Nieves Latin Dance Studio

Such a great place! I have never taken a single step of salsa and after an hour, I really felt like I was getting it. David is a fantastic instructor. So personable and nice and it’s very hard to feel self conscious in front of him. I had so much fun.

Bottom line: I love this place.
Before coming here, I’m not really sure what I was doing on the dance floor. Missed turn signals, sloppy footwork, switching between 1 and 2. I knew something wasn’t right. But when my friend found the living social for this place, we figured, why not?
Yes, the first month of their beginner cycle is always a packed L-​trainsworth of people and that’s fine because it just means all those people love what you love. I started taking the class with Meagan and Wil; their jovial nature kept the two hour class engaged and entertained. There’s no trickery with this studio, it’s not like walking into a yoga 101 class and being told do get into the pretzel, Wil started with being able to listen to music and find the first beat of an 8 count. That’s the foundation and it makes it easy to follow music regardless of the tempo.
It is laid out in black and white what steps you’ll be learning and if you happen to miss class, Meagan is more than willing to catch you up. The beauty of the class in the second hour where you get to practice a short routine with various partners which mimics the socials where every person has a different style with different tension. You learn to adapt.
Speaking of socials, this has to be the best part of the studio. Regardless of your level, every Friday night from 9 – 12, this humble studio turns into a bumpin little spot for salsa and bachata and you can come practice what you learned /​can remember. At first it seems intimidating but the more you come, the more it starts to feel like a family. Even if you’re doubting yourself, it’s entertaining just to watch people do their thing because you can aspire to be a better dancer.
At the end of the day, this is the homiest place to dance and I love it.

Friendly atmosphere, approachable instructors especially Meg, I didn’t know white folks moved like that. Didn’t dance at all when I first started up and now I feel confident on the dance floor. They are all great teachers at the dance studio but Meg is my fave. They have Friday night socials and it’s the greatest thing of all time, I’ve met peeps there. You learn cool dance moves and patterns, you work your way up and the moves only get cooler.

I’ve been at Nieves for almost a year and a half now. I’m still really enjoying myself and have made some great friends. One of my favorite teachers is Meagen. She’s also the only full time female teacher, that I’m aware of. I’ve been working closely with Meagen and another experienced studio dancer for a ladies performance over the past 4 weeks and have noticed a vast improvement in my dancing. Meagen also teaches classes and I really enjoy her style. She’s basically been teaching me since I started, along with the owner, Wil. So I’ve been working with her for almost a year and a half. Meagen is patient and thorough, going over several week’s of shines so that students remember what was previous learned. She has great pointers to help the ladies take their dancing to the next level. Meagen is also accessible and approachable. She’s taken the time several times to clarify confusing steps or sequences. Meagen has really helped me feel more confident in my personal dance style. I would recommend taking Meagen’s classes, whether they are typical salsa classes, ladies shines classes, or the salsa performance cycle. Everyone will leave feeling confident but ladies will leave feeling sexy and beautiful in their dancing.

Just started Beginners Salsa classes after purchasing a Groupon, as for the class and the instructor Christian it seems good so far I can’t wait until next week to learn more. However, the class was seriously overcrowded. There were people dancing right next to the door. I feel like the class would produce better results for it’s students if there were a limit to how many people could sign up. 15 minutes into the class there were still people coming in, signing up and just throwing themselves in where ever they could fit.

Daughter attends Salsa and Hip Hop classes. The staff are very friendly. Looking forward to taking the adult salsa class

My husband and I love this place. We began taking classes in October 2014 after purchasing groupons for the 1^st month. The staff is so funny, they make you feel comfortable. The two hour classes are instructive and fun. We come from Manhattan into Brooklyn to take classes here because the classes are also very affordable.
By the way, you do not need to join with a partner. When we do partner dancing we rotate, so that we all dance with multiple partners. I like this because it gives you a feel of how other men lead during dance.

