GROUP
Ballroom dance for absolute beginners“Is someone like me really allowed to come?”That nervous feeling —our gentlest instructor will melt it away.
Enroll on the day of your trial lesson and you get
Enrollment fee
Usually 10,000円
0yen
Trial lesson
Usually 3,000円
FREE
Mitaka opening campaignnow on
Running at Harajuku and Kichijoji. Kichijoji until the end of July; from August it continues at Mitaka.
Dance shoes or Dance wear
for everyone who joins
Your gift, your choice
Dance shoes
Dance wear
* Photographs are examples. Designs and stock vary by studio.
Campaign ends in
For those joining at Harajuku, Kichijoji or Mitaka between 1 July and 31 August 2026
You are never obliged to join
Does any of this sound like you?
On the way home from work, you make it to the studio door — and stop just short of it.
Chances are, these are the voices going round in your head.
I'm not athletic. I'd never keep up…
If I come alone, won't I stick out?
I have no ear for music, no sense of rhythm…
Aren't I simplytoo old for this?
I'm not sure I could keep it up…
Every one of these,DANCE GRAND solves.
Really? — you are entitled to doubt that. So instead of our words, read the words of people who once stopped at that same door.
In our members' own words (from Google reviews)
These are the words of people who, not long ago, stopped at that same door.
The one who wasn't athletic. The one who came alone. The one who thought it was too late. Every review below is reproduced exactly as posted on Google.
TS
I had been interested in ballroom dance ever since I saw a dance programme on TV as a child. I never quite found the chance to start, but then I found a studio near my office and finally took the plunge and booked a trial lesson.
ひひ
A studio full of warm, genuinely caring teachers. The lessons are easy to follow and paced to your level, so every single one feels worthwhile. There are plenty of beginners and older members too, which makes it ideal if you want to take it up as a hobby!!
みっちょりー
I came for a trial lesson today. The teachers, and the other members too, were so friendly and the atmosphere so homely that I enjoyed it enormously and signed up on the spot! The studio is beautiful and even has a bar counter, which surprised me. I'm so happy I get to dance here.
Kゆき
In private lessons I received detailed guidance matched to my level. There are also many kinds of group lessons, and even at my first one the other members were kind and the atmosphere was lovely.
ms
A warm studio with nothing but kind teachers. It's easy to reach and open from early morning until late at night, so it's wonderfully easy to attend even with an irregular schedule.
Yukon Imba
You can take lessons in a calm environment. The group lessons are small and the guidance is detailed — I'm thoroughly satisfied.
HM
My teacher was lovely and taught me so carefully that the lesson was a real pleasure. I'm very much looking forward to coming regularly.
Hitomi
The teachers are so kind in the way they teach that it's easy to keep going!
How your first lesson goes
Every one of them hesitated over the booking button once. From here on, this is about your turn.
The night you book
You open the form, a little nervous. Tap a studio and a time, add your name and contact details. That's all.
The next day
A confirmation email arrives, then a message from us confirming the date. Now you simply wait.
25 minutes in
You arrive empty-handed — shoes and wear are free to borrow. And before you notice, your body is moving with the music.
What you dance in those 25 minutes is the gentlest of the four.
The other three, you will pick up in your own time.
Four lessons, four dances you can actually do
Square rumba first, then blues, then cha-cha-cha, then jive. The order is fixed and so is how much you learn each time — so you never have to brace yourself wondering what you will be made to do next.
Square rumba
Danced on a square pattern — the ideal first dance. You learn the basic steps to an unhurried rhythm.
- A simple square step pattern
- Set to slow, easy music
- Learn basic posture and hold
By the end of the fourth lesson, you debut at our monthly party.
From watching to dancing, in four lessons.
Pricing
If reading this far has left you wanting to try, the next question is what it costs to keep going. Here it is, plainly.
If you cannot dance after four lessons,
we refund everything.
* Join on the day of your trial and the trial lesson (¥3,000) and the enrollment fee (¥10,000) both become free.
¥20,000
¥5,000 per lesson
¥30,000
¥27,000
¥4,500 per lesson
¥40,000
¥32,000
¥4,000 per lesson
* Enrollment courses are lesson-based and must be used within 45 days of joining (no carry-over).
If you continue with us, monthly plans such as Full-time and Off-peak are available — unused lessons carry over to the following month.
WHY US
Why people choose us — and why a first visit is easy.
While most dance schools face the people who already know how to dance, we deliberately chose the opposite. “I'm interested, but I can't take the first step” — it is those nine in ten we want to reach. That is why DANCE GRAND keeps choosing beginners.
Still dancing a year later
Against an industry average of 45%.
Started as beginners
No dance experience at all
25 min
and you are dancing, in your first lesson
One to one
always a private lesson, never a crowd
Trial visitors who go on to join
Our members by age
AGE DISTRIBUTION (%)
From their twenties to their seventies, every generation has company here. People your own age, and people nothing like your age, all dancing on the same floor.
No.1
Largest membership in Japan*
10+
new members every month
*Our own research / Harajuku studio figures
OUR METHOD
Beginners improve because of a system, not because of talent.
