My fiancé and I recently worked with Julia to put together the first dance for our wedding. She was amazing, she met us exactly where we were at and crafted a dance that was achievable while still pushing us and looked great. I was definitely nervous the first day in the studio but Julia made every lesson fun and we always walked out of lessons smiling and feeling confident.
Every member of the staff was incredibly kind and went out of their way to create a comfortable environment for novice dancers (like myself). We got to see other dancers of every age, skill level, and style having a great time whenever we came in for our lessons. It was a wonderfully welcoming environment, everyone in the building was always having a good time and I cannot recommend them enough (especially Julia!)
Tyler Wagner
Sep 3, 2025
5
We worked with Julia to choreograph the first dance for our wedding and were very happy with the results. Julia was knowledgeable, a great teacher, and made us feel at ease throughout the process. My wife has some experience with dance, but it was an entirely new experience for me and the entire staff was very welcoming. We even performed a dry-run in front of staff and other students, which really helped build confidence for the real thing. No matter what level of experience you're coming in with or what you're trying to do I think you're in good hands at this studio.
Gail Tracy
Aug 26, 2025
5
My husband and I have been taking lessons here for several years. We love the chance to learn something new, get exercise and have fun. My favorite dances are salsa and Argentine tango. My husband loves the swing and salsa dances. Overall the staff is amazing and welcoming.
Jesi
Aug 26, 2025
5
With just five weeks to go before our wedding, my husband and I signed up for dance classes with Julia. We are not dancers by any stretch, but Julia somehow choreographed a beautiful first dance to our favorite song in record time. She was patient yet clear in her instruction, and we loved the whole experience so much that we started looking forward to our weekly lessons as a special date night together.
Thank you Julia and the entire Fred Astaire team! We felt confident, had so much fun learning, and ended up with an unforgettable first dance that wowed all our guests. Highly recommend!
James Ustby
Aug 26, 2025
5
My fiancée Catherine and I have had the BEST experience at Fred Astaire Dance Studio! Our instructor Natalia is absolutely incredible—she’s made learning our wedding dance so fun, easy, and stress-free. We’re picking it up much faster than we ever expected, and it’s all thanks to her patience, encouragement, and clear teaching style.
What makes it even more inspiring is that Natalia is an accomplished dancer herself—she’s won two first-place competitions just since we started lessons with her! It’s so reassuring to know we’re learning from someone who truly knows her craft.
Every time we walk in, the whole studio feels welcoming. Everyone is so friendly, helpful, and supportive, which makes it a joy to come back again and again. We couldn’t be happier with our choice, and we’re so excited for our wedding knowing Natalia has us prepared.
Highly recommend Fred Astaire Dance Studio to anyone—especially if you want to feel confident and actually enjoy the process of learning to dance!
Shaunna S
Jul 31, 2025
5
Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Durham is hands down the best ballroom dance studio in the area. I’ve been taking lessons here for two years and was hooked from day one. The instructors are not only incredibly talented dancers—they really know how to teach, a combo that's rarer than you'd expect!
Renat keeps learning exciting and inspiring. He’s super encouraging—celebrating every bit of progress you make; and just when you think you’ve nailed something, he’s already got a new challenge waiting for you 😄. Never a dull moment. Watching him and Inna on the competition floor is truly spectacular.
Vladimir is a master of footwork and troubleshooting. He can break down any move and pinpoint exactly where the issue lies. Vladimir somehow makes even the toughest lessons fun. I never know when I’ll burst out laughing in the middle of working on serious technique.
Learning to dance has opened up a whole new world for me—one filled with excitement, joy, and nonstop discovery. I keep wondering why I didn’t start sooner. It amazes me how much I’ve learned in just two years… and I’m even more excited about everything I’ve yet to explore.
Lisa Bhakti Overcash
Jul 28, 2025
5
Fred Astaire Ballroom Dance School of Durham has incredibly dedicated professional dance teachers who create a fun & supportive environment, helping students grow in dance skills & confidence. They offer private & group classes w/personalized attention that always make me feel comfortable & confident. I have MS, had 3 back surgeries, 3 right hip replacements & was bedridden at times. I have LOVED MUSIC & DANCE my WHOLE LIFE. I was determined to ballroom dance one day. In 2019, I began my arduous quest. At first the heels & my wobbly balance collided along with lots of self doubts. I kept trying. I noticed at some point, many parts of my body, mind & spirit were improving which surprised me & sure helped me believe in myself more. This shared LOVE of DANCE soul family & fabulous MUSIC were gifting me joy, peace & greater healing like I’d never experienced. In 2022, I quit all therapies & dove all in with my instructors Serhiy & Vadim as well as adding my lady dance instructor Nataliia. Of course my service dog River was & still is my constant companion & encourager to every class. A greater fullness of healing continued to grow within my physical body as well as inner confidence in myself. I’m so abundantly grateful to the countless lessons that my teachers have taught me. It’s an honor & privilege to dance with my dance teachers/partners. As my wishes have come true, I make more wishes for more opportunities to learn & soar in dance excellence in all ways for always
💙🌹🌟
John Godfrey
Jul 26, 2025
5
I could not recommend this studio—and the incredible JULIA—enough. My fiancée and I were hoping for just a few pointers for our first dance, but we left with a complete routine to our favorite song. We always looked forward to our lessons with Julia. She made us feel comfortable and confident for our big day. Thank you, Fred Astaire Studio and thank you, Julia!
Judy Croan
Jul 23, 2025
5
We can't say enough about our experience at Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Durham! We have been taking lessons for almost two years and enjoy each lesson!
