The Beat

Excellent Latin Rhythms in Motion class by Ysmari. Good, proper, and challenging footwork technique.

I wish I could take Jazz Blues dance classes with Roger every day! So good for the soul!

Took a Wednesday night Brazilian Dance class here with some friends. I never tried this form of dance before and probably never will again because its not my thing. The teacher was pleasant enough although she did take her job rather seriously. My fellow dancers ranged in skill level with some being novices like me while others could probably teach this class. The price of $ 13 was very reasonable for the length of the class. I noticed they have all kinds of things going on here and most of the participants do not have two left feet so if dancing is not your thing stick to your local gym Zumba class.

Our daughter started taking Tap and Swing at The Beat in October, 2014. She started in both classes with kids who had been taking dance for quite a while so she had a lot of catching up to do. Irina and Nick who were her Swing teachers at the time were so great with her. They would take turns working with her one on one while the other would work with the rest of the kids. Irina took over tap after the other teacher left and what a difference, our daughter learned moves that she had struggled with before and her confidence level went through the roof. They are very patient with the kids and fantastic dance teachers. Thank you Irina and Nick!

Nick and Irina teach adult swing dance class on Friday nights at The Beat. They are very patient and kind and have a gentle sense of humor.
They have the ability to teach at all levels — no matter when you drop in. I have observed them do that since I started going pretty regularly in December 2014.
Best kept secret — but it would be nice to have more regular students so that one day the class does not get suspended for lack of attendance.

The SECOND Friday of each month is Latin Fever Friday at The Beat — featuring a group salsa (On 2) lesson around 9:15pm followed by social dancing (often with a live band) starting around 10:30pm. There also may be showcase performances by local dance teams/​couples (in between sets — close to midnight). Dancing is in two small rooms with a divider removed to make a larger space. Cost is $ 12-​$ 15 (it seems to be going up) and includes snacks, water, and sangria. Parking is available without cost on the street but be aware that between 8:30 — 8:45pm hundreds of bicyclists ride en mass northbound along 9^th Street. Some eventually return in the opposite direction later in the night. This venue/​event is geared to On 2 salsa dancers (who have taken lessons or are members of dance performance teams). Music is mostly salsa with a little timba and an occasional chachacha or bachata — when the band is not playing). This venue/​event seems to attract more males than females. The ratio is better on nights there are performances but can be so lopsided on nights there isn’t that over half the guys there are often without a partner to dance with. The same can also be so during the group lesson — and gets worse if/​when females taking the class leave.

Gregg is mega-​skilled at breaking down what he’s doing to transfer learning (what we’re really doing when we’re doing, say, a double shuffle, beyond simply a double shuffle). Instead of simply saying «keep practicing,» he explicates what’s really up (for example, how to find your unique «sweet spot» on the floor to aim your double shuffle at).
Most teachers teach content such as «this is a shuffle,» «this is how a neuron transmits chemicals.» Really excellent Teachers are able to unpack things in a way that aides learning to learn beyond the specific content explicitly being taught. The way Gregg teaches tap not only makes someone a better tapper but can also help them learn neurobiology (or whatever else they might be interested in) more quickly – which is a motivating reason for us older beginners to tap even though we’re not headed for a stage and, for those who are headed to a stage, makes for more sustainable success.

I’ve tried several other tap dance teachers in the area, and Gregg is by far the best. I was a complete beginner when i started and felt overwhelmed. Everything seemed so fast. But Gregg always took time out to go over things with me, and gave me individual tips, so I caught on. Now, after only a couple of months, I’m having so much fun. He’s also a great dancer, and just watching him fool around and improvise is worth the price of admission. Plus he tells all kinds of tap lore and history. A truly inspiring teacher.

Gregg Geoffrey’s tap dance classes make me want to scream and shout! We practice very simple but at the same time great sounding Jazz Rhythms. I like the way our heels always keep a steady (but jazzy, off-​beat) beat. The back bone of our rhythms.
I travel all over the country for my work and I look for good tap dance classes but these are the best I have found anywhere! We are lucky to have him.
He is also keeping Tradition alive by passing down the style and choreography of Eddie Brown.
I forgot to mention that his Classes are a good cardio workout. No constant stopping to learn warm up routines. He just starts and you better follow along! It’s great! Of course when we start learning choreography then we stop and start a bit.
And one more thing — I take exception to the fact that there are two $‘s next to this facility. These are the cheapest classes I have taken anywhere in the country! I have paid $ 20 per class in other places. Here, if you take 8 classes it knocks the price down to $ 10 per class! Very cheap.

**Monday night tango**
Great dancing, great vibe, great floor.
However, I don’t own a car and find it really difficult to get there. Otherwise I’d have given it 5-​stars.
**3^rd Saturday all-​night tango**
Dressier. More people than Monday night, slightly lower level, but again; great dancing, great vibe, great floor. I’ve only been here once, but I’m so glad that SF keeps an all-​night tango event running!!!

