Athletic Garage Dance Center

My daughter takes the hip hop class weekly, and she loves it. Thank you Anthony and Kendra for all the hard work!

I’ve been going to this dance studio randomly for about four years now. They have a wide range of classes from ballet, jazz, hip hop, salsa, and more.
The classes vary in prices, but they have discounts if you take specific classes on certain days. They also have special days where they have free classes.
There are two dance rooms where the entrance is and a newer and much bigger room next door.
The teachers are amazing and always very welcoming.
My friend and I go here whenever we have the time to. I love the atmosphere, and unlike other studios, I never feel looked down upon or judged.
Great place to go for any levels of dancers!

Absolutely love it here. Everyone is so nice and I have never had a bad experience. The only thing is their classes are at a higher rate than other studios $ 15 compared to $ 12/​$ 13. But if you check in on Unilocal when you go you get a discount so I guess it evens out. I love it.

Been coming here for almost 2 months now. I love this place. I’m having a good time just dancing. I come here even though I live near Releve and Millenium. I find those places intimidating.
There’s ample street parking. It’s tucked on a quiet street. Everyone here is so nice and the instructors are so patient when you have questions about the moves. I take their hip hop classes and have taken classes from all of them. All of their instructors are awesome. They take card with a $.50 charge, but you can also pay online.

I took my 14 year old daughter here for a class last night. She had visited the studio once before with a friend but that was at least a year ago.
When we walked in we were immediately greeted by the dance instructor, I believe his name was Aukai. He was very welcoming and friendly. This is huge when you are dropping your child off for a few hours. My girl felt right at home. She ended up staying for two classes and plans on returning this weekend.
We arrived five minutes before the class just to settle in and learn more about the payment plans but the person who was supposed to be at the desk was not there until right before the class started. Had she been there to get things going I would have easily given this studio the full 5 stars.

Great dance studio with a wide variety of classes to offer! The teachers all have amazing experience in the music/​film/​dance industries! Well worth it to check out the classes here!

LOVE this spot!!! I have made so many friends and learned so many new dance moves! It’s so friendly, fun and a great way to grow as a dancer! Love their annual shows also!

I haven’t been here in years, but I use to take hip hop with Gladys. I had so much fun, getting re-​aquatinted with dance, which I love so much!!!

Special shout out to DJ Jazzy Johnson who sure knows how to shake it! Tonight’s free Dirty Funkin Dance was my first (and definitely not my last) visit to the Athletic Garage.
My friend Amber and I had a memorable Wednesday evening shakin’ it off. Shout out to Cheryllyne for the tip-​off. Sensational Swifties & talented, energetic bodies everywhere.
Impressive studio spaces. Vibrant, creative and inspiring instructors. If you want to feel young again, or if you’re looking for the most fun way to workout in the world, try some jazzy, funky hip-​hop sometime.
This place definitely seems to live up to its mission — to train the dancer, former dancer (that’s us), and aspiring dancer in many forms of dance styles and techniques; to encourage freedom of expression; to enable performance skills, to foster a community of dancers where each will nurture and inspire the other; to strengthen the body; and to grow the dancer: mind, body, and spirit, in a non-​intimidating, and non-​judgemental environment.
Dance on dancers!

After many years hiatus I got up the courage to come and take a beginner hip hop class with aukai cane, and let me tell you i was so happy that I came!
He was such a great teacher, doesn’t make you feel nervous or confused at all! It’s really a great place to come, let loose and learn some amazing moves.
Aukai really does spend the time and has the patience to teach each move thoroughly, that by the end of the class you feel not only comfortable with the moves but also you feel a sense of pride and accomplishment!
If you’ve never danced before I still highly encourage you to come check this class out, what’s the worse thing that could happen? Lol u walk away with a little more groove than u had before, nothing wrong with that!

The studio is very spacious. The dance floors are smooth and clean, but not slippery. Great lighting and accommodation for dance workshops. I definitely enjoyed this experience.

Took Contemporary Lyrical on a Monday with Shannon Janet Smith and learned so much. It was my first time in the class. But Shannon made me feel right at home and was very encouraging when I didn’t perfectly hit some of the new things I learned.
Took Yoga Booty Ballet and Jazz I & II on other days. But Contemporary Lyrical was my favorite in terms of the level of challenge and my preference for movement type. Love that the classes are taught by working dance professionals in LA.
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Also, watched a kids hip hop class on a Saturday when I got there a little early, and I just had the hugest smile on my face the whole time watching them try to pop and lock and hit their moves with some attitude!
Plan to be going whenever I am in town! xo gwenyth

Paulo is the best teacher by far!

I started dancing at Athletic Garage in March of 2009. I haven’t stopped since.
I buy the all you can dance package for about $ 195/​month, and it is the best money I have ever spent. EVERY teacher at AG is amazing and over time, the studio has become my second home and the people there have become my family.
I post often about AG because it’s my favorite place in the world. Sure, sometimes teachers may teach a little fast, or do something totally out of the ordinary, but overall, you can’t really judge somewhere just on one experience. The secret about AG is that you WILL find a favorite teacher, a favorite class, or a favorite style, but the more you try, the more you will love it! In the last three years, I have grown so much as a person and as a dancer. I’ve lost over 100 pounds with the help of AG as well. Without the community and the amazing dancing that goes on in this place, I don’t know where I would be.