All of the instructors are very friendly, gracious and excellent dancers as well as instructors. We work with Olga and Sasha and always have the best time! We've also become proficient in 6 different styles of dances.
The facility is inviting, always very clean with plenty of room for many dancers. Recent renovations have only increased the professional environment.
We have found dancing to be enjoyable but also beneficial in terms of muscle memory, stress reduction and making lots of new friends!
Life is short-- buy the shoes and go dancing at FADS in Durham!
Matthew Schwab Speaks
Jul 22, 2025
5
My fiancé and I have been doing ballroom dancing at Fred Astaire dance studio in Durham for almost 5 years. Most of that time Natalia has been our wonderful dance instructor. We have learned so much… Rumba, salsa, Argentine tango, waltz, and Swing. We have participated in several showcases and competed in a couple of regional balls. We have learned to work together as a couple. It has increased our balance and coordination and core strength. The studio is very relaxed and professional. We feel like part of the family. Nataliia is incredibly personable. She is very positive, supportive and patient. She uses several methods to teach the different dance steps and is successful in teaching dancers of different abilities. It is incredibly FUN!
Michelle Schwab
Jul 22, 2025
5
My 27-year-old son and his fiancé; both of whom have Down syndrome, have been taking ballroom dancing lessons at Fred Astaire Durham for several years. They have worked primarily with Natalia, who is not only a phenomenal dance instructor, but a lovely person. This has been a great experience for all of us!
WD Thompson
May 22, 2025
5
I returned from a long deployment in the middle east. My gift to myself was to invest in dance lessons. Simply wonderful. Its a worthy escape even from the best day of your life. Life is short. If you're gonna sit around and mark time, why not mark time to the music? I like the fact that they took a little time to get to know me. I was paired with an instructor who really was a good match for me. And every now and then, just to confirm excellence, another instructor it would take me by the hand and we would dance together. I'm in Portland Maine now and even though my Durham dancing days are behind me they'll always be in my heart.
Take lessons because you love yourself.
Nicole Dussault
Apr 25, 2025
5
My partner and I had an amazing experience working with Olga to choreograph a first dance for our wedding! We are very very basic beginners and she taught us simple but fun steps we could easily do and practice at home. I feel so much more confident about our first dance and I am so excited for it! Very happy we decided to do these dance lessons!
Andrew Brodie Ballard
Apr 21, 2025
5
It was an absolute joy working with the Fred Astaire Dance Studio of Durham, and I can't recommend them highly enough! From the moment we walked in, the atmosphere was welcoming and encouraging. A special shout-out needs to go to Olga, our incredible dance instructor. She has been working with us for a little over five months now, and she has been an absolute gem!
Olga's expertise and patience have been truly remarkable throughout this time. She skillfully guided both my future wife and my mother through the choreography process for our wedding dances. What could have been a stressful experience was made fun and exciting thanks to her positive attitude and clear instruction. She has a fantastic eye for detail and helped us create dances that felt personal and looked fantastic.
The studio itself is beautiful and provides a wonderful space to learn and practice. The entire team at Fred Astaire Durham is friendly and professional. If you're looking for top-notch dance instruction in a supportive environment, look no further. Five stars just aren't enough! Thank you, Olga, and Fred Astaire Dance Studio of Durham, for helping make our wedding preparations so special over these past months!
Lauren Zulueta
Apr 21, 2025
5
My fiancé and I have been working with Olga at Fred Astaire for almost 6 months for our wedding dance, and we truly couldn’t be more grateful for her! She’s not only an incredible instructor but also one of the kindest, most patient people you’ll ever meet. We would show her video clips of dances we loved, and she could instantly break them down and help us learn the moves. Thanks to her, we’ve seen a huge transformation and feel so much more confident. The whole studio is also so welcoming, and there’s always a fun event or social happening. We genuinely look forward to every lesson. Thank you, Olga, for making this journey so special for us!
bryan hepper
Apr 18, 2025
5
Great people, friendly, welcoming, patient. Great place, well lit, good music, comfortable. Great community of professional dancers. I would strongly suggest. This is my regular date night with Katie. Opportunities for 'wedding reception' like celebration and dancing.
Ashleyn Stroud
Mar 23, 2025
5
Our daughter gave us two dance lessons as a Christmas present in 2024. We have been dancing every week since. Olga and Sasha are amazing instructors. They are calm, caring and very patient with us as well as being amazing professional dancers. We not only have private lessons, but go to Friday night practice parties, group lessons, master classes, and dance exercise. We thought after our initial two lessons we would be done, but we were wrong. We have made a whole new group of friends made up of the amazing instructors and fellow students. Durham Dance Center has been a super addition to our retirement.
Glenn Murphy
Jan 22, 2025
5
Excellent instruction from a skilled and relentlessly friendly family of instructors. Great location, lovely people. Have been dancing here for a year, after taking up ballroom dance as a total beginner with my wife, and still loving it.
Will Priest
Nov 6, 2024
5
We came to the studio for some dance lessons before my now wife and I got married. I have absolutely 0 dancing experience and wanted to be able to do something more than rock back and forth for our first dance. Honestly I was approaching this like a chore or a task that must be completed before the big day but this turned into a really nice little weekly date night leading up to the big day. Olga made the dance lessons fun and put together a nice little choreographed sequence to the song that we picked out. While I am a very un-skilled dancer we were very happy with the end result. I can't recommend the studio and Olga specifically for the wedding package they offer high enough!