About one million people in Japan dance ballroom — which means the overwhelming majority have never danced at all. For those people, and only those people, we built a teaching manual made solely for beginners, and every instructor teaches from it. So before they are professionals at teaching, our instructors are professionals at producing the feeling of “I did it”.
Strip the steps back
We deliberately teach less. Four steps of rumba, no more. Teach little, succeed deeply.
Explain in under ten seconds
The first minute decides whether it feels possible. We get you moving before your head fills up.
No jargon
Images and comparisons instead of difficult words. You never need to memorise dance terminology.
Never miss a moment worth praising
We say it out loud when it happens. That feeling of having done it is what makes you want to come back.
Every instructor follows the same order
The teaching sequence is fixed in the manual — whoever teaches you, at whichever studio, the same “I did it” arrives.
When all five are in place, the moment of “oh — I'm dancing” always arrives within those first 25 minutes. That small success turns into wanting to come back. Over 90% of our members keep going, and the reason is this system, not talent.
DG QUALITY
Four principles every instructor keeps
All four held at once — that is what we call “DG Quality”, and it is what we deliver through every instructor, at every studio.
FOR FIRST TIMERS
Four answers
for four first-time worries.
Can I dance, will I stick out on my own, what about the money, will I keep it up. Those are more or less the four worries people arrive with. Here is our answer to each.
- 01
Being athletic is beside the point
Dance is not about talent. It starts with enjoying yourself.
We promise you the experience of dancing to music from your very first trial lesson. “I danced within 25 minutes” is not a fluke.
- 02
Coming alone is entirely normal
Most people who come for a trial come by themselves.
An instructor devoted to one-to-one teaching will be your partner. Whether you are a man or a woman, you will be dancing within 25 minutes.
- 03
Clear, honest pricing
A system you can keep up without straining the household budget.
Start with the lesson-based enrollment course (within 45 days); if you want to continue, move to a monthly plan. Join on the day of your trial and the ¥3,000 trial and ¥10,000 enrollment fee are both waived.
- 04
See your progress in the DG app
Progress you can see is progress you keep making.
Your lesson history and improvement are tracked in the app — one more thing that makes coming back easy.
Featured on TV Asahi's “Hiroto Shinichi Morning Show”
Our founder Shinbai Kanemitsu appeared as an expert in the frailty-prevention feature broadcast on 21 November 2025. Of the demonstration by Kanemitsu and his partner Mami, presenter Shinichi Hatori said it was superb, sharp, and the best in Japan.
See all media coverageCoaching on TBS's “THE Kamiwaza Challenge”
Our instructors appear as coaches for the programme's ballroom segment, teaching celebrity pairs one to one from the basics as they attempt to master fast-step routines in a single month.
The fundamental we stress on the programme — that how you stand matters most — is exactly what you learn in our trial lesson.
See all media coverageFrequently asked questions
Finally, the questions we are asked most often before a first visit.
Will I be pressured to join after the trial?
Never. If it isn't for you, you are free to simply go home. We promise we will never push you to sign up.
I'm not athletic at all. Is that a problem?
Not at all. In ballroom dance, enjoying the music matters more than anything else. Over 90% of our members started with no experience whatsoever.
I don't have a partner. Can I still come?
Of course. Most people who come for a trial lesson come alone, and your instructor will be your partner, so there is nothing to worry about.
What should I wear?
Anything you can move in is fine. Shoes and dance wear are free to borrow, so you can come empty-handed.
How do I book a lesson?
You can book any time, 24 hours a day, through our web form. Tap to choose your studio and time, then enter your name and contact details. You will receive an automatic confirmation email, and a member of staff will then contact you to finalise the date.
How long until I can actually dance?
The four-lesson course covers four dances, enough to dance to a range of music at a real party. You will be dancing to music from your very first trial lesson.
Do we start with waltz or rumba?
No — we always begin with square rumba and blues instead. They are simply the best dances for a beginner to start with.
OUR VISION
“We want the power of ballroom dance
to reach far more people.”
What we really want to give you is not dance technique.
The moment you catch yourself smiling in the mirror because you did it. The moment you feel quietly proud of having stepped forward.
The unremarkable hours spent with new friends.
We believe it is these moments, one by one, that give ballroom dance its power to change a life for the better.
The steps and the posture are only the means to get there.
A little courage
changes the rhythm of a life
We will support your very first step
with everything we have
Just tap a date and time, then enter your name and contact details
About DANCE GRAND
DANCE GRAND is a group of beginner-focused, one-to-one ballroom dance studios in Tokyo, with locations in Harajuku, Kichijoji and Mitaka (the Kichijoji studio closes at the end of July 2026 and relocates to Mitaka on 1 August).Over 90% of our members start with no experience, and 93% are still dancing a year later. Our original method, supervised by all-Japan champion Shinbai Kanemitsu, means you dance to music within your first 25-minute trial lesson. The trial lesson is ¥3,000 (free if you join on the day), and we refund everything if you cannot dance after four lessons.
ABOUT THE GROUP
DANCE GRAND GROUPについて
私たちが目指しているのは、「社交ダンスを、もっと多くの人へ」。 初心者専用のメソッドと、誰でも同じ品質で「できた」を届ける仕組みを磨き、 社交ダンスを一部の経験者のものから、誰にでも開かれた文化へと広げていきます。
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