DNE School of Dance

DNE School of Dance occupies more than 8,000 square feet of restored mill space at The Chelmsford Mills — five studio spaces plus a Ballroom Café on the first floor and a 3,200 square foot Grande Ballroom (36' x 90') upstairs.

It is a non-competitive school with two performing companies. Children start in ballet, tap, jazz and acro and can carry on through pointe and pre-professional work; adults come in through the ballroom side, which runs a weekly open class, private lessons, a beginner series and a monthly Saturday Night Ballroom social.

Saturday Night Ballroom is the center of the adult program. A 45-minute workshop class runs 6:15–7:00pm with a guest instructor, then social dancing from 7:00 to 9:30 in the Grande Ballroom, American and International style music, couples and singles equally welcome, alcohol-free and smoke-free with a light cash bar. $25 with the workshop, $20 for the dance alone. Regulars single out Brenda, who hosts and DJs the socials and, in one dancer's words, "keeps the dance floor humming."

Never danced before? The Beginner Ballroom 6-Week Series covers foxtrot, waltz, swing and rumba over six Thursday evenings, 7:00–8:30pm, $125 per person — built for couples, wedding parties and groups of friends.

A converted mill building on two floors. Adult open ballroom runs downstairs in the Ballroom Café — a smaller 1,600 square foot room with a coffee bar and seating — and moves up to the Grande Ballroom for the monthly Saturday Night Ballroom.

No outdoor shoes anywhere in the studios, for dancers and family alike. Water only on the floor: no food, soft drinks, juice or phones. Socials are alcohol-free and smoke-free with a light cash bar, and singles are as welcome as couples, so there is no need to arrive with a partner.

Wednesday's Open Ballroom class is taught by Debby Monk in the Ballroom Café. The Saturday Night Ballroom workshops bring in guest instructors — Ray & Maria Huard on waltz and Kim VanAman on intermediate hustle across August and September 2026. Brenda hosts and DJs the socials themselves and is the name regular dancers mention first. Adult private lessons run 45 minutes for one or two people and are booked through the studio on 978-251-1700.

Built for people starting from nothing. The Beginner Ballroom 6-Week Series teaches foxtrot, waltz, swing and rumba from scratch, every monthly social opens with a 45-minute workshop class before the dancing, singles are as welcome as couples, and new adult students can take an introductory private lesson for $50 rather than the standard $105.