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Exotic Dance Central
Categories: Event Planning & Services Party & Event Planning Active Life Fitness & Instruction Dance Studios Party & Event Planning, Dance Studios [Edit]
253 Fifth AveNew York, NY 10016
Neighborhood: Flatiron
(212) 679-2540
- Nearest Transit:
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28 St (N, R)
28 St (4, 6, 6X)
23 St (N, R)
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 12 pm - 10 pm
Sat 12 pm - 11:30 pm
Sun 12 pm - 6 pm
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
19 reviews for Exotic Dance Central
19 reviews in English
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Review from Erica C.
Fresh Meadows, NY
10/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
The space in this studio was small. That was really the first thing I noticed. I bought the deal on Living Social so I got five voucher classes. I took the Pole Spins and Pole Pleaser Classes.
The first time I attended, I signed up for Pole Perfection (after my first Pole Pleaser class) but you would really have to know your stuff. It is just a freestyle class and it only is good when you just want to have access to the pole to do whatever you want with it. The instructor goes through warm ups with you for Pole Perfection but in the end, it's just you and the pole.
When it came to swinging on the poles, some students were hitting their foot against one another. I had heels on on the first day and I smacked a girl's foot with my heels. After that class, I decided I rather go barefoot.
Two of the instructors were really nice but one seemed like a down right b.... She came in with an pissed off condescending look and it did not look like she wanted to be there. She probably takes her job super seriously but it didn't give us an enjoyable experience when she taught us.
The rooms are separated by a wall that does not go all the way to the ceiling. I can hear the music and the instruction from the other room whenever there were two classes going on. It was distracting and it was difficult to hear what we were supposed to do.
Other than that, this is a good place to go as beginners. I did learn a few moves and it was fun at times. With a background in dance, it was easier for me than for others. However, I don't think I would go back again. -
Review from Celeste N.
Mesa, AZ
2/6/2012
I attended this studio this evening for the chair dance class and the instructor was late, unenthusiastic ,not helpful, boring and rude! She acted as if she didn't want to be there!!! Take your money elsewhere!! Oh and I never even broke a sweat...I thought this was supposed to be a workout!
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Review from Kendall B.
Manhattan, NY
8/10/2011
I've taken five classes here (3 pole spins, 2 pole pleasers), so I feel I've given this place a pretty good chance. It's not a bad studio, but it's not a great one either.
Let me begin by saying that this place is great for beginners. The place is very structured. If you, say, take two pole spins classes in the same week, you'll get the same lesson each time. It's great if you're having trouble with some spins and really want to get a lot of practice in. The atmosphere is non-intimidating and the instructors are never going to make you feel bad about yourself. In fact, they'll hold back from giving you criticism-- great if you have fragile self-esteem, bad if you actually want to get some helpful feedback.
They're pretty laid back here. They let latecomers into class without a problem. This is great if you're not the most punctual person. It gets a little annoying if you are used to showing up on time.
Personally, I thought their studios were really hot. During some days, the studio was so hot that everyone just kept sliding off the pole. Granted, I did take classes during the summer, but I haven't had this problem at any other pole studio.
I think my biggest complaint is that the opening exercises are so pathetic. No real strengthening exercises. (There is one move where you sort of hang on the pole for ten seconds, but that doesn't really do much of anything for your core strength.) It's mostly just stretching for a few minutes. I guess if you really hate ab work and core strengthening exercises, then that's fine. If you want to execute moves with more grace and ease, this doesn't really help you.
The classes are cheap though. Probably the cheapest drop-in classes in Manhattan (don't quote me on that though!) The classes don't get overly full, so I rarely had to share a pole (I think I only had to share one once). It's a good place to start if you just want to give pole a try. -
Review from Nicole N.
8/15/2011
So I attended a pole dancing birthday party for this weekend. All I can say is 9 of my closest friends had a ball. As newbies to pole dancing, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We also found a new appreciation for the work, an exotic dancer has to put in. We were in awe of our instructor and the fluidity of her moves. So there were plenty of drop jaw moments for this novice group. We learned a few moves on the pole, as well as lap dances, and the use of props(boas, and fedoras). My friend's party package included a cake, as well as water and champagne.
We definitely enjoyed ourselves. I definitely know I will be back for an introductory class. The workout I received is definitely worth exploring.
Kudos to our instructor Madame Tease!!! -
Review from Ebony C.