A great place to learn how to Dance and more. My Daughter goes there on Mondays for Ballet and she loves it. She’s 5 years old and She talks about it all the time and always asking me Daddy is it time for Ballet today. I understand they have a lot of different Dance Programs there but I really wish they had more Ballet Classes. Its still a Great place

I’m caught between three and four stars simply because after two lessons, I’ve just never went back. The instructor (Will) was great, the staff was nice and the overall vibe ok. I paid for one private lesson and a couples package (4 classes each at a discounted rate). The private lesson was great and much recommended!
At the time when we signed up in late June, there was only one beginner class held each week, and after having missed two consecutive weeks in a row, we just cut our looses and moved on. It was mentioned that you miss a class that week, you can attend «make-​up» classes, but these other classes tend to be for the more intermediate or advanced dancers i.e. Women’s styling. Overall, wasted a bit of money on lost classes but since it’s very affordable, not the biggest deal. Nice experience.
They teach salsa on two. If you dance salsa on one you’ll end up feeling like you can’t figure out your a$* from your head!
Update: Totally thrilled that I can STILL take classes (or get a refund but I thoroughly enjoyed the classes so why would I want a refund?). I’m very excited to go back and start up my lessons again! Thanks, Will!

Groupon deal for basic salsa four class card. Class is really slow. It’s for someone who never danced before (dancing impaired). It was kind of boring since the instructor only went over two steps per class he repeated the same thing over and over. Forward forward back back back forward. Felt sleepy wished he moved on. Thank God I only paid 15 Bucks. It’s a small one room space with glass windows so anyone can see you dancing from the street passing by. It was About 50+ people per class. If you seriously want to learn basic salsa go somewhere else. This class was the equivalent of watching a YouTube video. Seems like they want you to pay more money that’s why they drag it out. Original price is 55 bucks for 4 classes. A two hour class. first hour learn the steps, second hour dance with multiple partners. Rotated around the room. Well that part was ok. Unfortunately some of the guys were rubbing and scratching their noses before touching your hands to dance. Gross! Couldn’t wait to wash my hands.

Great instructors. Very friendly and helpful stuffs.

Love this studio! Amazing teachers and a supportive dance community. I have been taking classes for 7 months and looking forward for more. Also socials on friday are not to be missed

I started learning salsa from a bad teacher in manhattan (Rise). I decided I had to find a real school if I wanted to get any good at it, and I would have to go to a legit school.
I heard about nieves and it was a 15 minute commute rather than 45 minute commute. Much closer to the Puerto Rican neighborhood I lived in where I would hear salsa in the streets all the time.
Here’s what they do right. You stick with students at your level. You move up together. No more trying to learn dance with someone who is a lot more advanced than you and is bored by your company. Or someone who can’t do the basic steps while you’re trying to learn intermediate moves. This speeds up your learning AND it builds a great camaraderie with your classmates. They become your friends. You go to socials and dances together. It makes you excited to learn.
There’s a social every Friday where you can really use the skills you learned. It’s the difference between going to Spanish class and having a conversation in Spanish. Very necessary.
Now to take these skills and show the teacher from the other dance studio who’s boss ;)

I’m not sure what got into me, but I decided to sign up for the beginner salsa cycle almost 4 months ago and really couldn’t be happier with it.
Wil takes things super slowly (the first month or so was maybe a little too slow), but let me assure you that things PICK UP. Class is 2 hours long, with the first hour learning shines (you can see the huge list above the mirrors), and the second in partner work. You don’t need a partner at all and will be dancing with a ton of cuties from class… which btw are all different ages! :)
Wil’s also hilarious, and a super talented dancer that always has his eye on folks to make sure they’re getting the moves down. The studio also has some awesome free performance cycles (like what?!?), and socials every Friday, which, btw, are awesome and such a fun environment to dive deeper into dancing.
I get plenty of instruction from Wil and students that help teach in the lower classes (which is a testament to how awesome this place is), and have always felt super comfortable. I came here by myself and have developed a nice little community of salsa friends from my class and so excited about continuing coming here. Totally recommend.
Side note: only accepts cash! ATM across the street.

