Dancer University, Los Angeles CA

Great teachers and easy way to meet people! I started with a Singles dance event and have now signed up for two of the group courses. Fun dance community for all ages.

It feels like a family:) I felt welcome and like I had guidance from great teachers and supportive students on my Salsa journey. I appreciate the fact that the studio is open for free practices every Saturday and students in my class would invite me to go out with them when they’d go to clubs like the Victorian in Santa Monica. Love this place! I’m definitely signing up for the next series!

I took classes for both salsa and bachata at DU. Amazing instructors, great vibe, learned a lot in just a few weeks. Highly recommend!

Love salsa 1 group class, Michael goes above and beyond, taken 2 salsa 1 classes so far
Update: Michael, Jasmine, Eliana, are outstanding teachers, always positive, explain things perfectly, help everyone, give great feedback

Nicole is amazing! I took a Bachata beginner class after trying it out at the Victorian and I'm completely hooked. She's an awesome instructor and the format makes it super easy to chain together a routine and work on specific adjustments. Generally just a lovely community with top-notch instruction. I'll be dancing with them much more:)

Dancer University is, in my opinion, one of the most welcoming and fun dance studios in Los Angeles! There is a very strong sense of family-like community and passion for dancing at DU, not to mention phenomenal instruction from the amazing Nicole Gil Whether you are a beginner or a more experienced dancer, there is something here for everyone. I would especially recommend DU to folks looking to learn sensual bachata, as the teachers here are some of the best in LA. Sign up for a class today and I guarantee you won't regret it!

If you’ve always wanted to learn salsa or bachata, definitely sign up for classes at Dancer University. You won’t regret it. Moves are broken down into easy-to-follow steps and the atmosphere is super friendly and fun.

I’ve taken salsa with Michael and Eliana (great instructors and genuinely nice people) and bachata with studio owner Nicole and Alayn (also great instructors and super nice, genuine people). You can tell that Nicole, Alayn, Michael, and Eliana truly love salsa/bachata and are passionate about sharing that love with other people through their classes.

Not only are the instructors great, but they also attract great students who love to learn and are really supportive of each other. The DU community is truly incredible - you will never have a shortage of people to dance with! And that’s really helpful, as after taking a class or two, you’ll likely become obsessed with salsa and bachata and want (okay, need) to dance most nights of the week.

Dancer University, and Nicole the owner, truly have brought so much joy to my life and I am ever grateful! I had never danced (ever!) before I started taking Salsa in June 2022 and haven't stopped since. Not only are the classes incredible and teach you so much and give you the tools to social dance but with D. U, you get a built-in community of support, friendship, and love of dance. This community is cultivated with free practices, group chats and connection.

I cannot recommend this place, and these people, enough. Whatever age/size/level you are, you are welcome and you will have the time of your time!

I started at Dancer University with Nicole and never looked back! Her attention to detail and the way she explains moves/patterns helped me sooo much. The community at Dancer University embraced me and now I go out social dancing with them. Look no further. My world got bigger and my salsa is gettin' better!

I Have been taking Bachata lessons with Nicole at Dancer University since Feb 2022 and it has quickly become my new favorite hobby! You don’t need a partner to take lessons. Her classes are kept fairly small for such a reasonable price. I feel like I have made so much progress and have made a few friends a long the way. Everyone is super friendly and encouraging. Nicole is an amazing instructor and dancer that really takes her time to make sure you get all of your questions answered! She has such an approachable personality and has a passion for Latin dancing:)

I highly highly highly recommend taking salsa or bachata lessons with her at Dancer university! It has been the best thing I’ve done in such a long time.

Dancer University offers great classes, free practice sessions, and the instructors are really helpful and really nice.

TLDR?: No need to do any more research, sign up right away, Dancer University's got all the right boxes checked!

I take both the salsa and bachata group classes, and I plan to stay enrolled basically forever! "DU" has the best combo of instructors + students + overall offering I've ever come across. Let me explain:

Instructors: Outside of DU, there are many instructors who look great dancing, but aren't very good at teaching YOU how to dance. But Nicole & co are great at breaking it down to make everything easy to understand, whatever level you are. Another distinction that's just as important is that other instructors can have a chip on their shoulders, which can really deflate your excitement/motivation. Meanwhile DU instructors are super friendly and inviting, it's really important to have a welcoming/encouraging environment!

Students: Yes you're here for the teaching, but the students are just as important because they're who you'll be practicing with during and outside of the classes. Maybe it's Nicole's positive vibes that attracts friendly/happy students, maybe it's the salsa/bachata scene in general, either way you'll look forward to rubbing shoulders with everyone. More than that, it's kind of a 2nd family. You'll be added to WhatsApp groups, see fellow students at social dancing, at salsa festivals, even group salsa trips!

Overall offering: It's rare to find this combo, but DU's got its own studio space for the lessons *PLUS* DU also hosts weekly practice sessions where students from all classes are welcome to practice together (did I mention that the fellow students are great?) *PLUS* DU/Nicole hosts group classes followed by social dancing at a few different venues every week. Basically DU's a turn-key one-stop shop, you simply need to show up:)

Bonus: Most people are ultimately interested in social dancing (vs choreographed performances). I love that DU puts attention on social dancing considerations, like musicality, navigating sensual bachata moves, what to do if xyz happens on the dance floor, etc.

If you've made it this far, well done, clearly you've got tenacity and aren't giving up. Therefore, I'm looking forward to seeing you in the classes and on the dance floor soon!

First time dancing bachata with Nicole has been an awesome experience! If you’ve been wanting to try it out, this is the way to go. It’s been a fun, liberating, and exciting experience. Nicole has a beautiful studio, patient with her students, and makes it outgoing for everyone.

Update**
Dancer University totally changed the game for me. The owner Nicole has a pure passion and teaches many of the classes herself. She does this 1on1 with each person at the end of each lesson which is super helpful. One year later, I'm more confident in my dance that I usually don't stop when I go out. On the weekends, Nicole lets us have the studio for 2 hours to practice our dance moves for free! SO MUCH FUN! As students we welcome everyone. Summer trips to festivals abroad, fun, friends, and also.tons of dancing!

One year ago, emerging from the Covid hibernation, I decided to be brave and give salsa and bachata another shot. My previous attempts with other schools did not help. They felt like a 1-hour pattern memorization which left me often anxious and discouraged.

What a thrill to be a part of this amazing school and community. Thank you Nicole, Alain, all the instructors, and friends for making this a place where even someone like me can learn to dance salsa and bachata.

The pictures are some of my fondest memories with the people here. And they only show a handful of us.

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Previous Post**
Hands down the best Salsa and Bachata instructors in LA. Nicole, Stephen, Lior, Moshe are my instructors and they are freaking awesome. They know how to teach you in such a way to ensure you remember the steps. They even make sure to give you personal 1 on 1 instruction with no pressure so they can improve your skills. Nicole is the best. She’s so plugged into the social dancing scene so I always get the lowdown on where to dance. I enjoy dancing with her and everyone in this amazing community. Love you guys!

The teachers at Dancer University are so encouraging, patient, kind, and just the absolute best! I took a group lesson series with Nicole and some private lessons with Stephen. Can’t say enough great things about them! This place is exactly what I hoped it would be; I would definitely encourage you to check it out!

One of the best dance classes I’ve ever taken. Nicole is an incredible instructor and very talented dancer, and she’s created a really special community for both beginners and experienced dancers. She’s created a great program that builds on what you learned the prior week. Can’t recommend enough.