DanceSport Lessons in Ballroom and Latin Dancing

The DanceSport program at Ballroom Dance Chicago is designed for dancers who want to dive deeper into the techniques and movements of dance. While it can also lead to competitive dancing, we believe great dancing happens on and off the competition floor. Our program will help you experience the essence of ballroom dance, specifically focusing on the American Smooth and American Rhythm dance styles, to promote growth in social dancing, general fitness, and more!

While we don’t currently offer a youth program, if you are interested in having your child and/or teen learn to dance, please fill out this form so we know to include your family when we do add a program!

DanceSport Private Lessons

Private lessons focus on figures, dance theory, movement quality, connection, floor presence, and artistic presentation. If you are new to DanceSport and/or our studio, the best first step is to come in for a DanceSport Intro Lesson.

DanceSport Group Classes

Our DanceSport group classes are a great way to get technical dance experience in a focused and fun environment. Open to any level, classes are held throughout the week.

Questions? Fill out the form and we will get back to you shortly!

DanceSport Private Lessons

Here is what Private DanceSport Lessons can provide you with:

  • Structured progressions through bronze, silver, and gold levels.

  • Deeper understanding of the connection between two people for solid leading and following.

  • Syllabus-based learning in American Smooth and/or Rhythm alongside a selection of social dances.

  • In-depth breakdown of different points of the body in a variety of patterns.

  • Amalgamations and/or routines to aid in retention and usage.

American Smooth: Waltz, Foxtrot, Tango, and Viennese Waltz.

American Rhythm: Cha Cha, Rumba, East Coast Swing, Mambo, and Bolero.

Other Options: Salsa, Argentine Tango, Samba, Lindy Hop, and more!

Looking to compete? Private Lessons at BDC can help you get there!

Amateur Competitions: For two student partners who want to compete, our instructors will craft and refine your routines, ensuring you are competition-ready. We also assist in selecting the ideal USA Dance competition for you.

Pro-Am Competitions: In Pro-Am competitions, students dance with their instructor at National Dance Council of America (NDCA) events. In these competitions, only the student is judged, so this provides a supportive environment to experience competitive dance with a trusted professional.

DanceSport Group Class Schedule

We offer a variety of Dancesport classes across styles like Smooth, Rhythm, Latin, and Swing. Whether you're training for competition or simply looking to grow, our classes focus on refining technique, mastering clean patterns, and building control, precision, and confidence on the dance floor.

No partner is needed—just a passion to learn and improve!

DanceSport Group Class Descriptions

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Dancesport Lesson FAQ

  • Certainly not! Most of our DanceSport students come solo. Your instructor will act as your partner for your lesson and give you individualized attention to your dancing. 

  • At Ballroom Dance Chicago, we study American Smooth, which includes Waltz, Foxtrot, Tango, and Viennese Waltz, and American Rhythm, which includes Cha Cha, Rumba, East Coast Swing, Mambo, and Bolero. Some choose to specialize in only Smooth or only Rhythm, while others choose to study both. 

  • Nope! Whatever your goals are, we are here to get you there. Some enjoy the learning process but don’t want to perform at all. Some don’t want to compete but just aim to perform in showcases. It’s all up to you.

  • Yes. Pro-Am competitions are a great way to get experience on the dance floor with a professional you can trust. Many dancers actually prefer Pro-Am competitions because it allows them to dance at a higher level with ease.

  • We’re very similar to other ballroom, Latin and swing dance schools in that we have highly trained staff who care deeply about our clients’ success. We’re different from most studios in that we have three branches to our school: competition lessons, social lessons and wedding lessons. While some studios might claim to have a similar setup, they have the same teachers teaching all of these very disparate specialties. At Ballroom Dance Chicago, our teachers focus on one of the three branches and build skills related to that specialty. Only our most experienced teachers teach in more than one branch.

  • You can purchase as many lessons as you wish at a time. The more you purchase, the larger the discount per lesson. Your teacher and the Competition Manager will meet with you to talk about packages and how they relate to your dancing goals.

  • We teach competition lessons only at our Lakeview studio (Lakeview also has social and wedding lessons). Our West Loop studio offers social and wedding lessons only.

  • Any dancer, regardless of gender identity, can choose whichever role they would like to learn. Moreover, anyone is welcome to compete in either role, regardless of their gender identity. We will work to find the competitions that are right for you.