About Areté Dance Center
We offer artistic, thorough dance instruction for adults who aim for excellence. From our beginning ballroom dance lessons to our adult ballet classes, we create strong movement skills and nurture the creative element in each person we work with. Learn to dance in a friendly atmosphere, where staff and students alike are eager to help.
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A Comprehensive System:
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Areté Dance Center takes pride in our unique and comprehensive system to turn anyone into a dancer, step-by-step. Inspired by the teachings of Walter Laird and Ray Rivers and our own coaches, Dima and Olga Sukachov, we'll guide you from our Introduction to Ballroom series up to Level 1, Level 2, and beyond through the fundamental building blocks of dance technique and musicality. Whether you want to dance socially or competitively, the system is the same.
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We have a clean and beautiful facility located in the Bay Area in Los Altos, a convenient drive from Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Jose, and beyond. We love our in-studio community! Beyond our level-based group classes, we offer many opportunities for our community to come together and dance: from our Friday night social parties with a different theme every week, to weekly rounds where students can practice all they've learned to competition-style music, and more.
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Because of our systematic and intuitive approach to teaching ballroom dance to people of all experience levels, we are uniquely positioned to offer a complete online education as well.
Ballroom Dance
We teach Waltz, Tango, Cha-Cha, Jive and more in our ballroom dance program.
The genre of ballroom dance is unique, as it is the only form of dance which contains true lead and follow between two people.
Adult Ballet
Our adult ballet classes teach a variety of different styles, from classical to contemporary ballet, with a focus on technique, choreography, and musicality. This class is good for all levels, even those who have never taken ballet before.
COVID-19
At this time, we are offering indoor, outdoor, and online lessons. We are following all current Santa Clara County guidance including masks and social distancing.
Student Testimonials
"Arete Dance Center is just the best dance studio I have ever been to - I have lived all over the world and danced in France, Sweden, UK and the US. But never have encountered a better, professional yet friendly set of instructors. HIGHLY recommended." - Helen P.
"Not only are the staff and teachers extremely knowledgeable, they are also professional, friendly, and responsive to student concerns, and they cultivate an authentic sense of family -- it is a dance family. What contributes to this, additionally, are the other students who are always open to chat, extend some of their own dance tips, or just a sympathetic ear. I highly recommend Areté to anyone interested in learning dance, whether you are new to dance or have many years of experience to your name." - Ashwin S.
"All the instructors I’ve worked with have technical background and skill, but also the ability to instill this in students in a way that is both digestible and fun - I think the latter is more difficult to find in a teacher, and it’s also the reason I push myself to practice/learn/grow as much as I do. Kris, who owns the studio and teaches many of the group classes, is absolutely the nicest person. She genuinely cares about/loves her students in a way that creates the studio’s whole atmosphere. ADC truly feels like a family to me, and I couldn’t imagine doing what I’m doing anywhere else." - Sarah M.
