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Second Glance Dance
Category: Arts & Entertainment Performing Arts Performing Arts [Edit]
643 Chenery St(between Diamond St & Carrie St)
San Francisco, CA 94131
Neighborhood: Glen Park
(415) 810-9572
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 8 pm - 10 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
Charles B. said: "Incredible work done both on stage and behind the scenes on Seven Guitars. It was great seeing Bay Area actors whose work I've come to know and love in several plays, Margo Hall and Toby Windham, along with other fine actors bringing…" read more »
37 reviews for Second Glance Dance
37 reviews in English
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Review from Erin B.
San Francisco, CA
4/4/2011
Let me start by saying the last time I danced in front of people (except at a wedding) was in high school. I don't dance, I don't know how to dance, I have never wanted to subject people to my bad dancing.
That all changed a few months ago when I started taking lessons from Alison and then decided to join her performance dance group at Metronome. It has been such a revelation and so much FUN! She is a great teacher! Her classes are fun, engaging and not at all intimidating. Even if you have never danced before in your life (but always wanted to) Alison can help you learn to dance and look good doing it! -
Review from David D.
7/25/2010
I know Alison can teach anyone to dance.
How do I know? Imagine, if you will, a birthday party. Where everyone has a glass of wine or two, and then one of the more engaging guests calls everyone into the living room for a dance lesson. With a little timidity they approach the circle, but a few light-hearted jokes and references to shared experiences warms up the room. Soon the dance instructor, yes the birthday boy's dance instructor, has everyone practicing a salsa step. Then after a few minutes, everyone is dancing.
Seriously. No, count them zero, no wallflowers.
And from the look in My Lady's face, vibrating with excitement, I know it is time for us to go back to dance school. Communication, coordination, cooperation. There is nothing like it.
Thank you for reawakening us, Alison! -
Review from Stephy L.
San Francisco, CA
8/7/2011
All I heard from our friends and family was, "when are you going on dancing with the stars?!" We rocked it, but in all fairness we owe our success as a married couple on the dance floor to Alison.
We met her several weeks before we headed off to our destination wedding and were so grateful we did. Alison is an absolute pleasure to work with. My husband and I had never taken dance lessons (save for cotillion when I was about 12) and she absolutely set us up for success for our first dance.
Dancing can be nerve racking and she coached us and gave us the confidence to really have a great time out there. You can tell that she loves what she does and is really invested in your success. She's also such a fun person to work with ... talk about personality!!
We found ourselves giggling and enjoying learning a new skill together - so much so we're hoping to return for future dance lessons so we can really show off at those next weddings.
I'd love to offer the wedding folks a few tips: If you can, come to your first lesson with a few songs or at least chat with your spouse first about what you envision (fast, slow, dance style, theme, vibe, etc.) ... we didn't and it was fine, but you'll save time picking a song and get more time practicing your moves. Secondly, bring a phone that has a video camera - it was great to have recordings of our dance when we practiced. Lastly, give yourself enough time to enjoy learning this new skill. Thanks again Alison! -
Review from Nessie V.
5/12/2008
In the rush of wedding prep, we realize about 2 weeks before that we don't know what we're doing for a first dance. Sure, we go dancing all the time, but usually to the goth club or something where you dance near someone more than you dance with someone.
So we pay a little more than I wanted to and take two classes here. We sent her an MP3 of the VNV Nation song we wanted and I expected to be taught, i don't know, the foxtrot or something. But it was this whole choreographed thing. I was a little overwhelmed but I figured if we pulled it off it would be cool. But since I actually managed to do the steps without having to look at my feet shows how good a teacher Alison is.
So the day comes and we get many compliments on our dancing. The beginning got a few laughs (I thought the beginning was a little strange too, but the song is slow at that point so there aren't many options). Overall people really liked it and I feel we have set the bar high for my sister's wedding later this year.
The only minus i have is that at the end of each lesson was some upsell. Like either for tickets to a tango event, or a firm suggestion to go check out the local businesses. It was a little strong for me. -
Review from Fran A.
