Champion Ballroom, Minneapolis

Champion Ballroom is the brainchild of twinkly-toed owners Robert and Jennifer Foster, who, over their illustrious 25-year career, have garnered three U.S. ballroom dance titles and enraptured audiences internationally on NBC, ESPN, and PBS. Accompanied by their daughter Caitlin, the duo cycles through private and group dance lessons in ballroom, Latin, salsa, swing, and tango techniques for both competitive and casual events. The studio’s free consultations work to ascertain students’ goals while introducing them to the instructors’ individual teaching styles, which, unlike most dance studios, do not incorporate weirdly aggressive games of Twister. Special guests often lead one-night-only workshops atop Champion’s 40'x80' dance floor, and live performances from local bands allow hoofers to put new steps to the test without having to provoke local dance crews into impromptu competitions.