Jeff Allen’s Latin and Ballroom Dance Studio

Before trying a franchise dance studio I would highly suggest going to see Jeff for some real and honest dance lessons. If you are looking for dance lessons where the instructor only teaches you foot placement or gives you a trophy for participating this studio is not for you… but if you’re looking to find out about appropriate etiquette and posture in dance, proper upper body movements and the correct steps that go with them then this is for you. Does Jeff talk about his accomplishments? Yes, as he should, he is a highly respected professional who is proud of what he is done and where is come from.

My husband and I took private dance lessons with Jeff for our first dance at our wedding and we recommend him HIGHLY. In fact, I recommend to engaged couples: take dance lessons! Despite all the chaos with wedding planning, dance lessons are truly fun, diversely educational, and help you bond as a couple; because when it comes to wedding planning drama– you need something to bring you together so you don’t lose sight of what’s important (each other). We also wowed our guests with our dance because it wasn’t the standard «penguins swaying» dance. This helped get the energy level up for all the guests to dance after us and all night.
Now you know why to take dance lessons, now why take them with Jeff…
I have to laugh at the person who gave Jeff the 1 star review and explained that he was arrogant and talked about anatomy and physiology the whole time… because that «bad review» was the reason I picked up the phone and called him! Yes, he has many accomplishments and he will tell you about them, but he can back it up too. He does not just tell you where to put your feet like some kind of bad game of hop-​scotch or Twister – he helps you with posture and making sure your weight is distributed correctly so you can look elegant which makes a huge difference. Because he teaches professionals to dance, he does not skimp on details to helping you perfect yourself – even though I will not and am not a professional dancer, my appreciation of Latin dance has drastically increased since learning from Jeff.
In summary, we both enjoyed learning from Jeff — we will not forget many of his lessons. He is extraordinarily knowledgable and passionate and as we got to know him, we found his sass entertaining. Some tips for brides & grooms: take dance lessons, practice at home, use recorded music for your song, comfortable shoes, and see Jeff.

My fiancé and I (well, maybe I decided… he went along with me…) decided that we needed help with our first dance as husband and wife. We first went to a «chain» dance studio. The instructor was very friendly but we didn’t learn anything during 3 introductory lessons except how to walk around with the instructor holding our elbows. There was no mention of instructing the man on how to lead nor did we learn any actual steps. The cost to continue after the introductory lessons was prohibitively expensive. We did not enroll.
A few weeks ago, I found a special offer by Jeff Allen’s Latin and Ballroom Dance Studio.
Jeff was very welcoming and informative when I called. He assured me we still have plenty of time to learn to dance before our wedding
We have now taken 3 lessons with Jeff. His approach is rather direct. He knows how to dance and how to teach. He isn’t bashful about his expertise. However, we have found that his information on the mechanics of dancing are spot on. He uses great analogies to explain how it works and why dancing with another person is such a challenge. He demonstrates the proper step/​frame/​balance and also shows what you did and why it didn’t work. Several things that he has told me really stuck and made a positive impact on my posture and understanding of dance. I still need help «hearing» the beats in the music… but I am happy to say that my fiancé has learned to lead, we have both learned how important good posture is while dancing and we are dancing! Thankfully we have time to take more lessons and really work on our first dance. I am happy we found Jeff. The progress we have made in three lessons is impressive.

For beginner’s and not knowing where to start, my wife and I had a wonderful experience. If your looking to learn the «right» way to dance quickly, then Jeff Allan will get you there.

Recently I have started taking lessons at Jeff Allen’s dance studio in Cranston. In my opinion, Mr. Allen is not only an award winning dancer of many years, in many venues, but is equally gifted as a teacher. Jeff will «pull out all the stoppers» to help a student understand the principles of dance. He doesn’t just teach the steps, as the franchise studios do, but stress the basics, ie correct form, balance and rhythm. Of course this involves some degree of kinesiology, but Jeff will break it down or refer to a simple analogy from everyday life to help the student better understand the concept. He has many students at all different levels and has patience with each one, tailoring each lesson to suit that particular pupil. Dance is an art from and should be fun; ballroom in particular, though is more disciplined since it involves a partner. So if you want to learn steps, go to «you-tube»…if you want to learn dance, Jeff Allen is your best bet !!!