San Francisco, CA
11/14/2010
Alison is a miracle worker. She turned me and my husband (who's idea of "dancing" is throwing a fist pump) into a modern Fred and Ginger. Before we even started, she asked to hear our ideas about how we wanted the first dance to be. Then she taught us moves that didn't look or feel choreographed. In just 4 lessons, she led us from the basics of swing dancing to complicated steps that were true crowd-pleasers at the main event. She gave us hilarious tips that were easy to remember, so that we were able to focus on having fun during the actual dance.
I loved Alison so much that I even brought my father in for a lesson (much to his surprise). She was extremely patient with him and made him feel at ease. Despite his initial misgivings, he ended up have a great time. I highly recommend Alison as a dance instructor. She gave us the skills, confidence and grace to pull of a fabulous first dance that our friends/family are still talking about. Plus to boot ... she is a really fun person to be around! -
Review from Jaime M.
Mill Valley, CA
7/12/2011
I first saw Alison when she was social dancing at a Cocomos one night a few years back. I was totally blown away by her sexy theatrical style of dance. At that time I wasn't aware that she was an instructor or I would have signed up in a flash.
Now I am extremely fortunate to her as a choreographer for a Batacha dance troupe that I am in. Not only is Allison a great instructor and choreographer , she is also lots of fun to work with. She has a great sense of humor that will keep you laughing no matter
what else is happening on the dance floor.
I strongly recommend Alison for private or group lessons no matter what level you are. She will teach you to dance and make it lots of fun too. -
Review from Miriam S.
San Francisco, CA
8/12/2008
Dance lessons were so much fun with Alison. She took two total klutzes and turned us into samba-dancing fools! We dazzled the crowd at our wedding last month - we still can't believe it! Not only did we learn difficult choreography, we had an absolute blast doing it! Alison made the process a lot of fun. The added bonus of the whole deal is that we got to go to Glen Park once a week and get burritos after dance class at La Corneta. I can't think of a better package deal!
Thanks Alison!Listed in: Fabulous Wedding Vendors
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Review from allegra f.
San Francisco, CA
12/7/2009
I absolutely love Alison. She helped my husband and I work on our first dance for our wedding. She really understood our style - we didn't want anything fussy or overly choreographed. We spent 5 sessions learning how to swing dance with a little extra attention on a dip for the end and a cute entrance.
Alison has an outstanding personality and is such a positive teacher. "I love ___" and tons of hilarious sci fi references from death laser on an elbow (to keep it in place) one second to a catholic grandma horrified that I showed my arm pit in another.
Very organized, if a lesson needed to be moved it was. Also, she was able to work in my dad and I at the very last second to learn a quick fox trot.
I highly recommend Alison and will post photos soon!Listed in: Going the chapel and
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Review from Vanessa L.
San Francisco, CA
6/29/2007
My husband and I took lessons with Alison for our first dance at our wedding recption. We had a wonderful time learning and practicing. It was one of the best things about wedding planning (frankly probably the only thing my dear husband actually enjoyed about the whole process).
But we could not have imagined how much our guests would enjoy it. We really wanted something fun and upbeat, something other than the usual dancing-slowly-in-a-circle first dances we've witnessed at way too many weddings. Alison really created a number that was entertaining, complemented our music (More by Bobby Darin) perfectly, and was simple enough for us "non-dancers" to learn in just a few lessons. And it really felt like us.
Though I thought Alison was exaggerating when she said the "crowd will go wild" at certain points, she was so right. They were wowed and amazed, and the whimsical spirit of the dance was totally contagious. She gave us the perfect way to kick off our reception.
I just discovered that she also co-owns a dance entertainment company http://www.yourdanceve.... They provide quality dance
performances, instruction and hosting at a wide range of corporate
events and parties. So make your next party a dance party and they'll teach your guests to salsa and swing! -
Review from Jackie B.
Palo Alto, CA
4/19/2010
When I thought about our "First Dance" for the wedding, I wanted it all - I wanted to look smooth, confident, and interesting, and I wanted to do it all in as little practice time as possible (hubby and I are both very busy). Also, neither of us has ever danced before.
I contacted Alison and she said we could get away with just 3 lessons! So we signed up, and I'm very happy we did. From the first moment we met Alison had helpful hints about my shoes and cute sayings to help us remember the various dance tips. We really felt like we got a lot of value out of each of the lessons.
