Dance Well NY
Multiple locations
(31)
Multiple locations
(31)
My main focus is to teach people how to move, whether this focuses on wedding choreography, simple movement to music played in clubs or weddings, or a styled partner dance (lindy hop, east coast swing, west coast swing, hustle, salsa, bachata, foxtrot, waltz, rumba, chacha, peabody, charleston and more).
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31 customer reviews
Michelle Shah
Stephanie is the most loving, energetic, spontaneous, and overall fun dance instructor you will ever meet! She made dance lessons for our first dance so enjoyable, and I would highly recommended her to anyone in Manhattan who is looking to learn dance but also wants to do it in a fun, stress-free environment. We love you Stephanie!! We will definitely be coming back for date nights soon! More...
Reviewed on The Knot
Cara R
We loved working with Stephanie. She created a fun environment for us to learn. She's also great at understanding the strengths and weaknesses in both partners and choreographs a dance that takes those considerations into account. She was flexible with scheduling and we've often discussed taking classes again just for fun. Highly recommend her!! More...
Reviewed on The Knot
Meng Jiao
Stephanie is the best, hands down. Once you give her your song, she'll choreograph a dance, and work with you every step of the way to get you dance ready for your wedding! We were not the first among our friend group to hire Stephanie (we had four other couples use her as well!) and she was worth every penny (she charges very fair pricing - we got the 5 lesson package). She's punctual, responsive, and very nice/friendly. I can't recommend her enough! More...
Reviewed on The Knot
Andrew Obus
We LOVED working with Stephanie for our first dance at our wedding. We did 5 sessions with Stephanie, during which she choreographed a beautiful dance to our chosen song, taught it to us, and showed us how to look good doing it :) The sessions were lots of fun, and Stephanie was great at figuring out exactly what we could handle difficulty-wise. Working with Stephanie was one of the best decisions we made while planning our wedding, and practicing our dance was much more fun than a lot of the other stuff. Highly recommend! More...
Reviewed on The Knot
Anetta M
Stephanie at Dance Well is an incredibly talented and amazing instructor. My husband and I met Stephanie one night when we dined at Swing 46 and took a 30 mins swing lesson taught by her. We knew right away that Stephanie had the right humor, upbeat energy and patience to help us prepare for our wedding dance. With a the pandemic still ongoing, we did weekly Zoom classes and each week, Stephanie taught us beginner step by step until we were counting beats and moving together, although still stepping on each other toes. Stephanie was never impatient with our progress and always happy to help us incorporate new moves that worked for us. As our wedding came closer, we switched to a few intensive in-person classes and really drilled down the dance routing. On our wedding day, as can sometimes go wrong, the band played a different version of our song and we missed the beginning beats. After the first two seconds of panic, my husband and I smiled at each other, as we were trained dancers by now. My husband led and I followed through what turned out to be a totally different arrangement of moves but equally memorable and impressive first dance. Our dance included the death drop, a back lean, elegant turns and a grand finale lift. We executed like pros, thanks to Stephanie!! More...
Reviewed on The Knot
S Cameron
Stephanie is great! can teach anyone to dance, I'm proof! we did a non-standard song and she created terrific choreography, you'll want to keep going after the wedding.
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Robin R
Dance Well NY is a really great dance school. They have taught many couples how to do great routines that definitely impress ! We have been in classes with Dance Well N.Y. and Stephanie really created a fun atmosphere! We asked for some very last minute help with our wedding dancing and some moves that we wanted to perfect.... Dance Well NY came through! Some guests attending our wedding wanted to learn to dance. Dance Well NY held a special class for them and everyone loved it! Last but not least we have seen lovely performances by Stephanie in Waltz, Swing, Salsa and other dances...All of them were extremely professional! More...
Reviewed on The Knot
MARC ROBERTS
We had our first ever dance lessons and were fortunate to have Stephanie as our instructor. She has a fun energy and made us feel so comfortable, completely removing any nervousness. She tailored a terrific dance for our wedding song and provided great tips and tricks to help us remember our steps. Exceeded expectations, she is wonderful! More...
