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Breakdance Chicago
Category: Active Life Fitness & Instruction Dance Studios Dance Studios [Edit]
3868 N Lincoln Ave(between Berenice Ave & Byron St)
Chicago, IL 60613
Neighborhood: North Center
(773) 512-7384
- Nearest Transit:
-
Irving Park-brown (Brown Line)
Addison-brown (Brown Line)
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
Ballroom Dance Studio
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6 reviews for Breakdance Chicago
6 reviews in English
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Review from Kathryn M.
Chicago, IL
2/18/2009 ROTD 9/27/2009
I'm still trying to wrap my brain around how I so willingly agreed to take this class with a friend, but I am really glad I did. I have to say, breakdancing is TOTALLY outside of my comfort zone - I took ballet lessons for 10 years - but breakdancing? Total other realm. When I would mention it, people just didn't seem to understand what was happening. My mom said, "you mean like Julia Stiles in 'Save the Last Dance'?" Um, no. My bf kept saying, "You mean it's like a cardio class at the gym, right?" No. I mean I am going to learn to breakdance. For real. Top rock, six step, back spins, freezes. All of it.
And I did. Well, mostly did anyway. I can't say I'm a pro after only a 6-week session, but I can say that I'm starting to really get it. B Rock, our instructor, was great and had a lot of patience with my questions and requests for more demonstration. And even though I was completely intimidated by some of the FAR more advanced members of my class, everyone was supportive. Yeah, it's true, I'm not great at this, but I'm learning!! And that's what this beginner class is all about. You can move on to level 2 or take a hip hop or house dance class too, if you want. They offer it all. But for this B Girl? I'm just glad I took this chance to do something I knew might make me look ridiculous, and ended up having a blast. -
Review from mamazilla o.
Chicago, IL
12/11/2011
my first experience with breakdance chicago was a few years ago. I took house dance classes at st. alphonsus. i LOVED the teachers, czarina & carlos, and their choreography/classes and then my schedule changed as did my finances and i fell out of it...
eventually, i was able to start taking classes again, but i really wanted to take hip hop classes from their other teacher, al tamper, who i had heard was/is a member of culture shock chicago.
so a year or two ago, i started taking lessons from tamper at dance center chicago. and again, LOVED taking lessons from him... the choreography was always challenging and he was/is just a positive, energetic and encouraging person. i couldn't wait to get to class.
then, classes started getting cancelled with no notice. and then, tamper never showed up. and any attempt via email/FB/phone to find out if classes were on or off or if tamper was ok - were unsuccessful.
eventually, another teacher took on the classes. he was very friendly, but i didn't enjoy his choreography and after three classes of pretty much the same style/movement... and no response to my questions re: tamper. i gave up.
although i'm thankful to breakdance chicago for introducing me to my wonderful former instructors, i don't think i will return. -
Review from Shelby C.
Redondo Beach, CA
2/26/2012
I was excited to take a breakdancing class here but after the first free class, not enough people signed up for the class to continue. So I was offered a choice since I already purchased the full 6 weeks...I could receive a credit for the next time it was offered or a refund. I chose the credit because I wanted to take this class eventually. Then, a couple months later a job opportunity came up and I had to move to LA so I asked Brian for a refund. He at first told me 'no problem' and he would send a check in the mail. A year later I am still trying to get in touch and trying to get a refund and now it's at the point where i am being completely ignored. I'm extremely disappointed and frustrated....this place is a big NO-GO in my book!!
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Review from Elizabeth T.
Chicago, IL
7/29/2011
First and foremost, this business is SO poorly run.
I bought a 1-year membership back in February that I am unfortunately stuck with. I would try to get a refund, but the owner of Breakdance Chicago has basically ignored every single email I have sent him.
I used to go for the hip-hop class, taught by Al Tamper. I looked forward to it every week - different, challenging-but-FUN choreography EVERY WEEK, taught with a hilarious and down-to-earth personality. He'd even give a little history lesson on the styles he would teach. People kept coming back to that class for a reason - hands down, best dance class I had taken...
