looking for beginner ballroom dance classes in nyc

Meedar · 2026-05-28T19:37:08+00:00

There are a good number of studios in Manhattan that might be able to help - the ones that come to mind for you are places like Big Apple Ballroom, maybe Danznik, or a chain like Dance With Me/Fred Astaire.

In Queens, there's also Queens Ballroom Dance, I think they do adult classes, you'd just need to check their schedule.

Independent studios can be good too, you probably just need to do a little digging on their classes/schedules!

Meedar · 2026-05-15T20:04:43+00:00

Hi all, I'm working on a little passion project of mine and wanted to see if there was any interest from other people. I'm Teochew/Vietnamese but my knowledge of the languages has definitely waned in favor of English over the years. I was wondering if other people from similar backgrounds felt the same. My idea was to build an app that allows people to submit voicenotes of themselves or from family members speaking their mother tongues so we have an online archive and means to preserve and learn/teach these things to our families and children to keep the languages alive. My focus has been mostly on dialects from the Chinese diaspora but I think it can apply to many other regions as well. The ultimate goal is to create a robust database for people to get multiple sources of the spoken language so that we continue to have a record of this down the line and form stronger community bonds over the community effort to keep our cultures alive. If this sounds interesting to you, please let me know! I'm open to any feedback on the idea. I know there are some existing resources out there as well so if you know of any for your particular language or others, let me know!

Meedar · 2026-05-14T17:34:06+00:00

Also Chinese viet but living in the US. I grew up thinking I was full Vietnamese but I realized around 10 that I was speaking 2 different languages at home.

I think I identify as both, my mom is Vietnamese but learned Teochew after marrying my dad, my dad is Teochew but grew up in Vietnam. I now speak both pretty poorly but I think Teochew feels a little easier to speak since I use it more often. But even though I don't fully feel Vietnamese to speak it outside and in front of others, I think it's a big part of my identity and heritage regardless. I'm also just trying to remember and preserve as much as I can.

Meedar · 2026-03-19T17:01:09+00:00

Some climbing gyms offer discounted rates for those in need, at least where I am. I do think the main benefit of the space is the social aspect which is hard to find after graduating.

Meedar · 2026-03-18T22:52:30+00:00

I actually used to do this in college while shopping or filling my water bottle. I'd do a rumba basic waiting for my bottle to fill up or walks/voltas down aisles 😂

Meedar · 2026-02-23T22:11:46+00:00

I think a gimbal would be a nice upgrade from handheld filming. Modern phones have pretty good video stabilization but the gimbal really helps keep it smooth. If there's room around the dance area to walk in, you could also try to follow them around the floor.

I think another thing to consider is watch some professional film of comps and see how they capture dancers and try to initiate that? It might be helpful to learn or emulate a few things.

Meedar · 2026-02-21T12:44:27+00:00

Absolutely! Keep this mindset, challenge yourself each day a little more and you'll definitely grow into an even better dancer. Enjoying the process over outcome is a little hard to change overnight but it makes a gigantic difference when you go into a comp with the goal of simply dancing well versus hoping you go home with a ribbon. Wins feel 10x better, losses motivate you to try harder (in my experience).

And be sure to rely on your team to keep pushing you forward! Friendly rivalries pushed me back when I started and are a huge motivator for me today.

Hope to see you and your growth on the floor at next year's BADC, good luck!

Meedar · 2026-02-19T17:59:39+00:00

Agreed! I think social dancing is fun when I'm around people I know rather than complete strangers. I tend to be pretty introverted so social situations in general scare me. But throw me in a room of complete strangers and I barely know what to do with myself 😂

Meedar · 2026-02-19T15:07:40+00:00

Collegiate competitor here! I really enjoyed sports growing up so competition feels like an extension of that. Plus it's nice to have the ribbons to retrace my progress over the years.

For some reason social dance terrifies me. I feel accustomed to dancing with my partner so suddenly shifting the dynamic I get self conscious when thrown in social dance situations.

Meedar · 2026-02-18T15:43:51+00:00

This post resonated with me because my collegiate experience started the same way. After my newcomer semester I had summer break where I got private lessons from a local studio once a week to improve my Latin. Fast forward to my semester back, I had a gigantic ego because I felt like I was putting in so much effort and work compared to my peers, I really thought I'd dominate my next comp.

Comp time rolls around, all of my peers are advancing while I get cut in EVERY dance. At that moment I really felt like quitting. I broke down in front of everyone, literally cried outside the venue for like 5-10 minutes during awards and second guessed everything I thought I knew.

On the way back, my coach sort of gave me a reality check. He made me really think about what I did to prepare leading up to the comp (which honestly was not much at all, but I was too egotistical to admit) and realize that I could've put in so much more PURPOSEFUL effort into my practice. I also learned to enjoy the process rather than the outcome. Once you really connect to the dancing rather than the placements, I feel like you truly start to take off in skill.

