Support Bay Area Dance Instructors & Studios + Online Classes

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Online Classes (no longer updated)

Keep dancing with these virtual options based in SF Bay Area!

Lily Liang

Lauren Peterson

Thanks to tech 🤖, we can all keep dancing with some of our favorite instructors, as well as discovering new ones! More importantly, this is a great way to contribute to our fellow artists and studios who are trying to make ends meet during COVID-19. Want to donate regardless? See our

How to Donate⁠

page for a more comprehensive list of needs.

There are basically two types of online classes being offered:

🎥 pre-taped instructional (Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, etc)

💻 live streaming (Zoom, IG/FB Live, Crowdcast, Twitch, BlueJeans, etc)

Below, we have organized the Bay Area classes by genre and will continue to update this list as we get more submissions. While we do our best to update this page, the best way to verify if a class is happening is by following or contacting the instructors via social media.

💻 Zoom Tips for Classes (for optimal video & audio)

▶️ Free vs Pro

For "meetings" with more than two participants, you have a 40 minute limit for your class. For a monthly fee, you can upgrade your account to increase your time and participant limit:

Zoom Plans & Pricing⁠

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▶️ General settings

You'll want to check on these settings prior to any of your classes. They are located at

https://zoom.us/profile/setting⁠

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Turn off chime notifications when participants join or leave your class

It can be distracting for all to hear a chime every time someone joins or leaves. Definitely disable this one under "In Meeting (Advanced)."

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Turn off the waiting room

Disable this setting if you don't want to manually admit every participant who takes your class (they will sit in a waiting room otherwise). Under "In Meeting (Advanced)" scroll all the way down to "Waiting room."

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Co-host option

This can be useful if you want to give a participant the ability to co-manage your class (who isn't physically in the same location as you). For example, they could help with muting/unmuting everyone, answering questions, etc. Once enabled, you'll be able to assign a co-host in each class by following

these instructions⁠

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▶️ Speaker set-up (UPDATED)

There are two ways to play music: directly from the same device that's hosting the Zoom class or by using external speakers. Here are tips on how to do each:

Play music on the same device as the Zoom meeting

TLDR: crispest sound for music; hard to hear you speak over the music. There can be some audio lags.

Zoom has an audio share feature that allows you to play your audio directly through your participant's speakers (vs audio getting picked up through your mic). This will require setting up your screen so that it's easy to go between your music program and Zoom to quickly play/stop music. Note that when the music is playing, your voice will sound muted. When the music isn't playing, your voice will sound fine.

TIP: If you have another device (e.g. your phone), you can sync up your Spotify on both devices so you can control the music from your phone.

You will want to set this up at the start of each class.

1. Start your meeting. Then, click on "Share Screen" at the bottom of your screen.

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2. In the pop-up window, click on the "Advanced" tab along the top. You will see an option for "Music or Computer Sound Only." Select that option and click "Share."

Your options may be slightly different than below with "Computer Sound Only" as the option. Select that one.

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You will know if the share computer sound is on if you see this message at the top of your screen. Keep it on the entire class! When music is off, the mic will still pick up your voice.

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Play music from an external speaker

For external speaker set-up, place the speaker right next to (not behind) the laptop or phone that is hosting the Zoom class. Playing music from large speakers away from the device is less clear than using a small speaker (even phone) right next to the video. You will also want to disable noise suppression that is automatically turned on for Zoom, which can cause your music to go in and out. Details in the next section below.

Use bluetooth headphones if you're far away from the device

Bluetooth headphones (e.g. Airpods) are a great way to ensure folks can hear your instruction clearly, particularly if you're further away from the computer/phone. Prior to the start of your class, make sure

▶️ Audio (<< this is an important one)

Zoom is set up well for voice but not for music and percussion as it optimizes audio to suppress background noises such as air conditioning and intermittent sounds like taps, knocks, and typing. This can cause music to go in and out, particularly if live percussion is involved (e.g. tap shoes, drumming). You'll know this is happening if you can hear the instructor speak but not any other sounds.

To DISABLE noise suppression, please follow these steps:

Update your Zoom software (zoom.us menu > Check for Updates)

Go to your Audio Settings (zoom.us menu > Preferences > Audio). On the bottom right of the Audio Settings, click on Advanced.

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3. Disable noise suppression by selecting Disable from the first two drop-downs.

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▶️Video

Many prefer to see their mirror reflection in their own video, particularly when trying to learn a dance routine. To turn on mirroring, go to zoom.us > Preferences > Video. You'll then see the below options. Note that this only changes how you view yourself and does not change how the others view you. For everyone else, their view will always be of them facing you (like an audience facing you on the stage).

Note that you can even touch up your appearance! It doesn't do anything dramatic; mostly smooths things out a bit. 😉💁

⁠

➕ Submit a class

Submit a Studio or Teaching Artist (closed) SF Bay Area⁠

🖇 Other Resources

⁠

Dancing Alone Together⁠

- Created by

Katherine Disenhof⁠

, a professional dancer, to aggregate online dance classes. Check out her instagram account as well:

@dancing.alone.together⁠

A nice compilation from across time zones:

Online African Dance Classes⁠

⁠

For hip hop suggestions, check out Bay Area's very own Elaine's list:

I wanna take a dance class but I don't wanna get COVID-19⁠

. She has taken a bunch of online classes pre-COVID (

proof⁠

), has this incredible way of capturing an instructor's style, and is super plugged into the local hip hop dance scene. Also, she's funny as ____. 😆

⁠

virtually dance 4 ur survival⁠

- A Google sheet with classes listed by schedule! 📆

⁠

Roxanne Robledo⁠

created a

dance, fitness, wellness calendar⁠

to track some of her fav classes!

⁠

Steezy⁠

- Offering some of the best video tech for online classes (toggle between front and back views!), they offer a variety of different hip hop tutorials across styles like hip hop choreo, whacking, heels, breaking, and dancehall by some of the biggest names in the business.

⁠

CLI Studios⁠

- They mainly partner with studios to provide them ongoing training from a cast of choreographers consisting of SYTYCD alumni (👋 Twitch and Allison)! They're currently offering free live dance classes

here⁠

⁠

Operation Tap⁠

- Offering some free tap video lessons

here⁠

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Dancio⁠

- Now offering two weeks free of ballet-focused contemporary and modern classes online.

⁠

Groove Therapy⁠

- These are online dance courses made specifically for people who thought it was too late to start learning, taught by Groove Therapist Vanessa Marian Varghese.

Online Classes | Studio Schedules

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Alonzo King Lines Ballet⁠

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The Beat - Berkeley⁠

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BodyBeatz Beyond Dance Complex⁠

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Brasarte⁠

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Confidance Fitness⁠

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Dance Mission Theater⁠

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Duniya Dance and Drum⁠

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Elite Naach Academy⁠

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Full Out Studios⁠

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In The Groove Studios⁠

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ODC⁠

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Purdance⁠

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Rae Studios⁠

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Uforia⁠

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VRV3 Studios⁠

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Online Classes (no longer updating; pls confirm with instructors)

Online Classes (no longer updating; pls confirm with instructors)

+

📸: Cover photo by Margo Mortiz and Andrew Weeks of a Rhythm & Motion class featuring

Tamika Banks⁠

(

source⁠

)

💻 Zoom Tips for Classes (for optimal video & audio)

➕ Submit a class

🖇 Other Resources

Online Classes | Studio Schedules

Online Classes (no longer updating; pls confirm with instructors)

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