We practiced a lot between lessons, and when we came back, Alison was great at phrasing our mistakes in very positive ways, and so we had a lot of fun the whole time.
My brother-in-law taped our first dance and I was amazed to see how non-embarrassing we looked. We were able to not worry about the details and have fun dancing. Success! -
Review from Cynthia T.
Oakland, CA
2/4/2010
My husband and I took private lessons from Alison to prepare for our wedding dance, and she was fantastic! She made us feel very comfortable, which was good because my husband was REALLY nervous at first because he's a real spazz and had never done any sort of dance, ever. In 5 or 6 lessons, Alison taught us some very simple moves and showed us how to combine and polish those moves to create a really slick looking first dance.
Alison is a very good teacher and a very talented dancer...and she is FUN and will make you feel comfortable. We looked forward to each lesson :)
We caught her right as she was returning to teaching after having her first baby, so she was very hard to get a hold of. If you experience this, keep trying until you catch her, because she is totally worth it! -
Review from Joshua H.
San Francisco, CA
10/22/2008
Alison demands more than just a second glance, she's absolutely captivating! I've had the pleasure of working with Alison over the past 4 years both as a dancer and as a producer.
I've seen her mesmerize stage audiences with sizzling routines. I've watched her transform her private students from beginners into competitive level performers. I've directed her in week-long tapings of instructional videos where she's nailed her performances in consistent single takes. I've seen her teach groups of teenagers, groups of professionals, groups at parties...I've seen Alison teach anyone and everyone in person and in front of the camera and she is nothing short of a true professional.
The most inspiring aspect of this professional, however, is her unbridled ability to have fun. No matter what the scenario, Alison is the life of the party, the lesson, or the event. Every single time I see Alison, she is radiating smiles, laughter, and jokes. She is completely comfortable in her professional skin and simply makes you want to be around her.
I highly recommend Alison to anyone, man, woman, novice, pro, student, or talent agent. You'll find yourself staring not glancing at this amazing dancer, instructor, and performer. You won't be able to take your eyes off her.
Josh Hoover
Blank Tape Productions -
Review from caro m.
Piedmont, CA
6/17/2010
Dumbs down the technical to make it doable and understandable even for those with zero formal dance training. She's funny, personable, dedicated, a brilliant dancer and, most of all, a fantastic teacher.
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Review from Winnie L.
San Francisco, CA
6/25/2010
Alison is amazing instructor...all around fun spirited, great energy. She makes you feel good, every step of the way. I can say that after 2 private lessons...I feel like I've improved a ton...because of the way she explains how to move the body in sequence... :) She's awesome, and completely fun to hang with for an hour. The only thing is she's so damn good, everyone wants a piece of her time, so book early =D
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Review from Derek C.
San Carlos, CA
10/26/2010
Do you suffer from 2 left feet? I love dancing, but was just really bad at it. I had a goal to become comfortable with social dancing out at the clubs (Salsa) and I can proudly say I've accomplished this goal with Alison's help.
Alison has been my amazing dance instructor for almost a year now. We always have such a great time dancing together. Not only is she extremely patient and fun, but she is a great listener as well-- she always makes sure that the lesson is tailored to my specifications and ensures that I am getting the most of my lesson. -
Review from susan h.
San Francisco, CA
7/25/2011
I am so glad that my husband and I had the opportunity to work with Alison. For our wedding we wanted to do a first dance a little off the beaten path. We found Alison to teach us a dance to our favorite salsa song. She was so patient with us and so creative with our dance, she made the perfect salsa dance that I could do in my wedding dress. Throughout our whole dance people were clapping and yelling and cheering and we got so many compliments and teary eyes, everyone loved it... and most importantly, so did we!! I can't more highly recommend Alison... she's truly amazing at what she does.
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Review from Shannon M.
San Francisco, CA
6/26/2009
Not only a great class but fun fun fun. The combination of Alison and Jesus is amazing. I guese the difference could be compared to taking a boring driving school to a comedy driving school. These two know how to teach and make you laugh the whole time. Five stars.
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Review from Romeo C.