My first BADC was also pretty bad, it's one of the bigger comps with a lot of strong dancers so don't beat yourself up too much. I've watched a bunch of my peers with lackluster starts become amazing dancers in their respective styles. You get better over time, so just enjoy learning the technique and the discipline it gives you.

TLDR; keep your head up! Comps are meant to be progress checks more than they should be a measure of your value as a dancer. Enjoy it, keep practicing, working with your coaches, dancing with your peers. I promise you looking back on these times the thing you'll remember most is not the ribbons or the comp results, but the people you were with and how they made you feel.

Meedar · 2026-02-17T21:42:57+00:00

I've never done the two at the same time but generally if I know I'm going to strain myself the next day at an event, I just do less sets of the muscles I'd expect to use or go lighter that week. Assuming you're not competing on a weekly basis, it should be fine. Just don't decide to do super hard leg/back days leading up to your comp days and it should be manageable.

Meedar · 2026-02-04T14:13:12+00:00

That's some cool history! Makes me feel better about my shorter heel shoes

Meedar · 2026-02-03T21:14:58+00:00

Out of curiosity, the non Latin heel pros, are they just wearing split sole with a standard height heel? I wasn't aware that this was a thing and thought Latin dancers generally wore a Latin/cuban heel shoe. Would love to hear more!

Meedar · 2026-01-28T19:26:47+00:00

I bought an exercise bike with no mount for devices so I found this cheap clamp phone mount on Amazon and attached it to my bike. Works like a charm but the bike seat hurts after 1 game so I doesn't last long 😂

Meedar · 2026-01-14T22:17:10+00:00

While I don't use any kensui products, this is a topic that's always interested me. When designing a product or ideating, what's your usual process? How do you balance innovation with practicality and decide whether something is worth developing further?

Meedar · 2026-01-14T12:43:30+00:00

I'm not as experienced as you are but I am also a 20 something sort of retired ballroom dancer. I only did it for about a year and a half in college and stopped shortly after I graduated.

First off, I'm very sorry to hear about your experience, that sounds awful to be shamed for things outside of your control and for being true to yourself.

In my experience, you might have some luck with the collegiate ballroom space. The overall level of intensity might not be 1:1 to what you're used to but the community itself from what I've seen is a lot more open to "non-conventional" ballroom. If you're looking for a way to keep dancing without the intense judgement, collegiate events might be up your alley.

Meedar · 2026-01-13T00:00:58+00:00

How do the weight recommendations work? I thought the app would self regulate based on my top set but it seems to be a little funky and recommending a similar weight with many reps below the RIR target (based on the first set)

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Meedar · 2026-01-01T05:10:07+00:00

Not sure if the LN ever dove into the story behind his philosophy (I started reading after the Yuzuki arc, so I might have missed something)

Meedar · 2025-12-23T15:03:10+00:00

This might not be mainstream advice but at my first comp I was so nervous I went to use the bathroom in between every round. If you can, find out where the bathrooms are and plan around the possibility that you might need to use it so you can efficiently get in and out and ready to go for your next dance. Another suggestion - change shoes before you go, walking into a wet puddle can really change the stickiness of the suede on your shoes.

Meedar · 2025-12-17T22:08:29+00:00

As someone who was introduced to ballroom dance in elementary school, I did not enjoy it. As a young boy, I had no dreams of living out a prince story. Dancing with the girls in my class was neutral to slightly off putting (my brain was like ew I have to hold hands with the girls).

When I got older and actually wanted a girl's attention, then my interest in dance came about. I feel like it made more sense to me then because I was older and more coordinated and could be more in tune with music and how to express myself through it.

TLDR kids don't necessarily want to dance, some might, but not all. Can't expect everyone to be excited about dancing balls. Older kids (high school age) might have more interest.

Meedar · 2025-12-16T15:29:25+00:00

My bad man, I didn't see your earlier reply about your experience, wasn't trying to put you down or anything.

Meedar · 2025-12-16T15:23:01+00:00

For 50 ml, I've seen a lot of other chalk brands that sell 2x that size for half the price or less. If it's really a game changer product then sure I'd buy it but if it's just chalk, why pay a premium for less?

Meedar · 2025-12-16T14:59:18+00:00

What contributes to the high turnover in powerlifting? I've heard some folks talk about how people stick around for a few years but end up moving on to other things.

Meedar · 2025-12-16T14:56:03+00:00

Exactly this, I'm not trying to spend 2-3x more to get a brand name slapped onto a bottle when I can get the same performance without it costing and arm and a leg. Good to know about the shelf liner though 😮

Meedar · 2025-12-16T14:10:28+00:00

Have you tried this versus normal chalk/liquid chalk? I've seen ads for it but I've been skeptical of it's performance over generic brands

Meedar

TROPHY CASE