National Dance Clubs

05/09/2008 Posted by jc1runner

I want to preface my review of NDC by saying that our dance instructor was really great and super enthusiastic. She really cared to make sure that we were getting what we wanted out of the dance lessons. My finance and I decided to take these classes because we are getting married soon and did not want to look like complete fools on our wedding day. Although the lessons were a little pricey, we had a great time and learned a lot. At the end of our last lesson, rather than being asked if we were interested in taking more lessons, we were herded into the manager's office and told that we needed to pay $1800 to continue with our dance instruction. It felt like they were trying to sell us a car rather than possibly pick up a new enjoyable hobby. After adamantly telling them that we were not in the financial position to commit a month's worth of income to taking more dance lessons, they kept pushing us to pay this money, by offering to set up a payment plan or trying to "move the numbers around." It was an extremely high pressured and stressful situation. Never in my life have I felt so guilty just wanting to learn something new. I was afraid that if we did not sign up for these dance lessons that our dance instructor would get in trouble for not doing her job, even though she did exactly what we wanted. Once he finally figured out that we were not going to be signing up for a new contract, we were excused. I totally understand that it is hard to keep people coming back and they have to use "sales tactics" to increase membership but it was absolutely ridiculous. The place had a very corporate feeling about it and it was uncomfortable and awkward. If we ever decide to continue with dance lessons, I guarantee you that it will not be at National Dance Clubs. After meeting with the manager guy in his office it because very clear that the only thing they really cared about was your wallet.

Pros: great dance instructor with flexable scheduling

Cons: super expensive, corporate feeling, high pressure environment

12/16/2007 Posted by beautifulbecca

If you want to learn how do dance then NDC is the place to go. The environment is so welcoming that you can't wait to go back. I've been going there for about 2 years (I started going there when I was 17), and I still love going there as much as I did when I first started. It's like Cheers, everyone knows your name! I've been told that if you compaire NDC to a place called Dance World, NDC is the place to be. NDC is more like you are learning to dance from a friend, and Dance World is like learning to dance from a random person you might have met one day. Even though there are two studios, one in Brentwood and one in Belle Mead, the two studios get together twice a month for a thing called Destination Unknown and it is at different locations around Nashville. It is a great place to go and just unwind, and it's a place for people of all ages.

Pros: Everyone is really nice, and you make friends very quickly

Cons: The staff changes pretty constantly, there are a lot of instructors that stay around.

07/26/2007 Posted by tangodiva2614

I was a cold call winner to NDC for answering correctly a question about ballroom dancing. Upon my arrival at the Brentwood location, I was greeted by the owner at the time who chatted with me about dancing and my past history. I was then assigned to Jordan Shear, who was a great teacher. I learned so many new dances. What I liked the most was that everyone was a teacher. They really wanted you to learn how to dance. My "J " team (Jordan Shear, Jason Curtis & Justin Vero) made the experience one that I will truly remember. They deemed me the TangoDiva and it stuck. My only complaint was the costs were outrageous. One of my friends easily dropped over $60,000 in the 3 years that she was there - but she did learn to dance and very well. I never felt pressured into purchasing more lessons, routines, or trips. NDC is a great place to truly learn how to dance, get your confidence boosted, and meet some really great people. They offer the most one on one attention and truly care about their students. I have danced at other studios/academies and I believe that the NDC crew is trained the best to teach. I would highly recommend NDC for anyone who wants to dance, be rewarded through positive feedback, and get to rub elbows with some of Nashville's finest if you do not mind dropping the dough!

Pros: You will learn how to dance. You get what you pay for.

Cons: It can be very expensive...use the refer a friend rule and dance for free.

07/16/2007 Posted by bhamgirly100

NDC was a very bizarre experience, especially for a dance club meant for adults. The dancing was okay but their business practices weren't. New to town, I wanted to try them out so I bought an introductory package for $250 which gave me 3 personal lessons and 3 group lessons. On a few occasions, I'd be waiting for my lesson to start and I would overhear another instructor doing the hard sell on individuals or couples, trying very hard to get those people to agree to more lessons. That struck me as bizarre. So the time came where I had nearly reached my last lesson. Rather than ask me if I would like to continue lessons they jumped straight into the hard sell. They started by having my instructor sit me down and fill out, together, this ridiculous yes/no survey. They called it a "Personality Test". They asked such questions as "Do you have fun dancing? Yes/No" and "Do you like to dance socially? Yes/No". It was clear that these silly questions were stacked up so that once you answered YES to the majority of the questions. I told them I did NOT want to join. When we are done with him I ask her bluntly if anyone ever decides not to continue lessons like I did and she tells me "No, not really." Yesterday I had lunch with another former student who actually went to the "sales guy session" which I never made it to and said that they did the hard sell on her until she started crying as she couldn't afford it. The amount of her contract renewal was set at $1,800.00 which was supposedly on the cheap side. I'm also told that the contract they have you sign forbids you from talking lessons at any other place or even dancing socially at any other events. So all in all the dancing was fun but their business practices struck me as slimy and awkward which the rely on in order to pressure contract renewals from their clients for large amount of money 1K-3K. My two cents,

02/22/2006 Posted by 1234js

I just wanted to email a quick thank you for the kindness that I and my family have received at the Belle Meade studio. I recently won a contest drawing that was held at one of our local TV stations (Tennessee Mornings). Upon arrival at the studio, I was greeted and was given an explanation of what your company does. I was then introduced to Aaron Fulton; who has been my instructor. He is extremely knowledgable and is a great asset to the company. I would recommend him as well as any of the wonderful instructors. They have made me feel that I was part of their family. I would recommend this studio to anyone who asked, where is the best place to go for dancing lessons. I just wanted to say thanks again and hopefully, I will be one of the up and coming dancing stars Charlotte Jones