6/5/2011
I've taken the introductory class here when they were at their old building and was excited to go back for a friend's bachelorette party.
The Party Package was for 2hrs... a lil of everything, pole, strip, lap, & whatever else these very strong women do that make me consider a 2nd career in this business.
Nice package, but it would be nice if there were like IDK water provided so you don't faint or fall out... a bottle of Poland Spring, Dasani, or something. Since it was a bach party it would be nice for a sash for the bride or a cute Tshirt from the studio to remember the day, and lastly a printed photo of he party goers. Why all that b/c paying over 300 for 8 people to take a class and just to leave w/ a name tag & sweat is not enough for me.
Also, I think what makes the instructor... I know not everyone is friendly in NYC ( I'm from BK, So I know), but when you work as any type of instructor you must have some type of friendly layer so people will feel comfy enough to break out their shell. Our instructor blew hot & cold so @ times it was hard to read her..I was find w/ her b/c to me it was normal but for other people I could see that could be a problem.
Will I go again? Hmmm.. IDK...If I see bottle water provided I just may.Comment from Donyale P. of Exotic Dance Central 6/6/2011
Thank you for your review! We do have water @ the facility,… More » -
Review from Angie K.
Brooklyn, NY
Updated - 10/15/2011
Amazing. They've decided to ignore my email but definitely not my email address- EDC had the audacity to send me their monthly newsletter! Yelp, where's my 0 stars option?
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/18/2011
Oh, yelp, why couldn't you give us the option of letting us select ZERO stars? Please, please,… Read more »
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Review from Meika B.
Westbury, NY
8/18/2011
So i just took a class for my bday and shouldve known from the convo with the receptionist that I was in for a rude ride. She herself seemed irritated when I would ask questions about a place that I would be SPENDING MY MONEY.
Before I arrived I continuously called with no answer and had friends outside waiting for them to come. They arrived at the time they told my party to come hence them not being there to pick up the phone.
The receptionist was more rude in person and simply wasnt helpful, if I hadnt paid my deposit I wouldve taken my party elsewhere.
NOW onto the actual private class..we had a good time all in all but as the other reviews stated..she simply didnt seem like she wanted to be there which everyone sensed. We had fun because there was so many of us and we enjoyed seeing each other's attempt at sexy lol not because of the amazing service.
I can go on and on but i thought that was how class was supposed to be conducted until I went to Exotic Fitness in BK and had the time of my life..paid attention to, helped, and was treated like a paying customer. -
Review from Aura S.
Jersey City, NJ
6/24/2010
So I was really excited to take the Jiggle It and Wiggle class on Saturday. 1 hour before the class the studio calls to cancel - after reading the other reviews it seems to be a common theme. Also my friend cancelled 8 hours before the class because she was ill - no refund and no follow up.
The instructor and lead choereographer started the class off with a terrible attitude - basically uninterested and almost bothered she had to teach the class. The instructor did a basic dance and we followed, there was no enthusiasm and there was a clear split between her preferred clients and unpreferred.
I have taken classes at a few different studios, NY Pole and Chakra, among others. This was the worst experience simply because the instructor was so uninterested and bothered. Very disappointing and definitely not recommended. Chakra is the best dance studio I've been too by far. -
Review from Juanita H.
Bronx, NY
5/15/2010
I went with my friend Because I love to dance & I REALLY want to learn the art of Pole dancing & I want to work out without having to go to a sweaty, funky gym.
EDC was nice. I took the 2hour Intro Class. I appreciated it because we got to do a work out which I felt right away. Can't complain about that.
I didn't like some parts of the course however; only because I know how to give a lap dance etc. I just wanted to learn the pole & techniques. I know thats not the schools fault though.
I kinda think that they should seperate the Intro classes for women who have dance/sexual(dance wise) experience. Because it was hard to learn w/almost half the class not having ANY type of dance experience. I think we could have gotten more accomplished.
The instructor didn't play the music loud enough to motivate, the room was hot (in a dance school the AC quality should be centralized I feel). And if you're going to be teaching people, make a playlist that flows into eachother instead of rock, rap, punk just popping up & throwing students off. My instructor seemed kind of irritated when asked questions which is horrible because I'll ask if my foot is wrapped right around a pole a million times until I feel I have it down instead of falling off a freakin' pole.
Try Itunes Genius...
I think the space should be bigger & you if you have 6 poles in 1 room then don't let 12 people book a class. It should be 1 person to each pole...