AG is a great place to go for dance hobbyists… And by this, I’m referring to those of us who aren’t aspiring professional dancers, who take classes to hone what moderate dance skills we do have and more importantly, to have fun. Dance classes in LA can be intimidating, but this place is extremely welcoming, with dancers of all levels. Don’t get me wrong, there are some serious movers and shakers at this place, but they are friendly and helpful, serving as great inspiration for others. You might call me biased because I feel a sense of loyalty to the AG family, but I’ve only really been consistently taking classes for the past year and the fact that I feel the way I do should speak volumes to those who are deciding on whether or not to give this studio a try.

It’s not may favorite place right now mostly because I had a mediocre experience. I bought the Groupon deal and decided to take the Modern Fusion class taught my Paulo Alcedo.
The class was overall fun and Paulo is great and very energetic to say the least, but the class was not what I expected. Coming from a modern/​contemporary background I know what is «modern» and what is not… and this class should just change its title to Jazz Fusion because basically it was a jazz class with hints of other styles. It didn’t bother me that I was taking a jazz class but it wasn’t what I wanted to use my Groupon voucher for.
So once I realized (rather quickly actually) that I was taking a jazz class and NOT modern I had LOTS of fun. Like I said, he’s energetic and plays fun, fast music that gets you pumping. The across the floor exercises could be longer and pertain more to what the end combo is but in the end the combo was fun. You have to pick up choreography fast with him because he moves pretty fast and doesn’t waste time. For me that’s great but for others that might be a downside.
Two things that bothered me that made this a 3 star review:
(1) the parking is horrible, so I don’t recommend parking in the lot at all and save yourself a headache and try to find street parking
and,
(2) the class that was realeased before our class had a few smokers who decided they wanted to smoke outside by the garage door (which was opened) and I had to endure cigarette smoke for 80% of the class time.
So if I take another class from here I hope to have a better experience… from what I hear from other Unilocalers I’ll have to give the hip-​hop, Zumba, and cardio classes a shot… we shall see :)

First off, I would like to say that my friend and I absolutely LOVE the Cardio Latin Groove class. Jonia is such an amazing teacher and we look forward to attending her class weekly. She is great and the routines are a good balance of steps that are easy to follow and challenging at the same time. Her high energy really is addicting too! I highly recommend taking her class to everyone I meet. Unfortunately, it’s in the middle of a Saturday so it’s a bit tough for me to make it all the time –but on the times that I do, I feel great every after class– I’m not even exaggerating!
I also like Joey and Estefano. Their Zumba classes are always fun, plus it’s a great workout too. They care about their students, and it’s obvious that they are so passionate about what they do … it’s contagious. What other dance-​exercise class can you go to, where you smile half the time because you’re having fun? It’s always a good time with them :)
I’m taking off one star because the cd player they have in the back room skips a lot and interrupts the lesson. Other than that, Athletic Garage is the place to be!

This is one of the best studios I have ever been to. The environment is friendly and encouraging even if you have never danced before in your life. It’s a place where everyone– students, teachers, and staff– encourage each individual to feel comfortable with their own individual movement. The modern and technique classes are phenomenal as are the jazz/​contemporary classes and, of course, the hip-​hop classes are great and the cardio classes really give you a full-​body workout. There are also hip-​hop classes for kids on Wednesdays and Saturdays that are wonderful.
Moral of the story: if you are looking for a great workout and a place without the typical LA-​style catty haughtiness, come here. It’s one of the few dance studios where the purpose truly is to LEARN and ENJOY dance.

Athletic Garage has amazing teachers and a great variety of classes… everything from modern to belly dancing to pilates. But, I have to say, my favorite part about AG is that this studio treats everyone like family.
I’ve taken from studios all over town, trying to find the place where I can go and feel at home… where I can improve without feeling judged by over-​prentious dancers (cuz we all know that there are a lot of them in this city). Athletic Garage is definitely one of my favorite studios. Great people, great service, great classes. A little far for me, but worth the drive. :)

First off let me just say I like the athletic garage.
My first class there was belly dancing. I joined the beginners class but it was more like intermediate and advanced. I was fine with that so I decided to take the belly dancing classes elsewhere. The instructor referred me to a place which was cool.
I decided to come back here months later because i noticed there was an African dance class. The class was unforgivably expensive. i went to that class faithfully when i was ‘hood rich’ but one day the class ended. the man who thought us was cool but i never heard from him again.
I called athletic garage wondering when his class would reschedule but I received no res ponce. I sent email but to no avail.
any who — my time there was great until it ended.
I was thinking of taking their hip hop class but I found a place for less than half the price their asking.
I do plan on going back again but in the meanwhile I’m taking the economical route.

I took a few hip hop, cardio salsa, and jazz classes back in high school. That was *cough* many many years ago. I remember the instructors were friendly, the choreographies were great, and the vibe was positive.
I have returned! Last Saturday I took the beginning hiphop class with Brim. He is a good instructor who pushes you to get the choreography right. The people who work there are friendly and helpful. All egos are left out the door.
AG is located off of Fair Oaks, in a small street. It can be easily missed; it is very close to Saladang. They have parking but the spots are few. Otherwise there is street parking, which can fill up quick.
The dance studio is what the name says — it is a garage. the space is small to medium-​sized so there may be some crowding if the classes are filled.
******
I took the hip-​hop class with Aukai Cain. He is great instructor for those who are starting out and can be dance-​shy. This guy’s got great energy and supportive throughout the class. Highly recommended!