The Salsa With Silvia dance studio offers affordable salsa, bachata and other dance classes for adults and kids.
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WHAT WE STAND FOR

OUR PHILOSOPHY

  • We believe in creating the perfect environment for any level dancer to learn and improve.
  • Our classes are well structured and our teachers are patient. They are there to teach you, not to show off.
  • We create an atmosphere where you feel comfortable learning, asking questions & progressing at your own pace.
  • When you dance with us you will be a part of a community where you meet new friends, learn how to dance and have fun practicing your moves in a social dance environment
  • Dance can be a life-changing experience and we work hard to see you leaving the studio with big smiles on your faces. Regardless of what you have going on in life, we make sure you have fun while learning dance. 

OUR METHODOLOGY

  1. NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE BASICS! We start with the fundamentals and give you a solid structure to build on.
  2. A brand new student or someone with experience, we will make sure your technique is clean before you move on.
  3. GRADUAL PACE OF LEARNING. Our 4-week series are broken down in multiple levels starting with Absolute Beginner and building up one step at a time. 
  4. CONTINUOUS ENCOURAGING AND EVALUATION OF YOUR LEVEL. Our instructors are always by your side to help guide you into the best learning curve for you. They will tell you if you are ready to move on to the next level or you need to repeat a level again. 
  5. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. There is never enough practice! We offer not only the series but plenty of practice classes so you can drill what you’ve learned. It never hurts to repeat a level. 
  6. SOCIAL DANCING IS KEY TO BECOMING A GOOD DANCER! No matter how many classes you are taken, nothing makes you better than social dancing with variety of partners. We host social dances at the studio and we constantly encourage you to go out and HAVE FUN DANCING!
  7. Our focus is on teaching you how to social dance but if you are ready to perform, we will place you in the right performance team and train you to perform on stage. 

OUR MISSION AND CORE VALUES

MISSION STATEMENT: We believe everyone can learn to dance. Our mission is to instill a great love of dance and to get everyone out on the dance floor. We provide a solid technical foundation for the novice dancer.

Our goal is to give each individual the tools they need to take dance as far as they would like to, whether it be social dance or on stage

CORE VALUES:  

  1. Delivering an exceptional service and personal attention
  2. Take pride in our professionalism and presentation
  3. Consistently providing a positive and fun learning environment and a strong dance community
  4. Listen to our clients feedback and be open to change
  5. Be passionate, positive and encouraging when teaching, performing and serving our students and clients

OUR INSTRUCTORS AND STAFF

We have a very international team of instructors and staff who share the same passion for dance and great customer support. All instructors are trained in the Salsa With Silvia methodology. They are here to give you personal attention and patiently walk you through the learning process. 

Our instructors are experienced teachers and performers who work hard to prepare for each class so you can get the best experience.

We don’t hire instructors with an attitude! We hire teachers who are here to teach you, not to show off.

They are also available for private lessons as well as teaching at your event.

Our staff is super friendly and always standing by to guide you in the best direction so you can enjoy your dance experience with us.

> Read more about each instructor

> Read about our staff members

 

what we offer
Gradual pace of learning, great results

Our classes are very well structured. Our foundation classes are broken down into 4-week series that give you a solid base to build on. Our ongoing/practice classes are for you to learn more patterns and do more drills so you can become a better dancer.

we are the no.1 latin dance studio in the dmv
Hire us to teach or perform at your event

Ever wondered how to spice up your event? We can do a brilliant job entertaining your guests by offering an ice breaker dance class, a professional dance performance or a well-structured team building workshop.

Start with our 4-Week Absolute Beginner Series if you’ve never danced before. Schedule a free consultation or talk to an instructor for best level placement after that. Click for syllabus videos & schedule.

Any class that’s not labeled as a 4-week series is meant for you to get additional practice at your level. Be sure you are placed in the right level by scheduling a free consultation or by talking to your instructor. Click for class schedule.

Private lessons are one-on-one with an instructor of your choice. They help you accelerate faster or give you an additional solidification of what you already know. We strongly recommend group classes in combination with private lessons to achieve better social dance results. Click to book a private lesson.

Think outside the box and engage your team in bonding and trust exercises through dance. They will learn a lot while laughing and having fun. Workshops can be taught at your location or at our studio. Click for more info and quote.

With several performance teams on board and professional instructors, we stand by our name as the No. 1 Latin Dance Studio in the DMV. Hire us for a spectacular performance that will amaze your guests. Add a fun dance lesson to get them up and moving. Click for info and a quote.

We can teach and choreograph in any style of dance. You and your partner will work with the instructor of your choice to learn a beautiful dance that everyone at your wedding will remember. Click for info and a quote.

The Salsa With Silvia Ballroom is one of the most beautiful venues in the DMV area. Stunning interior design and state-of-the-art equipment will make your event unforgettable. Click for venue information, schedule a tour and request a quote.