Overall the school is ok; I'd prefer it to be bigger; more detail oriented, and if I spend almost $200 on 4 weeks of classes, I should have my own pole; I shouldn't have to rotate...
If you're looking for a fun night out or quick easy work-out, then take a 2 hour intro course with the Besties...but for long term I really don't know.
I think I'll still continue my search. I like patient detailed instructors. -
Review from Nina Y.
Newark, NJ
9/27/2011
I bought the 5 class Groupon deal (winter/spring 2011) for EDC and took 3 classes (Flying Pole Spins - Intermediate, Beginner Floorwork, and Pole Pleaser Beginner). I did not use the last 2 classes in the deal.
Atmosphere
The space is huge and beautiful! Much different from what I have experienced at other studios. There are 3 studios, changing rooms, and restrooms (you don't have to change in the restroom!)
Instruction
When I arrived to sign-in to my first class, I was told by the receptionist 'if you can't keep up then you will not be allowed to stand in the back of the classroom or ask for a refund'. To me its strange that a student would be told this, but it let me know how their classes are run.
I took all 3 classes with Alieesah. I would have preferred to take other instructors to get a better feel of EDC, but it just didn't work out that way. Alieesah has a very laid back/nonchalant attitude; I can see how people may not like this but I come off the same way to people so I'm not offended. However, I did not like her teaching style - she's too hands off for me; I prefer more individual attention and critique to know when I'm doing something wrong or right. Also I think its important that instructors provide individual attention in classes where inversions are being taught for safety purposes.
Classes
Although classes are drop-in they are taught in progression which restarts every month, so if you come at the end of a month your class will be much more challenging than if you come at the beginning of the month.
There are some choreography classes (pole pleaser), but many of the pole classes are technique classes (spins and floorwork). I don't see any problem with this, but in taking the technique classes, I realized that I would prefer to learn full choreography rather than learning spins separate from floorwork, etc. -
Review from NYC e.
Brooklyn, NY
3/31/2011
This place is proof that location isn't everything. This company needs to be shut down. I went there for a class when it was new and it was completely crap. I thought i'd give years of experience the benefit of the doubt and did another class there after going to a few other classes in the city and the experience was even worse. Not only was the teacher out of shape but the class was terrible. The teacher arrived late, was rude when asked questions and totally seemed to believe that she didn't have to be there. Their marketing ploy on their website may get unsuspecting people to come to their classes but once you're there you'll wish you didn't.
My advise - Google some of the better studios in Manhattan or go to the best pole classes I've attended at one of the Equinox fitness clubs. You can pay for single classes there and every time I've been the classes have been packed with beginners and pros that actually take time out to help you learn. -
Review from Maria S.
Bronx, NY
3/25/2011
I came there with a Groupon deal. I had a little bit of pole dancing experience before but not much, so decided to try their beginners class first (Pole Pleaser).
Although the class was good for a complete raw beginner, it's really slow for someone with any fitness/dance experience (not poling at all), and for me it was just a waste of time.. I cant really stand and watch how to walk around the pole for 5 minutes, after that do it, and wait for a person whom I share the pole with to do it for next 5 minutes. But that was not my level I suppose, because I've spoken to some girls after the class, and that was their first, and they were very excited after. The conclusion is - you should take their beginners class only if you did not have any dance or fitness experience and you are a slow learner.
I took another class, Flying pole intermediate level, it was not a routine but technique class for polers, meaning you just practice tricks, climbs and spins that are given by the instructor. That was so much more fun! I've learned a lot and tried inversions, which was pretty athletic and looked cool:) I couple of times there were 3-4 people and the class was not canceled or anything like that (just to reply to another review).
My only problem is that for now they do not have any more intermediate classes in the drop in schedule, only once a week :(
Update. I actually remove one star because girls I know say they came back to their routine of cancelling classes and courses just because they have only one person registered for them, and they send a message about it 30 minutes before the class starts. It's a bad practice, really, nobody wants to figure out in the train that the 3rd class in a row this week is cancelled. -
Review from Meow Mix C.
New York, NY
11/30/2009
Completely unprofessional. If there was a 0 stars option, I'd pick it.
During my long quest to find the perfect pole studio, I stumbled upon EDC. Bought a 10 class package to give myself a chance to try out different classes and instructors. I ended up not even using the entire package (first time I've ever wasted sessions ANYWHERE) because I was so disgusted by the way business was run at EDC.