Reviewed on The Knot
Jimmy Kaiser
My wife and I took five classes with Stephanie in spring 2018 to prepare for our first dance and she was an amazing instructor. She gave us the perfect level of preparation, including having us perform our dance in front of an audience. Our first dance was everything we had hoped for and we were really grateful for her thoughtful guidance and instruction! More...
Reviewed on The Knot
Jason Zodda
I could not dance... Let me make this more clear: I had no dance ability at all! A few weeks later, entirely due to Stephanie, I was lifting my wife in the air, like in Dirty Dancing, on our wedding day. Stop looking for other dance teachers. You found the best one. More...
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Alicia Whitney
Loved working with Stephanie! We always looked forward to our lessons and we successfully ad-libbed our first dance at our wedding only 6 months after not knowing the first thing about dancing together haha. She’s great!
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Anusha B
Stephanie was phenomenal fun to work with. She tailored our first dance to the style we wanted, and trained us with good humour. We enjoyed the process of preparing for the dance, and it even brought us closer as a couple. Would do it all over again! More...
Reviewed on The Knot
Elisa B
My husband and I were so bad at dancing but Stephanie was able, in just a few lessons, to put something together that made us look incredible on our wedding day!
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Danielle S
Stephanie helped my husband and I gain some dance-confidence so that we were ready for our wedding day. She even came up with a series of steps that we could mix and match in an easy way even if we were nervous. She was really wonderful!!
Reviewed on The Knot
Vivian Zyl
Stephanie was great, patient, creative and helped us fine tune our skills. This dance was a highlight on our wedding!
Reviewed on The Knot
Dorothy Cowan
Working with Stephanie was a blast! We took group swing dance lessons with her for several months prior to booking private choreography for our wedding. Both were so much fun. Highly recommend! More...
Reviewed on The Knot
Rachel Rosenblatt
Stephanie was a wonderful instructor for our wedding dance! The lessons were fun, accessible and she really worked with us to make the dance perfect for our big day. I recommend her highly!
Reviewed on The Knot
Blair Desmon
Stephanie is a great teacher! Her choreography is so creative and smart. She takes everyone’s level of experience into consideration. Best of all, Stephanie is patient and kind! Our wedding dance was fabulous all thanks to her!!!! We cannot recommend Stephanie enough. More...
Reviewed on The Knot
Jean Telljohann
My son and soon-to-be daughter-in-law were having so much fun choreographing the first dance for their wedding with Stephanie that I scheduled a lesson so we'd be ready for the mother-son dance. None of my friends could believe that we'd only had one lesson! And the bride and groom, who had a series of lessons with Stephanie, were amazing. More importantly, we all had fun. Later, after the wedding, my husband and I took a series of swing dance lessons with her, just for fun. Stephanie is personally a very accomplished competitive dancer, but she is patient with novices and knows how to teach not just the steps, but also the signaling that goes on in partner dances. More...
Reviewed on The Knot
Sarah Cines
Stephanie was fantastic! My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting with her every week to create a choreographed first dance. She was patient, kind, and made the lessons fun! Highly recommend. More...
Reviewed on The Knot
Jane
Stephanie is my favorite dance teacher! She's fun, clear, knowledgable, and will work meticulously with you to perfect your dancing! I also love her adorable dog :)
Stef Wilson
If you want to learn swing, Stephanie is your solution! While I completely recommend her group class, I found that doing that alone isn't enough. I started swing dance lessons in January, and I already am approaching level 3 and it is because of the combination of group classes and private lessons with Stephanie. The private lessons really identify areas to improve and offers clarity on aspects of swing dancing you just don't have time to focus on in a group setting. I partnered up with another student and we became learning partners. We split the cost of privates and go to social events/practices together. It has helped immensely and I cannot recommend doing that enough! More...
Stephanie W.
Best swing teacher ever!  I take both her group classes and private lessons.  The private lessons are key to successfully learning swing.  I couldn't be more thankful for her knowledge, discipline and giggles when I can't find my footing or try to lead :)  I cannot recommend her more and  will continue to study under her direction. More...
Reviewed on Yelp
Blair A.