San Francisco, CA
7/1/2008
****UPDATE 12/17/08: Alison Hurwitz teaches the group salsa lesson with her dance partner Jesus Ortiz at the Glas Kat every tuesday starting at 7:45pm. These guys are amazing together. So funny and helpful. Learning a new dance can be intimidating but these guys have a way of easing your tension. i have been to other group classes with different intructors where you see the look of intimidation in the newcommers eyes. Such a funny, friendly atmosphere they create that they make a first time learning experince very easy. We're all here to learn! And people will naturally open up during their lesson. If you're on the fence about private lessons, take this class and you;ll see what I'm talking about. She will not disappoint. She's an amazing teacher, I cannot stress that enough.*****
I first met Alison almost 8 years ago when I took her group salsa lesson at the Metronome Ballroom (Now Cheryl Burke Dance Studio) I remembered her adding humor with teaching to create a fun learning environment. After college I stopped with salsa for 6 years and recently got back into it and decided to do the private lessons route. I did a lot of research on instructors throughout the bay area and finally decided that Alison would be the best bet. I continue to take private lessons with her on a week to week or every other week basis depending on my schedule (I travel for work )
I now consider myself an advanced dancer thanks to her. I recieve compliments on my lead from followers all the time and recently they are starting to ask me for dances. Alison has turned my lead into Spanish Fly. It's not just dance steps she's teaching but style and technique. She is knowledgable about every aspect of the music and dance. Recent sessions have taught me stlyization, and how to use the music as a guide to what moves to lead as opposed to just doing random patterns for dancing sake. She also teaches what I call the "crowded dance floor" variation. Trust me, a follower will not have fun if she doesn't feel protected from the swinging arms and stomping stillettos out in the dance floor. She teaches you every variation, makes sure you know how to do all of them, and allows you to decide which one to do based on how you interpret the music.
She is a welcoming teacher and will adjust to your goals and learning curve. Each curriculum will differ from person to person. My goal is to be a better social dancer for the clubs. She would instruct me differently than a person who is trying to compete or perform in ballroom or even perform a wedding dance. She also adjusts to your learning curve. In the begining I was learning basic things but now we are polishing off 6-8 moves in one session. She changes her pace and knows when to challenge you and when to let you have fun. This is a sign of an excellent teacher. She even asigns homework!
For people with two left feet having Alison as your private intructor can easily relieve the stress and anxiety of learning a new dance. It's impossible to feel awkward or intimidated when your around her. My advice, get private lessons now! I started off with group classes and learning in the clubs. I developed bad dancing habits which was hard to shake off but I accomplished it with her help. I wanted to keep Alison as my little secret but that would be unfair. In my perfect world all followers would take her lessons but none of the guys. They would stay rough around the edges and I would have a monopoly on all of the girls.
If your a serious dancer wanting to break through the advanced level, TAKE HER NOW! -
Review from jey o.
San Francisco, CA
4/10/2008
We're married! My husband and I were looking into doing a choreographed first dance for our wedding. We found Alison on Yelp and scheduled 3 lessons. We decided on Ain't No Mountain High Enough, 1960s song by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. It was so fun... learning the dance together, surprising the guests, and the awesome memories. Everyone loved it and couldn't stop raving about it. The screaming fans, especially when he did his butt shuffle, was too funny! Alison choreographed the dance on the fly, helped me remember moves by relating it to something I'm familiar with and kept us on top of the important parts to the dance. We highly recommend Alison!
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Review from Cindy P.
San Francisco, CA
11/9/2008
I have worked with a number of dance teachers on a variety of dancing over the last 10 years, and Alison is my favorite instructor. She is an incredibly talented dancer, but an even better instructor. She really helps her students to have fun and keep perspective even when learning difficult or frustrating moves.
My husband and I took salsa lessons from Alison in preparation of performing a salsa at our wedding. We looked forward to all of our lessons with Alison and she did a great job choreographing a routine that was doable, looked great, and the best part was no one even knew it was choreographed. It can be difficult to dance with your SO, but Alison always made it lighthearted and fun, and kept those tense moments to a minumum. She understands dance and people, and that combination makes her truly a wonderful instructor. Whether you are brand new to dance or a veteran, you have a lot to learn from Alison! -
Review from gary c.