My wife and I have taken dance lessons with Jeff Allen and his wife, Robin, for a couple of years and we have found them very useful. We can now go our with friends and feel comfortable getting up to dance. It is also good exercise and something that my wife and I can do together. Jeff doesn’t just teach steps but tries to address the movement of the entire body. As a result, it is useful to understand a little anatomy. In the long run, it makes it easier to dance than just trying to learn steps. My wife and I tried Arthur Murray dance lessons when we were younger and did not find them helpful so we never did any dancing until 20 years later when our friends suggested we try lessons with Jeff and we would highly recommend them.

I am a big fan of dance for a long time and always wanted to give it a shot. It has been one month now attending classes, and I don’t know why it took me this long to try it out. Jeff and Robin are amazing teachers and passionate about dance. Anyone thinking about learning to dance needs to come to Jeff Allen’s Latin & Ballroom Dance Studio. The friendly atmosphere makes it easy to learn even for those who aren’t dancers like myself. Jeff and Robin go the extra mile to make sure you have correct technique and understand the steps. Dancing is also good exercise, so come on out and give it a try, you will be glad you did.

We have always wanted to take Ballroom dancing lessons. We were very excited to try dancing when we found Jeff’s studio. Unfortunately this was a most miserable evening. Jeff is very egotistical and does nothing but talk about himself. We Heard numerous times how he was a big deal in the dance world and how he had written a book on dance. He spent most of the class talking about anatomy and physiology. We just wanted to try to dance. Overall we found his personality very irritating. luckily we did not give up and went to another studio where we are happily dancing several nights a week. we would like to ask Jeff is he is such a big deal in the dance world why is he teaching in a cramped studio in the back of a tiny strip mall in Cranston Rhode Island? Try Jeff studio if you must, but if you don’t like it don’t give up on dancing before you try another studio.

This was all my husband’s idea, and we were lucky enough to find Jeff Allen dance online. While I was skeptical to try this at first, Jeff was very welcoming and made us both feel very much at ease. We have been going to him for a couple months now and we wouldn’t go to anyone else. As an experienced professional, Jeff adapts to our needs and makes our private lessons extremely effective, even when we forget those basics! His wife Robin is just as helpful, and they both make a wonderful pair. Their different styles can be appealing to everyone, so there’s a place for every beginner, or even a more advanced student. Dance is clearly his life and his passion because he takes it very seriously, and we – in turn – have come to value both dance and his instruction immensely.

I have been taking lessons with Jeff Allen for about 2 years with my husband. Jeff danced professionally for many years and has written several books on dancing and as a result he really knows the basics which a beginning student needs. His wife, Robin teaches and is also very helpful. Aside from dancing being good exercise it has allowed us to dance socially more than we have ever done. Jeff takes his work very seriously and does his best to teach each student. I would highly recommend Jeff Allen’s dance lessons.

Jeff is an outstanding dance instructor with over 30 accredited top teacher awards… does anyone on the east coast even have 5???
He will get you dancing quickly and get you LOOKING GOOD doing it.
Dont bother with the «chains»…Jeff is your man!
–Ken Rawlinson DDS

Finding Jeff Allen’s dance class was a revelation. I’ve been dancing salsa since I was in my twenties, but my husband is just beginning. He’s been motivated for years to join me in this fun, sexy and athletic hobby, but has been frustrated by incompetent teachers. Last year he took me to Jeff’s Cha Cha Boot Camp for my birthday, and we were hooked. Jeff clearly is a master of his art (with US Champion status), but knows how to teach even to a beginner. In Jeff’s class I am relearning everything I thought I knew about dancing, even how to stand and how to walk. And slowly my husband and I are transforming into confident and beautiful dancers. Jeff does not settle for his students just getting the steps; he makes sure we truly understand the characteristic of the dance, which is far more important than the choreography. If you are passionate about dance, and want the opportunity to become great, he is the teacher for you.