UNTIL I witnessed an incredibly talented instructor - Tamper - get phased out and screwed over without notice to neither him nor his students. VERY UNPROFESSIONAL. The class is now being taught by the instructor who leads the breakdance classes. Everything being taught now in both the breakdance and hip hop classes are VERY BASIC. The choreography in the hip hop class is sloppy, is not engaging, and he is not consistent with his instructions so everyone gets confused and tripped up. I honestly still attend classes because I feel like I have to get my money's worth since I have that damned 1-year membership, but I leave every class feeling pissed off and cheated.
So here's the skinny. Take the breakdance class if you want to learn VERY BASIC techniques, but don't take more than one session because you WILL get bored - everything is repeated over and over. AL TAMPER is still featured on BDC's website, but BEWARE - AL TAMPER no longer teaches here, but you can hit him up at tamper1st@gmail.com if you want more info on private lessons or other great places to learn about hip hop or breakdance. He is very helpful. -
Review from Matt L.
6/30/2008
Yo, what up B Girls and B Boys. That's what I am now. A B Person. That's the reward you receive for engaging in the sport known as breakdancing. You lose your name, and add a "B" before your gender as a child. Uh, can you say "sold"?
So the class takes place at Alphonsus Academy on Wellington. It's a big school/church, so if you do sign up, remember, you have to go into the parking lot in the back to enter the correct portion of the building.
The class started off with instructor stretching us out and giving a brief history of breakdancing. We then went around and introduced ourselves. That got a bit intimidating. There were gymnasts, people that were involved in other forms of dancing, a martial arts expert, and just a bunch of others that looked like they'd be a lot better at this than yours truly.
Now for those of you that know me, you know I don't need any help when it comes to breakdancing. Ok, maybe a little practice. Fine, a bit of instruction too... Alright, let's just put it this way, if I weren't with my bff Angie, I probably would have walked out after the introductions. Angie is one of the best athletes I know, but I also know that when push comes to shove, I can school her in a dance off. So I stuck around.
We didn't actually get down on the floor, we just did a lot intro moves on foot. I broke a sweat. Bad. I looked in the mirror when I got home and noticed I'd lost one of my 9 chins as well. Bonus.
The instructors were really cool and supportive. The people in the class weren't judgemental. Yet. We'll see what happens over the next few sessions. I just wish I could've heard what people were saying a little better. They played music throughout and I don't think the room is designed for workout class accoustics.
Then again, I sat in the bleachers last week at Wrigley and these classless asshats behind us were shouting obscenities at the other team the whole time. I kept dreaming of turning around and ripping out this guy's vocal chords, but I'm a lover, not a fighter. But I'm also a fighter. (Yeah, I stole that line from the Dos Equis commercial. I've been writing a lot of reviews lately and I'm kind of hard up for new material. So fucking what?) Anyway, I left the game and I don't think my hearing's been the same since.
So yeah, I'm looking forward to next week's class. And next time a motherfucker drops Trans Europe Express by Kraftwerk you best to be ready for a killer robot.*
*To my knowledge, this class doesn't teach one how to properly perform the robot. That skill is inherent. My great grandfather made a living doing the robot in speakeasies during prohibition. -
Review from Steven R.
Chicago, IL
1/16/2011
I'd like to be able to give these guys a better review, I really would. I was so psyched to learn breakdancing. And they're nice guys. And it was fun at first. But these guys are just so unprofessional that it wasn't fun after a couple weeks.
The teachers showed up as much as a half hour late for an hour long class. And even though it was only a six week session, they kept letting students join mid-session and then starting the whole class over from square one. Which means that we didn't progress, we just learned the basics over and over and over again. Eventually, we complained and they offered to let us take level 2 instead, but that one was way over our heads since we never got past two classes into level one.
One by one, all of us but the most hardcore stopped going to a class we had prepaid for, because, despite being an inherently fun subject, the class just wasn't fun the way it was run.Comment from Brian 'B.Rock' E. of Breakdance Chicago 1/27/2011
Hi Steven, We apologize that you had a negative experience… More »