I came to the Beat tonight because a friend invited me to come. I took the beginners Thursday tango class. It was ok. My friend arrived for the intermediate class which is just after, so I wanted to join her. They let me pay for the class, go inside, and have the teacher tell me that I couldn’t stay! Because I didn’t have 3 months of experience in tango. I have years of experience in classical ballet, contemporary dance. I do salsa and I have done tango. I consider myself a danser. This is not the attitude that a center like this should have. It is unpleasant and unfriendly. Are they preparing professional dansers? No. This should be friendly place where people come to danse and relax after work. Their attitude is completely off. If you want a friendly place to dance where you can have fun and learn, I recommend the Shawl-​Anderson Dance Center also at Berkeley.

I stopped by for a Friday night salsa party (I think it’s only once per month) and it was excellent. The room was large and had a good floor and the DJ was playing great music. The dancers were excellent — both on1 and on2 style — and everyone was really nice. Priced at $ 14, it’s a little higher than I expected, but there was a band playing so it may be cheaper other nights.

Still the best social in the area (along with El V), especially for on2 dancing and great salsa dura music. No bachata.

Miss Paula teaches great classes for little girls! The front desk person on Saturday mornings isn’t the best, though. Yay Miss Paula!

I have looked for a hip hop dance class with a great teacher in SF and now the East Bay for a while. I’ve found that the teachers, while great at the dance, suck at teaching. Until now.
Sarah at The Beat on Tuesdays 6:30−8pm is great. Her class is a contemporary mix of hip hop, modern and jazz. She brings us up, down, changes the tempo, reminds us to perform, notices what needs improvement and tenderly makes suggestions. She’s an awesome teacher, teaches a super fun class, and uses a variety of inspiring music from all genres.
Plus the greeter, Roger, was very welcoming and a drop in is only $ 13 (bring cash for drop in fee cause you can only pay with a credit card for a pack).

I decided if I was going to keep up Jesse’s amazing salsa moves I was definitely going to have to kick it up a notch. So I found this place – thanks to Unilocal – and dropped by here after a quick bite straight from work. The crowd was pretty good mix though slightly on the older side – which is good for learning. You know, no shinanigans.
This is an intermediate class so it took all my effort to keep up!
Yismari is a really good teacher. Knows how to take control of a class and really get everybody going. She could totally tell I was not much more than a beginner but she let me embarrass myself through the whole class, gave me a few pointers and let me pair with a guy who did a good job of avoiding have his feet amputed.
I loved it. Will definitely be back as I can!

Gregg is my favorite tap teacher thus far hands down. He has an excellent understanding of technique & he creates the most positive & fun environment to learn.
My favorite classes to take are on Saturday mornings, which means peeling myself out of bed to get from SF to Berkeley with just enough time to get my brain in motion before we start blazing through warm-​ups that really give the beginning of my day some extra kick!
Gregg’s passion for tap is immediately apparent & I truly learn something new every class I take with him… whether it’s a piece of tap history or how to best perfect my superhero tap abilities.
And also the floor is some of the best for tap in the area!

Home away from home!
Tap with Geoff is amazing!!! Challenging and always a blast! Geoff helps bring out your best qualities and your own style. At the same time he is amazing at helping you fix any problems you may have with a step.
Routines are always fun, challenging, and overall the best tap experience you could ask for.
To top off the superior technical skills you will learn, you’ll also make friends. Everyone is very welcoming, supportive, and encouraging.
Good people, mind-​blowing rhythmic tap, and fun… what more could you ask for?!

My friends and I love The Beat in Berkeley, and have been coming whenever we can, to take Tap from Gregg. And that means driving from San Francisco in the morning to get there.
I wish Gregg could teach a few classes in S.F. to save us the bridge trip, but until he does, we’ll have to make the journey.
So many people have described how good his classes are that I can’t think of anything new to say — except that he is a very good dancer and teacher.
Anyone who wants to get started with Tap should consider taking his introduction to Tap class and find out why we’re having so much fun.

Beside my career, Dance is my passion and the Beat always makes me feel like home. I came to the Beat looking for a great hip-​hop class which was not so crowded with the youngsters (usually goes with immaturity) and I found it. The diversity of the dances, staff and students excite me every time I take a class. I have now gotten my feet wet with Tap, Cuban Salsa, Urban and Temporary Jazz and hip-​hop, and more to come.
The more I know about the work that the Beat has done on the communities, the more respect I have for it. It is a non-​profit dance organization that has been around for 10 years. It has created many mutual and communal relationships with not only with the toddlers, teenagers, adults but also the elders. Places like the Beat shall be supported and reserved for the community’s souls as we are all busy living in this chaotic materialistic world.