I did ballet from the age of three to fourteen. I don’t remember exactly why I quit, though I suspect being in the most physically awkward years of my life probably played a big part. Even though I quit I never stopped loving ballet.
Fast forward 11 years later (yikes!) and two years of desk work was taking a serious toll on my body – I was stiff, my shoulders hurt, and I often felt like I had just gotten off a ten-hour flight. In the past I’d tried getting a gym membership, going to pilates, walking, but I usually stopped within six months. I just didn’t have the passion for whatever I was doing.
Going to ballet, on the other hand, has been the total opposite – each class is so much fun I can’t wait to go again.
I decided I wanted to start dancing again in December so I began my search around the Chuo and Marunochi lines. I tried five different studios before I eventually settled on a place in central, not western, Tokyo.
The following is a list of the studios I tried out accompanied by a quick review of each. All of the studios don’t offer lessons in English unless otherwise noted.
Spiral Mode is a really cool studio that offers burlesque, pole dance, roller dance, jazz, and vogue (!) classes. I took the burlesque exercise class, a mat-based workout with 10-15 minutes of burlesque dance at the end. While I really liked the teacher, the class didn’t really do it for me and other fully-dedicated dance classes didn’t work with my schedule. I didn’t end up going back, but I had a great experience here. I’d definitely recommend the studio to any woman looking for an alternative and challenging workout.
Took a beginner-level weeknight ballet class and had a fantastic experience. Was ready to sign up for a membership until I found out the class had been cancelled indefinitely. With the only other ballet classes scheduled Saturday and Sunday around 9AM, I decided to continue my search.
However, I still thought Heartbeat was a really nice studio. It offers a lot of classes other than ballet, including hip-hop, Tahitian, hula, and pilates, making it a great place to go if you want to try a little bit of everything. Prices are very affordable, the owner is nice, and the dance space is a good size. The studio is also very family friendly and accepts Suginami-ward child allowance tickets.
Took a trial class here and had a good experience. The studio is small so each student got individual attention and feedback, the owners were both professional dancers in the past. Would have liked to attend this studio regularly but most of the classes started when I was still in work. Would definitely recommend the studio for anyone looking to start learning ballet at a small studio where they can get individual attention.
Chacott Culture Studio – Shibuya
I had such a bad experience at Chacott I’m not posting a link. Decided to give this place a try because I had exhausted my Chuo line options, and figured since it was run by the biggest Japanese ballet shoes and dance wear manufacturer it couldn’t be bad.
I accidentally joined in a class that was above my level and the teacher wasn’t understanding or kind about my situation (in fact, she was downright intimidating, asking me in front of the class at one point if I thought she was scary.) There are so many different teachers at the studio that I don’t want to paint everyone with the same brush, BUT, I wouldn’t recommend going here. The dance space and facilities are very nice, but the studio fees seemed overpriced and the atmosphere was very high-strung. Some classes are offered in English.
Angel R – Shibuya and Omotesando
After thinking it was hopeless I found Angel R. Classes are reasonably priced, class levels range from novice level to advanced pas de deux, and adult classes are held from AM to PM. The teachers and staff at the school are friendly and helpful, the studios and facilities are very nice – I have no complaint with the school at all. I can see myself going here for many years to come! Also, you can use your membership at both the Shibuya and Omotesando schools. I love this since Omotesando is easy to get to from work, and Shibuya from my house.
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All in all, it took a month for me to find a studio. There are lots of ballet studios in Tokyo, but the majority of them primarily offer children’s classes and daytime adult classes. It was really hard to find a studio that offers a wide variety of classes at times that I could fit into my work schedule, so I hope this post helps anyone looking to do ballet in Tokyo.
As always, if you have any questions please leave a comment and I’ll try to help as best possible.
Beyond the Yamanote Line 