I drove past the studio every single day for six years when I finally moved to the bustling city. Never did I ever think I’d be one of those smiling faces I saw daily waltzing from window to window. I’m usually a hermit. The most in public I like to be is hustling to and from the office five days a week. But with the big 30th birthday on the horizon, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and do something I’ve always wanted to do… dancing. And I was going to start with some help from Five6Seven8 Dance Studio.
Five6Seven8 Dance Studio is situated in the Fontainebleau Village Corner in Randburg (just before CityROCK). You can easily spot it from Republic or Rabie Road. This past weekend, I went for my very first session of my eight week Latin and Ballroom dance course. What I noticed from the moment I walked in is that this isn’t just your typical dance studio. It’s a home and sanctuary for those who want to indulge their inner dancer, a fun and safe environment for dancers to build their dance education, a supportive space to learn and have fun. Everybody knew everybody, newcomers were welcomed by exceptionally friendly and helpful staff and the vibe was just happy and energetic! It was contagious.
Since I arrived early (as I ALWAYS do for EVERYTHING), I took the time to suss out the place a little bit. There are a few studios hiding in the vicinity in various sizes, perfect for rehearsals and private lessons. There are loads of comfy couches to get comfortable on while you wait for your class as well as trophies and pictures on display of their professionals. And then there’s the massive studio where I was going to take my first steps as a wannabe dancer. Wooden floors, sound system, big open windows, lots of natural light… definitely loads of room to shuffle around while finding your dancers’ feet.
As for the classes, there are a variety of lessons for you to choose from, whether you’re looking to sign up the kids or want to take a class yourself. They have everything from African Dance, Ballet, Bollywood and Breakdancing to Burlesque, Contemporary, FlexiFit, Hip Hop, Musical Theatre, Tap and much more. Looking to learn a dance for your wedding day? They’ll happily help you out with that too!
And the instructors… just wonderful! For Latin and Ballroom, we had Bianca and Andre who kicked off the beginners’ course. They made the steps look super easy, gave super easy instructions to follow and helped each and every one of us newbies with their super easy attitudes. We spent an hour learning how to do the Boogie and the Rumba box step. I made plenty of mistakes (sorry Andre!), but I think I finally got it down by the end of the session. After the first session, I was already amped for the next one. I highly recommend this dance studio if you’re looking to try something new or get moving.
One class down, seven more to go. This is going to be fun!
For More Information
For more information about Five6Seven8 Dance Studio and their classes, visit www.five6seven8.co.za. You can also contact them on 011 791 5997 or randburg@five6seven8.co.za.
