Arthur Murray Dance Studio

I have been taking lessons at Arthur Murray Vancouver since November 2012, and wanted to respond to the negative reviews I have read. (And also note how unfortunate it was that two positive reviews had been hidden — one by another long-​time student that I know…)
My experiences at this studio have been positive, and I have never had an issue with payment or high-​sales tactics as some described. Do they want you to continue and keep up with the lessons/​classes so that clients actually improve? Of course. It’s good business for them, and best in the progress/​satisfaction of each customer. While the cost of the lessons are high, it is best to remember that one is purchasing a PACKAGE that includes the lesson, dance classes and the parties, and the latter two items are unlimited as long as I keep up lessons on a fairly regular basis. The quality of the long-​term dance instructors is top-​notch, and since I am also a professional musician, I have worked with many dancers and other performers throughout the years and know what to look for, and I wouldn’t spend my hard-​earned money here unless I was getting instruction from the best of the best.
I went into this with a plan to only take a few lessons to learn the basic steps. A few years later I can dance a huge variety of dances (Waltz, West Coast Swing, East Coast Swing, Triple Time Swing, Rhumba, Salsa, Cha-​Cha, Foxtrot, Foxy, Hustle, Samba, Merengue, Tango, Argentine Tango, etc.) and confidently get up and dance with my man at any club or concert!
When I walked into that studio in 2012 it never occurred to me that my dance instructors would be doing the choreography for my first dance at my 2014 wedding, but that’s exactly what happened. (Thank you Maks and Rebecca! In fact, both of them went way above and beyond — Rebecca even came to my dress fitting to make sure I’d be able to do ‘the moves’ I needed to!)
So, give this a try with an open mind, and see what a difference it can make in your life.

If I could give them 0, I would. They have promised that they would refund our money at any time if we decided not to continue. But every time we call they are so manipulative and we could not get a refund. We have two lessons left, which is worth $ 150 in total. We finally drove there, only being informed that we cannot get refund after 90 days, which was totally opposite to what they have told us when we made the purchase. We have to either use it or give it to others. After these lies, there is no way we are going back. However, when it comes to giving to other friends, we will have to go down there again. Such a hassle!

Love the studio, and Max, our instructor. It’s all good, and everyone should try it!

I’ve read the past two reviews, and I agree with Amy E more than the Angry guy.
I went in and took a introductory lesson from Christina, who is actually a pretty rad person.
She’s got great energy and I don’t see her as egocentric, manipulative or a rookie by any means… I’ve seen her dance with others, I’ve seen the other instructors dance… and I’ve seen the other instructors do their lessons (both private and group) and I don’t see any egocentric or rookies there at all.
Usually people who call others such names, didn’t get their ego stroked enough or catered to.
Of course there are always new things to learn, and like all other professions, the dance instructors have to keep up with the new styles, any changes in the dances and keeping up their own skills on– what– over a dozen styles of dances.
I am learning 5 styles, and so far all the instructors have been very helpful, and knowledgeable– and Christina knows what she’s doing and put together a great game plan for me and my goal of surprising my girlfriend on NYE with being able to dance better.
As far as the sales technique… yes, it is a little cheesy and slightly awkward, but its a business and they can only exist with having paid clients. I don’t think the prices are too high for what you’re getting… its a big investment, but it can be broken into payments, paid at once or they have some kind of «financing» which i didn’t even ask about… I’m paying for 8 lessons at a time, plus unlimited group classes at my level and «parties» which are just practice times on the floor with other students and instructors.
I think I get what I pay for… and have met some really nice people… and have a super cool instructor who knows her stuff!

I was really surprised to see such a harsh review by the previous reviewer. My fiancée and I have been taking classes at the Vancouver Arthur Murray for about 3 months now (started with a Groupon for a couple of free classes, and then signed up for the Foundations course to prepare for our wedding). Granted, Arthur Murray clearly has a defined sales process, and it does feel kind of awkward when you have the sit-​down with the manager to talk about signing up for a plan. BUT. I love our instructor, Kate. She’s fun and down to earth, and we both feel like we’re learning what we want to know. My fiancée and I laugh a bit about the sales thing, but I have no complaints about the actual learning process.
I think you get out of the dance classes what you put into them. If you’re willing to laugh off some of the corporate sales tactics, I think this is a good place to learn how to dance. Plus, they are close to our house and have a wide variety of classes and practice options.
I will say that the pricing is higher than I would like, but doesn’t seem completely outrageous for what you get. I do like how much they emphasize that payment plans are flexible and there is no long-​term commitment if you change your mind.

Lie, cheat, hack, steal.
It has been a long time since I have seen a business this bad :(
So manipulative and egocentric. The whole pretense was deception.
If you where to find Neanderthals at a used car lot, their personal skills would have easily exceeded those of this weak dance studio by 10 x fold.
I mean, if you like shelling out phat cash for lessons taught by rookies go ahead.
This place has instructors who are not even certified in their proficiencies teaching high level classes. The entire feel is smoke and mirrors topped with high pressure sales tactics. The quality of service is a joke. The people seem so fake.
I truly feel bad for the people who have to work here everyday. They charge sooooooooo much for soooooooooo little. I am sure that the people working at Good Will earn more than the dance instructors.