(502) 377-4859 Learn@DanceLouisville.com

Louisville’s Favorite Ballroom Dance Studio!
Will become your happy place!

dance louisville staff

2 reasons you’ll love dancing with us!

We excited to help you experience the joy dance has to offer!

#1. You will find that our studio is not only teaching dance, but changing lives. Our instructors are 100% committed to making your time on the dance floor a positive experience! They are here to help you navigate all or your goals. Whether you are here to lose weight, meet new people, learn for your wedding or become a dance star….. Dance Louisville has you covered. In short we are a dance studio that really cares!

#2. We know dancing! You’ll find large selection of dance classes for adults and teens, with professional instruction. We offer ballroom dance lessons, salsa dance lessons, swing dance lessons, country dancing and more. If you want to learn it…we can teach it!

How did we get started?

Our owner, 5-time world champion dancer Brian Barakauskas, brings you over 25 years of professional dance instruction with experience teaching all over the world. (23 countries to be exact) He a 2017 inductee to the UCWDC Dance Hall of Fame for his achievements on the dance floor…. but off the dance, floor Brian has dedicated himself to offering Louisville the best possible private and group class instruction in a friendly environment. In 2005 Dance Louisville was born with this mission….

“I’m on an unstoppable mission to change people’s lives though dance” -Brian B

Fun Facts About Our History At Dance Louisville

Some quick facts about our dance studio. We began construction on the inside in 2005 and opened the doors later that year. That was the date of the official first private lesson on the new dance floor.

The studio was born out of a desire for us to bring Louisville a relaxed fun environment for people to enjoy dancing. Dance Louisville still offers full competitive programs in all styles of partner dancing but the initial focus is on helping students find their passion. Our lessons, group classes and dances are all focused on the fun part. We offer showcases and studio trips so that as people grow with their dancing, so do the opportunities.

Over the years we have slightly changed our focus from the more traditional ballroom classes to a more modern mix of salsa, swing and ballroom. We have worked within the city to add classes that were not offered in other places and fit needs that other studio are not able to fill. We have tried to not compete with other dance venues in town but rather to add things to the community that were not previously there. Each year we take inventory of the dance classes, and pay attention to other studios in Louisville to make sure we are an asset to the city as a whole!

Also our teachers and students travel the US and abroad to continue their training in all the styles of dancing to keep us on the cutting edge.

We have several students that have been with us the entire 17+ years we have been open! That’s loyalty. Although we are one of the most relaxed studios in town and are students are free to dance wherever they like, many of them simply prefer our way of doing business and call our studio home.

  • Doors opened in January 2006.
  • Over 100 people attended our grand opening.
  • We’ve hosted over 25 student showcases
  • Our walls used to be orange!
  • Painters made a mistake and our walls were pink originally!
  • Have had country artists & salsa bands perform live in the studio
  • The first song played on the speakers was “Ability to Swing”.
  • Episode of the reality show “Southern Belles” filmed here.
  • Cheryl Burke from DWTS has practiced here
  • We have 3 sister studios.
  • We opened a 2nd location for children but had to close it due to covid 🙁

4 reasons Dance Louisville is right for you!

#1. Looking for some great classes to fit your schedule?

We offer private lessons 7 days a week from 10am till 10pm most days. Hows that for flexible? We also offer group classes, in ballroom dancing, salsa dancing, west coast swing and even country dancing at our school. Interested in Waltz, Foxtrot, Tango? How about ChaCha, Rumba or East Coast Swing? West Coast Swing, Two Step, Samba or Salsa? We’ve got over 36 group classes per month!

We have been voted the “Friendliest Dance Studio” in the entire midwest for 3 years in a row! Come on in and let us show you why!

#2. Want Louisville’s best instructors?

With top level teachers in all forms of dancing from ballroom and country to swing and salsa dancing, we have you covered! Our teachers have literally decades of dance experience. They bring those skills and passion to every lesson they teach!

#3. Looking for some friendly new people?

One of the things we really pride ourselves on is having a friendly class environment. We know that starting dance lessons can be intimidating but we have lots of students that are not only loyal to us but loyal to the value of bringing fun to the ballroom! Some of the nicest people you will meet are here at Dance Louisville! Give us a call. Jo Ann will answer your call. Heck she’s Brian’s mom so you can’t get nicer than that!

#4. Wanna dance on Louisville’s best dance floor?