I joined the school about a month ago. I enjoyed the fact that is a 2-​hour class, one for shines and one for partner work. Also, the teachers take their time to help you to learn the steps correctly. I will keep going to the school to further my dance moves and steps.

I started here while also trying out adult salsa classes at a more expensive studio in Manhattan. After a few classes, I felt the instruction was just as good for a more affordable price. Now, I am approaching three months, and I feel the instruction is EVEN BETTER than at the other studio.
Wil is a great teacher, making sure that everyone progresses, and the school has a nice step-​by-​step structure for learning salsa, instead of just throwing moves at you. There’s a ton of opportunity to learn outside of the class too with salsa socials (Fridays) and performance cycles where you learn a routine that you eventually perform. I’ve been to many socials, and I am currently in a performance cycle. There is a wide age range of people who attend, and everyone is incredibly positive. They even have nice social events to create more community, which is an added bonus.
Everything about this place is wonderful and enjoyable.

I’ve been taking salsa classes here for a month and so far I’m very happy with the experience. My groupon just ran out and I plan on continuing classes via the normal monthly rate.
When I first started, I thought the classes moved a little too slow. But as we’re getting to more complicated steps, I’m starting to appreciate how thoroughly we move through the steps so that everyone has a clear understanding of how to do it. There is rarely a time when I am feeling lost — the class is very easy to follow. Will is a really great teacher and does a great job of injecting humour and fun into the class.
I also love the way the classes are set up. Once you commit to a time slot, you learn salsa with the same group of people, and «graduate» to the next levels all as a group. You can jump from class to class as well, but the option of learning it and improving with familiar faces each week is really appealing to me.
I really recommend this studio for anyone that wants to learn some salsa.

My daughter takes classes here. She started doing ballet middle of last summer and considering we really wanted to do dance and this was the only studio that offered kids classes in my area we gave it a try and hoped for the best. There were some days I felt the classes lacked structure but I get it my daughter is 4 and she was in a class of 4−6year olds.
Instructors are very nice, I like that they know my child and she is comfortable there.
We recently added jazz to the roster, only been two weeks we are giving it a month to see if we like it. Even if jazz doesn’t work out we will probably stick around, she has two more years before she can sign up for salsa classes!!! I am even thinking of signing up for salsa classes myself.

I really cannot help but write a gushing review of this place.
I have been taking classes here now just about two months and could not be happier with the experience. I had already taken some beginner classes at a studio in Manhattan but stopped because I found the pace to be too slow and prices to be too high to be worth the trouble.
At Nieves, the pace is great because the instructors go over the material really slowly and break down complicated routines into manageable bits. Before you realize it you are doing all sorts of incredible turn patterns and styling.
There are some really talented dancers here but the atmosphere is completely unpretentious and going to class is fun because we have all gotten to know one another and dance together at the weekly salsa socials. If I miss a class, people ask me where I was — it really feels like a community of friends.
I cannot say enough of about the quality of the place, but also should mention that you really cannot beat the value – at Dance Manhattan I was paying $ 85 for one month of classes (1 hour per week). Now I’m paying $ 45 for a month of classes and each class is two hours long — so its 8 hours of instruction per month for much less!
I’m getting married in a few weeks and we decided to do a salsa routine for our first class. We are working with Wil on the routine in some private lessons and I know our friends are going to go absolutely nuts when they see it at our wedding reception.

I know Will Nieves personally. I’ve danced with him on a team, socially and have even taught a class with him.
If you’re in the Brooklyn area and you’re looking to learn salsa on2, I highly recommend this studio and Will. He has a solid foundation and understanding of the dance and is eager to pass the knowledge on to his students.
He’s a great social dancer and dance team member. He’s also a very patient, energetic and thorough teacher. He really takes great pride in teaching the art of salsa and its fundamentals.
I absolutely suggest this studio if you’re the area!