Dance Classes in Galveston

Designed to meet the five pillars of optimum fitness—cardio, resistance training, food intake, vitamins, and professional assistance—Total Fitness helps elite athletes and couch potatoes alike achieve their health and weight-loss goals. Personalized-training sessions are the mainstay of the program, with certified trainers designing fitness plans that cater to each individual’s goals and abilities. Athletes wanting to improve their performance in a specific sport—or even a specific position—can enroll in Sports Strength Camp or boot camps.

Kara's Pole Studio is anything but exclusive. Owner Kara Davis makes a point to welcome every adult—no matter their age, size, or gender—to engage in high-flying, liberating exercises. Though spouses and significant others can't attend the same classes as their mates, Kara welcomes all to experience her pole-conditioning, chair-dance, and cardio-burlesque courses. As an extra treat for her students, Kara also hosts special guests, which have previously included industry celebs such as regional pole-dance champions and Miss Pole Dance Australia 2012.

• Established: 2013
  
• Handicap Accessible: Yes
  
• Staff Size: 2–10 people
  
• Parking: Parking lot
  
• Reservations/Appointments: Required
  
• Most popular offering: Ballet, jazz, hip-hop
  
• Pro Tip: The owner is available to assist with class selection. Call or e-mail to set up a free appointment.

Q&A with Dominique, Owner of Harbour Dance

Tell us about your business.
Harbour Dance school is a dance studio that focuses on formal and recreational training in ballet, jazz, hip-hop, modern, contemporary, dance tumbling, drill team, and college prep for ages 2 to 18. The studio also offers dance-fitness classes and technique classes for adults of any age. The studio is open to all skills levels and has open enrollment all year long.

What inspired you to start this business?
Dance is my life, and I love sharing it with others. I couldn't imagine a day without it, and I really do feel it can bring out the best in people. It has always been an outlet for me, a way of expressing myself, a way to unwind. I love watching my students grow with confidence and turn into beautiful dancers.

What makes your business stand out?
We have professionally designed dance studios with specialty sprung dance floors that . . . greatly alleviate stress on the joints and help in injury prevention. Our teachers are professionally trained and all have college degrees. All teachers are also cross-trained in kinesiology and anatomy, and follow a curriculum that creates beautifully technical dancers without straining their bodies.

What is your most popular offering?
Ballet: almost every little girl wants to be a ballerina someday. It also is the most basic and important form in dance training. At Harbour Dance, ballet is the structure which all [of] our other classes follow. Hip-hop: this is the latest hit in the dance world. Dancers everywhere are breaking out of their shell and letting themselves loose in hip-hop class. We offer upbeat, physically active, and funky fun in the hip-hop classes at our studio.

What is the best reaction you’ve ever gotten from a customer?
People love the size of our dance rooms. Our smaller room—primarily for preschoolers and the youngest dancers—is 700 square feet, and our main studio—where most of our classes are held—is a whopping 1,500 square feet, perfect for endless leaps across the floor.

What’s your favorite part about your job?
The best part of my job is watching a student struggle with a skill, practice tirelessly for weeks over it, then see that look on their face when they finally master it. They are so proud of themselves, and I couldn't be happier for them.

The first time Lisa Leonard took a Zumba class, it was the fastest hour of her life. She’d had a blast, and it inspired her to become a certified instructor. In her classes, she leads two types of Zumba routines: traditional fitness, which fuses latin dance and exercise, and toning classes that incorporate light free weights. With each version, students learn moves that, like rickshas, are easy to follow yet still burn a lot calories.