Your Beginners Guide to Beijing’s Dance Studios

If there's one thing that can be said for Beijing's dance community it's that it's vibrant and very active. While dominated by the urban studios (largely thanks to China's ever-growing love with hip-hop) and strangely intense programs for children's ballet, the city is also home to every single genre of dance out there, though it may take a little digging to find one that suits you.

Below, we've collated an introductory guide for any and all aspiring dancers looking to get their feet wet in the world of dance. If these don't suit your needs, just keep in mind that one visit to any of the studios below and meeting likeminded individuals is likely to unlock the door to your Beijing dancing career.

Zaha Club
One of China's biggest dance companies, Zaha Club operates eight studios in the capital (click through to see them all) and many more across the country. The studio caters to urban dancers, offering hip-hop, jazz, popping, K-pop cover courses as well as the occasional urban contemporary class. See some of their dancers in action here.

Millennium Dance Complex Beijing
With its strong social media presence, this LA-founded studio dominates much of China's urban dance scene. Millennium Dance Complex Beijing in 798 is the company's second branch in China and the go-to pit stop for world-class dancers, both to learn and to teach. Millennium offers more niche classes alongside the typical hip-hop staples, with courses for waacking, dance hall, and house included in its weekly schedule. A further bonus: the studio also offers classes in English.

ICF Dance Studio
A relatively new studio, ICF Dance Studio in Liangmaqiao stresses their dedication to providing a class for every style of dance. In conjunction with their group sessions, the studio also offers one-to-one classes for those who may be hesitant to perform in front of others.

Linda’s Dance Training Center
Surprisingly, Chinese folk-dance classes – ones that don't center around intensive performance courses – are a rarity in Beijing. Fortunately, this Haidian-based studio provides several entry-level courses for folk dance, belly dancing, and Latin. English services are rare, and while dance as an art form does not require translation, the bureaucratic exchange definitely does so it may be best to prepare some key phrases for what you want to learn before heading to Linda's. 

Hongfan Dance
Hongfan Dance is quite a ways north in Beijing but it stands out among the sea of professional dancing programs with a mixed-bag program of adult jazz, Latin, and Chinese folk-dance courses. However, much like Linda's Dance Training Center above, you will likely have to brave a few phone calls in Mandarin to book a class.

***

If classes don't float your boat, there are many other ways to immerse yourself in Beijing's dance scene. The city has a surprising number of dance nights at local venues who offer weekly classes free of charge. Some of our favorites include balboa swing at Modernista on Wednesdays, salsa on Mondays and kizomba on Tuesdays at Migas Mercado, as well as salsa at Eudora Station on Wednesdays.

Finally, this list of venues is by no means exhaustive and you can browse for more in our Directory here.

READ: 3 Fun and Unconventional Exercise Classes to Help You Get Fit

Images: Unsplash, Dianping, Weibo