The Dance Collective (Studio 2)

Best place to learn West Coast Swing, and the instructor Zee is the best I've ever had.

The best studio in Singapore to learn West Coast Swing and Salsa (On 2).

Really great teachers who not only teach you steps, but teach you proper technique!

Love the space here. Very well ventilated and nice cool aircon for hot weekend classes. Teachers Derrick, Christina, Sayuri, Dark and Tarz are passionate, warm and friendly and always try their best to make the environment in class as inclusive for new students. Highly recommended if you want to learn a new hobby, dance style in partner classes such as salsa,bachata,kizomba or solo footwork/shines/choreo class. Thank you!

Really good focus on fundamentals and a cosy, inclusive environment.

I’d been wanting to learn Bachata for years but never quite got round to it. I realised that over the years I had delayed lots of these types of activities and it was time to change that! When I finally made the move to look for a place to try I had no idea where to start and how to look for a place to learn; by chance when Googling I came across the trial session that TDC offer (not just for Bachata - they do others too. Lately I tried Kizomba and this was really fun as well. I would love to learn this but there’s just not enough time in the week)! The trial was an easy and fun way to experience the class before committing to a set of them - it makes it virtually impossible not to at least try once. The location is really easy to get to from Bugis, Bras Basah, Bencoolen, Rocher MRT. I’m so glad that I attended! I enjoyed it so much that I signed up for the regular classes and haven’t looked back since. Having not come from a strong dance background (but I have over the years done various forms movement at differing hobbyist levels), I was hesitant that I would struggle too much. Also having not done any form of partner dancing or having a dance partner, I thought this would be an issue but none of it was! I highly recommend TDC. The teachers are friendly, experienced and extremely knowledgable. Fortunately I later found out that Derrick has a great reputation for his teaching and is a strong advocate of traditional (Dominican) style - so if you learn from him you’re in great hands - he teaches all styles though so you’re not limited at all. He also gives context that help you understand from a more holistic perspective what you’re learning. The classes themselves are arranged in such a way that makes it as easy as possible to attend, even without a partner or if you are a complete novice. Additionally, the progressive membership is structured in a way that makes building upon what you learn repeatedly, very accessible (scheduling, time and cost wise) - I find this particularly important, especially in something physical - like dance, because many of us can’t just learn it once and master it immediately. Practicing it is just as important. Learning in a group is also great - you can also ask questions and practice widely together. There’s a lot of commitment from the whole team at TDC to give you the opportunity to help you improve as much as you want, if you want and can put in the time and effort. The sessions are fun, challenging and can be a nice different way to interact socially with others. We are often v focused on verbal and mental communication only, I find that dancing is another way to connect that is sometimes missing from our everyday experiences. That disconnection from our bodies and other energy gets forgotten. In dance we get to exercise other muscles and parts of our brain. For Bachata - Derrick Lye and all the assistants that teach are encouraging, nurturing and supportive (I’m sure the other teachers are too, I just haven’t learnt other dance regularly from them). He’s an excellent teacher. If you find that you want to be part of an easy going and warm community in which to learn dance, this is a great place to do so. My classes at TDC, the socials in the wider dance community (@ The Studio, En Motion, JJ, Ziggyfeet) and the dance weekends/workshops, have become the highlight of my week/months and a chance to relax with music, movement and connection.