Their website has a schedule that boasts some late morning/noon classes. Basically a lie, right off the bat. Having morning classes was a major plus for me, since I work nights from time to time and spend many days sleeping. What they don't mention is that if the class does not have a minimum of 6 people, it is automatically cancelled. Since their sign-up system involves calling them and having them write your name on a list, there is no online system for you to see how many other people are already in the class. I'd say 90% of the early classes I signed up for were cancelled simply because not enough people signed up. The problem lies in their poor management...no one will call you and tell you that the class is cancelled, even though they claim that they will do it the night before. I've already had 2 separate incidents of traveling all the way there and ringing the buzzer downstairs for a half hour with no clue that the class had been cancelled. Sometimes even calling the night before yourself is useless, since apparently they stop paying attention to their phone lines. Other girls I've spoken to at the studio have also had this happen to them! I wrote an email and left 2 voicemails addressing this but never got a response back from the owner. What kind of nonsense is that?
The classes themselves are pretty weak. The instructors are mediocre, and I felt like they had limited experience (have you ever seen a pole instructor who was physically out of shape?). The only good one was the chick with the tattoos, but only because she showed a bit of enthusiasm. All of the other instructors (including the owner herself) seemed bored and were monotonous and dull, as if collecting peoples' money in exchange for a half-assed class was a tedious task. It's a shame too, because their studio is beautiful with 12 poles and huge mirrors and plenty of room.
Stay away from them, spend your hard earned money elsewhere. Don't believe any of the good reviews on CitySearch either, as they might have been written by the staff. Just seems a little suspicious that all of the 5-star reviews popped up within 3 days of each other, written in similar language and under what appears to be accounts that have only submitted 1 single review.
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Edited 1/3/09
Seems like they've recently set up an online sign up system (and also got rid of a lot of their morning classes). -
Review from elizabeth s.
Chicago, IL
1/5/2007
I always wanted to Try the pole dancing class so two girls and I signed up for the Into to Beginners class, which had basic strip tease, lap dance and pole dancing. The studio was clean and professional. Thee wee about 12 women in the class. 10 of the 12 wee "every day" women and then thee were 2 others whom look like 50 year old professional strippers. The class lasted two hours and taught us everything from sexy dancing to how to taunt a man in his seat. My favorite pat was working the pole. It took much More upper body strength than I eve imagines but I could help help but feel so Demi Moore in Strip Tease. I highly recommend this class for the every day girl who wants to experience a fitness/toning class to make he feel sexy and have fun with friends.
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Review from Melinda L.
Astoria, NY
5/19/2010
I expected the worst of this place based on the reviews I found AFTER I purchased three spots in the intro to pole class. I'm not sure if it was due to my low expectations but I was pleasantly surprised. The class started 2 minutes late but we had enough time to do a warm up, learn a spin, cool down and see a demo of a really cool routine. Bryana was a detailed and patient instructor. A place to change was hard to find but with a place filled with females, what's the big deal?
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Review from Andrea W.
Corona, NY
9/6/2011
took a while for the company to respond to a voucher I had purchased through LivingSocial -- should have taken this as a bad sign. Anyway, a few weeks later they responded and I signed up for a class two weeks later Overall, it was a fun class for beginners and the instructor was friendly but I didn't appreciate having to share a pole during class. Furthermore, the music in our class did not really suit the atmosphere -- a slow song like my immortal by evansence did not encourage me to get sexy. overall however, a decent place but would not have went if it wasn't for livingsocial.
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Review from Maggie M.
Brooklyn, NY
10/27/2010
Do Not under any circumstances attend this studio. It is a scam. I at least only paid for one class, but when I showed up to the studio no one was there to let me in. No one answers the phone. And I stood outside for a half hour and no females came in or out. I even spoke with other tenants in the building who said "the people on that floor are hardly ever there". I plan on writing a letter to the Better Busines Bureau.
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Review from Toya C.
Jersey City, NJ
12/24/2009
I took a drop in pole class for $25 and had a fab time! The receptionist wasn't very patient on the phone, but the instructor was very nice and attentive so it made up for that. I'll def go back.
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Review from Amanda F.
Manhattan, NY
3/23/2011
I tried both the Introductory Spins and Pole Pleaser classes. Natalie is a super energetic teacher. "Smile: this isn't boot camp, it's stripper camp!" Her and Alieesah were great instructors and made me feel comfortable on the pole.