San Francisco, CA
12/26/2010
This is one of the few yelp reviews I have bothered to submit-even though it is against my own self interest to give her a huge rave as it will only make it harder for me to get a lesson slot. But.. have to say Alison is one of the best teachers i have had for anything--and would definitely recommend her as a dance teacher. After several mediocre dance instructor experience--Alison is the real deal. Lots of positive energy--focused on helping you learn based on your starting point, making sure you get the most of your lesson, and you leave having laughed and learned a lot.
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Review from Michelle M.
San Francisco, CA
4/29/2005
Alison Hurwitz is an amazing dance teacher. I took salsa lessons with her...she loves teaching, is incredibly patient, makes all of her students feel at ease and is a terrific dancer too! http://secondglancedan...
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Review from Jill B.
San Mateo, CA
3/31/2008
Alison is our savior! We contacted her for emergency dance lessons 5 days before our wedding (yes,5 DAYS) - my (new) husband had never set foot in a studio before and yet by our first dance, we were moving in an elegant foxtrot and had a fun, simple routine to follow. I appreciate not only her care and attention, but also the way she breaks down the steps into manageable bites and ties her students' other experience to dance. For example, my husband used to do martial arts - she could tell by the way he moved - and thus explained how to do a rock step in the context of a roundhouse kick. Who does that? :) She clearly has amazing command kinesiology and form and knows exactly how to coach you to improve. And Alison does it all in a positive, fun and energetic way. I highly recommend her and we'll be back for more.
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Review from Jeff U.
San Francisco, CA
7/10/2007
Alison taught a fantastic swing dance lesson at a friend's wedding reception down in Santa Cruz. At first I thought it a bit odd to have a dance lesson at a wedding reception but it turned out to be a wonderful idea. It drew many people that wouldn't have normally danced out onto the floor and made everyone feel very much at ease. So many people ended up dancing and having a great time because of her great lesson and wonderful charm. I'd certainly recommend her for wedding reception lessons and judging from the other reviews I'm sure her private lessons are just as great.
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Review from Jonathan L.
Sunnyvale, CA
2/6/2008
Jesus and Alison,
You guys totally rock. Never have i been to a salsa class that is as fun as yours. -
Review from isaac h.
Berkeley, CA
12/19/2007
I've taken private lessons with Alison for several months now, and consider each lesson a highlight of my week. Not only is she patient, cheery, clear in explaining things in multiple ways, and extremely talented and inspiring as a dancer, but she is also extremely aware of how different muscles are used to achieve different effects; I've been working extensively on cuban motion and incorporating that into various bread-and-butter moves, and she has helped me immensely. If you practice what Alison tells you, you will get better! I've had privates with several of the Bay Area's popular salsa teachers, and Alison is my favorite!
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Review from Reinhold S.
San Francisco, CA
1/9/2008
I would have never thought that I could dance on stage in front of 500 people, or in a crowded club. But I have done it! And I am having a lot of fun doing it. I have been taking Salsa lessons from Alison for more than five years now - large drop-in classes, small group classes, as well as private lessons. As an educator, I am always interested in how teachers teach and students learn. Alison does a wonderful job in breaking down complex patterns into smaller steps so that everyone understands them, and she does it with a lot of patience and passion. At the same time, she pushes me to reach for the next level. That's what makes a great teacher. And you can tell that she loves teaching. It's contagious!
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Review from Tim S.
Burlingame, CA
11/13/2008
Alison is AWESOME! We came to her to learn some basics for our first dance at our upcoming wedding and she helped us exceed our own expectations for what we can do on the dance floor. As first time learners, she was very patient and understanding of our skill level and tailored each lesson to fit our needs perfectly. We took three one-on-one sessions with her, each time adding new skills from the previous session. Most importantly, Alison created a low stress and fun atmosphere to learn in. We highly recommend her to anyone.
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Review from RaiNoel G.
Pittsburg, CA
2/12/2010
She is such a darling!
She really can "teach" and she knows what she's doing.
My husband and I took a private lesson from her for our first dance and we were able to WOW our crowd. She made my husband feel confident in dancing with her jokes which also helps us remember our steps.
The very best thing I love about her teaching is that she doesn't just teach, she also connects everything to how relationship is supposed to be as a team (husband and wife). If you guys need any help in dancing she is the best teacher specially on a one on one class.