Wow! A big thank you to Stephanie for making our wedding reception amazing. She is an incredible teacher and choreographer who set us up for success. Her patience and sense of humor immediately put you at ease and make dance lessons fun! Don't walk, fox trot over to take lessons from Stephanie! More...
Reviewed on Yelp
Andrea C.
Stephanie is a very accomplished dance instructor. She also knows how to adapt her methods to what I need. I am sure that is the case with every student. She makes it fun and possible to dance! I am impressed with her classes and I am happy to recommend them to anyone, regardless of their previous dance experience! More...
Reviewed on Yelp
Tawni H.
I truly enjoy taking swing from Stephanie Shapiro. She has a great way of breaking down steps and showing you how to make them look as beautiful as possible. I have so much fun dancing in her class. I look forward to it every week! More...
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Jean T.
My son and soon-to-be daughter-in-law were having so much fun choreographing the first dance for their wedding with Stephanie that I scheduled a lesson so we'd be ready for the mother-son dance. Â None of my friends could believe that we'd only had one lesson! Â And the bride and groom, who had a series of lessons with Stephanie, were amazing. Â More importantly, we all had fun. Â Now my husband and I are starting a series of swing dance lessons with her. Â Stephanie is personally a very accomplished competitive dancer, but she is patient with novices and knows how to teach not just the steps, but also the signaling that goes on in partner dances. More...
Reviewed on Yelp
Missy K.
My boyfriend and I have taken 5 private swing dance lessons with Stephanie. We had never danced before, and at the end of our lessons, have come so far! Simply put, Stephanie is wonderful - patient, kind, very clear in her instruction, skilled, accommodating to our busy work schedules and a true believer in our dancing potential. She has encouraged us to go swing dancing in public, and we plan to do so this weekend. I highly recommend Stephanie to anyone looking to learn how to dance and thoroughly enjoy themselves! More...
Reviewed on Yelp
Jodie A.
Stephanie taught my husband and I our first swing dance lesson in 2009, we loved it! Â We still continue to take courses as well as follow Stephanie various dance events. She brings excitement and energy to the dance floor and gathers a dancing community together. If you want to learn and have fun dancing, shes the one! More...
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wendy k.
Even if you have never danced before (us!), Stephanie can help. Â She makes it fun. Â My, now husband and I, started as a Christmas gift two years ago, learned enoughswing dancing so that we can actually dance in public! Â And then she helped us withour wedding dance-including last minute changes to accomodate an uncooperativewedding dress. Â She's a great teacher, a great person and can get you dancing! More...
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Kristy D.
We used Stephanie for private dance lessons to help choreograph our first dance for our wedding. Stephanie was a great teacher who was able to choreograph an easy to learn dance that even my husband could learn! She was able to clearly and concisely explain her instructions. The dance was elogantly choreographed with our song, and flowed perfectly at the wedding. We received many compliments on how nice our first dance was, and it we couldnt have done it without her. Stephanie was very personable to be around and we looked forward to the weekly lesson. She tailored the dance to our strengths and incorporated all of our 'wants to includes' and left out all the things we were uncomfortable with. All in all, she was a great teacher who we would definitely recommend to anyone looking for dance lessons! More...
Reviewed on Yelp
What do you love most about your job?
Being able to adapt to each student’s personality, which then helps them build a relationship of movement and body, especially for those that came in saying they have 4 left feet.
What inspired you to start your own business?
I created my own business in the beginning out of necessity, the larger studio that I worked at downsized and I was only teaching classes through them. Although I have teamed up with other dance studios over the years, I find that having my own business allows me to make sure each and every client gets to be fully heard. 75% of my new clients are referrals from past clients.
Why should our clients choose you?
The clients will be 100% satisfied with their dance. My prices are reasonable and I am flexible to a point to help work within the couple's budget. I am available 24/7 for my clients via text or email. My main objective is to help my students move and feel good about what they are learning!
Can you provide your services online or remotely? If so, please add details.
My services are provided in person although if needed I have taught online and also in the home of the client (although the latter costs more).
What changes have you made to keep your customers safe from Covid-19?
I check to make sure people are vaccinated and then give them the option whether they would like to wear a mask or not.
Wedding Dance Lessons
There are several packages to choose from depending on your time and budget. Please check out the website for more information.