Our studio has almost 2500 square feet of space. It’s a competition size floor that can hold over 100 dancers with separate zones of music for each lesson. This is a fantastic amount of studio space for our classes, lessons and dances!. You can even ‘hang out’ here when not dancing. We think you will find our studio to be even more fun that you think!

couple dancing

How about… dancing is just plain fun!

I’m sure you have seen Dancing with the Stars! Well, that’s just part of it. The joy of dancing and the fantastic people you will meet through dancing, can’t be explained through TV. You have to come in and experience it for yourself. We are 100% sure that you will enjoy it as much as our teachers and students do!

waltz
Group Class
salsa dancing

Dance Louisville’s Highly Skilled & Super Fun Dance Instructors

With over 100 years of dance experience between us (that's a true stat & we're still pretty young) we promise your dancing is in good hands with us! This is why you'll love learning to dance at Dance Louisville.

 

brian b dance louisville

Brian Barakauskas

Owner,  Master Instructor

Years ago, Brian took his first dance steps right here in Louisville. He has now been dancing professionally for over 25  years. Through competitive ballroom, country & swing dancing, he has danced in over 23 countries around the world as a competitor, performer, judge and teacher.  He's a 5 time world champion and 2017 inductee to UCWDC Hall of Fame for his contribution to the dance world.

His journey has come full circle. In 2005 his dream of a fantastic studio in Louisville came true. “I am completely committed to making Dance Louisville the best studio in the city for you – the new dancer.” Read Brian’s story in the Voice Tribune

Watch Instructor Interview

Emily Larsen

Master Instructor, Manager

Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Emily was introduced to Ballet at age three and continued adding on various dance genres over the years such as Jazz, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, and Musical Theatre. Emily received a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from the University of Texas at Austin.

 In 2011 she began her ballroom & country dance career and in 2014, Emily joined the Dance Louisville staff.  She can not only be found on the dance floor but she is a big part of the behind the scenes of Dance Louisville. Emily has a special gift, as she always makes students feel welcome; she is a big part of what makes this studio such a happy, warm environment. We’re lucky to have her!

    Megan Anderson

    Master Instructor

    Growing up with a mother who was a professional dancer, Megan was destined to be a dancer. She started ballroom dancing in 2004 and has been with Dance Louisville since we opened. With a background in competitive ice skating and ballet, Megan has had an impressive amateur competitive dance career traveling all over the United States competing with great success in all four styles of Ballroom & Latin as well as Country, Bachata, Line Dance and West Coast Swing. Megan began her professional career with a bang by winning the 2015 UCWDC ProPro Female World Championship! And finishing 2nd place at the UCWDC world championships in 2017 as one of the best country dancers in the world.

    Elizabeth Staff DL

    Mike Gasson

    Instructor

    Mike and his wife Kerry began dancing with us years ago. Mike moved through the ranks as a competitive dancer and decided he wanted to teach part time to share his love of dance. Mike loves sharing his love of dance with his students. He joined our team of instructors in 2023 and has quickly become a favorite.

    jacob thornton dance louisville

    Jacob Thornton

    Instructor

    Jacob is a 3rd generation dancer. His grandparents were professional dancers and big promoters of social and competitive dancer. His parents are dancers (his dad owns a studio in Wichita KS) so you could day dancing is literally in his blood.

    Jacob moved to Louisville to begin his professional competitive and teaching dance career in 2019.

    jo ann lewis dance loiusville

    Jo Ann Lewis

    Customer Service, Administration 

    JoAnn is most famous in the studio for being Brian’s mom, and the voice of Dance Louisville. She started working at Dance Louisville in 2012 and has continued to be a great asset to the studio. JoAnn is in charge student scheduling, studio rental and other important functions that allow the the dancers to dance and the studio to run smoothly!

    There is a good chance that JoAnn, also known as JoMama, is the first person you will talk to on the phone  when you call. She works hard at being very helpful in getting new students started. JoAnn is one our ‘secret weapons’ in making people feel comfortable when they first begin dancing!

    caroline

    Caroline

    Customer Service

    Caroline started as a student at Dance Louisville back in 2016. She was competitive dancer for several years with us. In 2022 she joined the team as a customer service agent.

    Caroline will likely be the first smiling face when you join our group classes or dances. We're excited to have a passionate dancer like her on our team!

     

    Students’ Testimonials

    Hear what our students have to say!

    [testimonial_view id="1"]
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