We offer classes for kids as young as 6 months old to teenagers. Styles include ballet, jazz, modern, tap, modeling, Latin, tumbling, Hip Hop, and more. Our famous Dance & Learning Camps are super fun a great way for the kids to keep learning while on breaks. Click for info on classes, events, birthday parties, camps and more.

Our Story - How It Started & How We Grew?

Salsa With Silvia’s owner and director Silvia Alexiev began dancing when she was 6 years old. She was a competitive ballroom dancer for years but once she was introduced to salsa dancing, she instantly fell in love with its vibrant culture and energetic beat.  Almost immediately, Silvia joined a DMV-based salsa performance team and quickly became their lead dancer. Silvia remained on the team for nearly 3 years and performed in some of the largest  and most popular salsa congresses in the World.

Silvia started teaching salsa at a gym in Chicago in 2008. The same gym came up with the name Salsa With Silvia. While in Chicago, Silvia taught and mastered her skills as a salsa dance instructor at the Dance Academy of Salsa.

When Silvia moved back to the DC area in 2009, she immediately located several dance studios where she started teaching and gradually built a solid crowd of supporters and long-term students. She also founded her very own salsa performance team, Amika Dance Company, which has been representing the studio locally and around the country.

Silvia’s following became so big that she had to train a few of her most dedicated students to become instructors. In 2011 Silvia and her husband bought and fully renovated a town house in Columbia Heights, DC.

They converted the basement into a professionally equipped studio with capacity up to 25 people. That was the first and original Salsa With Silvia Dance Studio

Despite being in the basement with no exposure on the street, students were pouring in and classes were full. Students were hooked to the Salsa With Silvia method, structured classes, patient and experienced instructors, affordable prices and relaxed environment. 

Throughout the years, Silvia has also become very popular on YouTube, where she teaches her famous Trick Of The Week salsa lessons, which people of all ages and Worldwide destinations follow and learn from

Watch the video below to see how Silvia started in the basement of her house: 

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Opening the 3232 Georgia Ave. NW Location in April 2016 Made Salsa With Silvia The Largest Latin Dance Studio in the DMV Area.

With a quickly expanding network of students, the Salsa With Silvia Dance Studio was on a mission to raise money and move to a new, bigger space. In September of 2014, Silvia launched a large crowdfunding campaign and successfully raised over $17,000.

In November of 2014, Silvia signed a 7-year lease for Salsa With Silvia’s new home. Salsa With Silvia was awarded a grant in the amount of $85,000 by the Great Streets Program to go towards the build out of its new studio. The total cost of the new studio build out was $325,000. The new studio opened doors in April of 2016 and officially became the Largest Latin Dance Studio in the DC area. The new studio offers new adult classes and programs as well as kids after school dance classes, summer dance camp, discount classes for veterans and people with disabilities, kids and adult performance classes, social dances, and more.

By opening the largest Latin dance studio in DC, Silvia is offering many ways to support the community and teach people of all ages how to dance. Currently the Salsa With Silvia Dance Studio has over 20 people on its team of teachers and staff and it keeps growing.

In January of 2020, Silvia and her husband opened a second location in the heart of Bethesda, expanding the Salsa With Silvia community even more and giving the gift of dance to more kids and adults.

Video below: how we grew from a basement studio to a 2 prime locations dance studio:

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Salsa With Silvia's owner Silvia started teaching salsa in Chicago in 2008 after long years of competing in ballroom dance.
Salsa With Silvia's owner Silvia started teaching salsa in Chicago in 2008 after long years of competing in ballroom dance.
Salsa With Silvia owner (second from left to right) performs at the LA Salsa Congress in 2005 with DC Team Latin Motion.
Salsa With Silvia owner (second from left to right) performs at the LA Salsa Congress in 2005 with DC Team Latin Motion.
The Salsa With Silvia Dance Studio started from the basement of owner Silvia's house and has now become the largest Latin Dance Studio in the DMV area.
Owner Silvia with her performance team Amika Dance Company in a photoshoot 2015.
Owner Silvia with her performance team Amika Dance Company in a photoshoot 2015. Currently, the team is directed by Salsa With Silvia instructor Kelly Atwood.
Salsa With Silvia opened the largest salsa dance studio in the DMV in April of 2016. This is what the venue looked like prior to its build out.
Salsa With Silvia opened the largest salsa dance studio in the DMV in April of 2016. This is what the venue looked like prior to its build out.
The Salsa With Silvia Dance Studio - the largest Latin Dance Studio in the DMV area, specializing in Latin dance lessons for adults and all styles of dance for kids
The Salsa With Silvia Dance Studio - the largest Latin Dance Studio in the DMV area, specializing in Latin dance lessons for adults and all styles of dance for kids