Thanks Alison and hope to see you soon. -
Review from Christine T.
San Francisco, CA
4/8/2009
In only 4 classes, Alison helped two non-dancers look like stars for our wedding. It was a lot of fun, she is very patient and I highly recommend using her.
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Review from Myra T.
San Francisco, CA
9/12/2008
We took up dancing because we want to 'surprise' our family and friends during our wedding...and Alison is truly patience with us!!! She is really friendly, energetic and a great dancer!! She teaches so well, that we have decided to take up dance classes with her even after the wedding!!
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Review from Green B.
San Francisco, CA
1/1/2009
We went to Allison to get dancing lessons for our wedding. She was a fantastic and fun teacher! Even though neither of us had ever taken dance lessons, Allison made things easy for us. She quickly came up with a dance based on our song. She taught us step by step, was VERY patient with us, kept things fun and light the whole time but made sure we got it all down and that we looked great. At the wedding, everyone was impressed with our dance and we had a great time doing it.
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Review from Linda B.
San Francisco, CA
4/30/2008
Alison is fantastic. I called her just days before my fiance and I were to be married and she choreographed a beautiful first dance for us in two sessions. She has a sense of humor and energy that makes you feel comfortable the moment you meet her. My fiance and I laughed so hard during our sessions. I want to bring her to Baltimore for the wedding; the confidence that she instills in her students is unflappable. And her mirrors are wonderful...they make you look thin and tall!!!
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Review from Mitchell H.
San Francisco, CA
7/28/2008
Dance lessons as good as it gets! My wife and I are married now and we had the greatest time at our wedding. One of the biggest reasons was that we had such a beautiful first dance! All the thanks goes out to Alison. She is the absolute best! We love her! She accepts us as we are, with no coordination to be found anywhere and she shapes us into something that we had no idea we could be. She was so charming and welcoming and we found that we couldn't wait until our next lesson. Alison will take you in, create a beautiful and fun first dance, and then work on it at our own pace. We had so much fun getting to know her and now, even though our wedding is over, we want to go back and take other lessons as well, just so we can have some more fun AND so that we can spend some more time with Alison. I highly recommend her for any new dance you'd like to learn as she is so talented and so very nice to work with. If I wasn't already happily married, as is she, I would have asked her to marry me!! Just kidding honey! I am so glad I married you!! Alison - you are the best. Kelly and I feel that we not only learned how to do a variation of the foxtrot because of you, we also feel like we've found a really good friend. Anyone and everyone should go see Alison if you'd like to get your groove on in a very comfortable setting. She'll make you feel like a million bucks every second you're with her.
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Review from Missy G.
Sacramento, CA
8/14/2008
Alison was fantastic! My husband and I went to see her before our wedding to get some basic moves for our first dance. We did not want the entire thing to be choreographed, but we also wanted some moves so as not to bore our guests. Alison totally listened to us -- what we wanted (and didn't want). She teaches in a way that is very understandable for any level of experience. Alison was patient, fun to be around, and a great help! Our first dance was a highlight of our wedding. We plan to go back for more lessons soon (I have been trying to get my husband to take dance lessons with me for years and thanks to Alison he actually enjoyed doing this).
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Review from E K.
San Francisco, CA
12/4/2007
Before we met Alison, my fiance and I had no idea what we were doing on the dance floor. After just a few lessons, we're ready for Dancing with the Stars! OK, maybe not that good, but definitely ready for our first dance. Alison is super nice, positive, and will make sure you're always having fun. She offers private lessons out of her home--so you won't be bumping into other couples on the dance floor. Although the room is on the smaller side, the opportunity for a true private lesson makes it worth it. She's also very realistic about what you can accomplish in a few lessons and starts with the basics and moves on from there. Highly recommended!
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Review from David L.
San Francisco, CA
8/11/2008
Alison is fantastic. I've taken salsa lessons with her on and off for a couple years. She's a gifted teacher, dancer, dance technician, choreographer. She deeply loves what she does and makes sure learning is always great time. Most of all she cares that her students become even better dancers than they thought they could be...without my asking she has taught me technique that I never paid attention to before and don't think I would have gotten elsewhere--and that has made a real difference.
