rolled his eyes every time he said "needs work." Well there's a reason why I wanted to take lessons! Dancing is suppose to be fun, not a life commitment.
  
  Edit - 10/26/07
  I added a star because I received a message from the owner of Supershag saying that he was sorry to hear that I had a bad experience. He also offered another free introductory lesson in place of the previous one I had. Two thumbs up to an owner who is being proactive!

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  Posted on 10.10.07 Doris K.

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  I went here with some friends on friday night and we had a blast. Everyone was so friendly, sharing dance partners and such. The owners were really nice too, taking time to meet us newbies and talk up the studio, making an effort to remember our names and such. The beginner class before hand was easy to follow and a nice help for the next two hours. Well worth the $15 for the night (8:30 to 11+).
  
  Oh, and they serve free refreshments on fridays, too.

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  Posted on 07.23.07 shawnna r.

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  Yep, the name of this studio is a bit strange but it was founded by a bunch of guys so go figure.  This studio is a great place to hone your skills as a dancer.  They offer everything from social and competitve Ballroom and Latin to wedding prep to performance groups.
  
  The staff is really fun and energetic and totally competent to teach.  They host the Saturday night parties at Ryle's Jazz Club in Inman Square where they also teach an intro lesson.
  
  At their Waltham studio they have regular Friday night parties and always offer an intro lesson at the beginning of the party.
  
  You'll see me at the studio on Thursday nights and Saturdays and at Ryle's on Saturday nights.  Save me a dance.  Check out the photos and more at <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.supershag.com&s=c0406b0ae82f1cdbc7999c01fa3d42ce600057da7bd919bd48248d53e5c7579e" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.supershag.com</a>

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  Posted on 07.20.05 Michelle D.

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