Dance Lessons in Thousand Oaks

Founded in 1989 by Mestre Amen Santo—the choreographer who added a touch of authenticity to the capoeira scenes in 1993’s Only The Strong —Brasil Brasil Cultural Center hosts classes in Brazil’s signature martial art alongside lessons in other multicultural disciplines. Like a fight with the cast of a variety show, capoeira combines martial artistry, dance, and acrobatics, fusing them into a stylized Afro-Brazilian art form. To complement capoeira sessions—available to adults as well as children aged 4 and older—instructors also teach Portuguese language classes, health classes and dance classes. Students can also cut rugs in dance styles such as the samba, West African dance, and belly dancing, and youngsters can get their first taste of Brazilian rhythms through workshops with the Ballet Folclórico Do Brasil, a dance company that reaches more than 50,000 children annually.

In 2003, the teaching staffs behind the Butler-Fearon and the O’Connor-Kennedy Schools realized something: though both academies nurtured the physical, mental, and competitive skills of scores of young Irish dancers, they could form a more robust program by combining forces. Once united, the team of Rose Fearon, Vincent O’Connor, and Kathleen O’Connor—each a certified Irish dance adjudicator—implemented a revised curriculum reaching students from both American coasts to the solid-ice skyscrapers of Ontario. Today, Butler-Fearon-O'Connor trains everyone from girls buckling their jig shoes for the first time to experienced adults, many of whom—such as 2011 world champion Emily Penner—have danced competitively at home or across the pond and landed spots on touring companies for shows such as Riverdance.

Focusing on perfecting traditional form and technique, classes are kept as small as possible, ensuring personalized attention from one of the school's 10 experienced, decorated instructors. Students also learn stamina, flexibility, and presentation, with an emphasis on avoiding motions that tend to draw judges' ire, such as clumsy arm placement and badgering the audience. Many locations also host more casual classes for adults and groups such as Girl Scout troops.

Chi Chi Randolph has choreographed routines for hip-hop artists including Nelly and the Black Eyed Peas. Kari Lehman has 15 years of ballet training experience. Viviane Bressan turned her love of belly dance into a career, traversing the globe while teaching and performing the ancient art. At Dance Austin Studio, these three number among more than a dozen dance instructors whose dazzlingly diverse backgrounds enable an array of classes for everyone from preschoolers to grownups and fitness buffs to serious students of dance.

Zumba combines fast-paced cardio choreography with dynamic Latin rhythms, and the 18-and-older Sexy Stiletto Fit class uses high heels to tone calves and build confidence. Students can choose to learn fundamental positions, steps, and vocabulary during structured ballet, lyrical, and jazz programs, or they can develop video-ready swagger during hip-hop classes. The studio’s sense of fun occasionally spills out into the community—it recently teamed up with the city’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to spark a flash mob at city hall, held to raise awareness of emergency preparedness and help officials practice what to do if invaded by dancing aliens.

Director Marianne Van Etten and her troupe of instructors help to inject steps with traditional American and international rhythms during interrelated lessons. The curriculum helps students of all experience levels to confidently navigate the dance floor without surgically removing a second left foot. Three-hour weekend workshops immerse students in the instruction of swing, Latin, and smooth techniques in one dose, and group classes gather guests for one-hour sessions in styles including Zumba and children's ballroom. Classes unfold inside the air-conditioned studio, which accommodates up to 40 dancers atop its spring-loaded wood floor. Further inspiring lofty steps, a stereo sound system floods the space, which overlooks views of mountainous terrain symbolizing the uphill battle faced when tangoing with both hands tied behind your back.

In his half-century-long career as a dance instructor, Lou Schreiber has taught more than 50,000 students the art of turning heads on the ballroom floor. His passion for acquainting students with their inner sense of rhythm led to a position as master trainer of dance instructors during an eight-year stint at Arthur Murray Dance Studios, after which Lou launched his own dance school: Walk In Dance Out. From his school's three locations, he leads students in waltz, swing, Latin, and disco styles with boundless energy and humor, channeling the expertise that has served him well at national competitions and spinning contests against the earth itself.

Lou's step-by-step teaching methods put pupils of all ages at ease, whether they are attending group or private lessons. Other instructors might drop in to assist Lou in choreographing west coast swing performances and personalized wedding-day routines, showing brides how to use their dress's train as a cushion while they do the worm.

Makela Brizuela lends her name to Makela Tango, a dance-education emporium that specializes in the characteristic dance of Brizuela’s homeland, Argentina. She organizes classes that cater to learners at every level with informal practices, basic lessons, intermediate instruction, and classes about dancing in heels. Brizuela brings more than a decade of dance experience to the table, having honed her craft at the National School of Ballet of Argentina. Over the years, she’s taken advantage of prestigious opportunities such as performing at the Ford Amphitheater and creating, producing, and directing a cabaret show at the Museum of Latin American Art. The tango that she teaches is characterized by passion, joy, and ease of movement. On her company’s FAQ page, she recommends that, before class, pupils shower, floss, and go easy on any perfume that might offend a partner or attract hornets.