Movers and Shakers Salsa and Bachata Dance Academy

Movers and Shakers Salsa and Bachata Dance Academy teaches salsa and bachata in Los Angeles through a structured, progressive curriculum designed around 10-week programs. The academy specializes in beginners—students can start with no dance experience—and offers classes at two locations: Beverwil Studio (9618 W Pico Blvd Suite 507) and Tribe Studio (5156 Washington Blvd).

The curriculum spans from Salsa 101 and Bachata 101 (beginner) through 102a/102b (intermediate) and 103 (advanced), with a master-level Salsa 104 program taught by Francisco Vasquez, described as the creator of L.A. style salsa, and his partner Shakaia Francoise. Bachata 101 covers traditional Dominican, modern/urban, and sensual styles from day one. All classes use rotating partners during the 10-week term to ensure balanced ratios of leads and follows. The academy emphasizes foundations and proper technique over flashy patterns; according to the director's writing, only about 1 in 100 salsa graduates have 95% of the level 1 material in their muscle memory after their first round, underscoring the focus on depth over speed.

All instructors are full-time, professional dancers with no student or hobby instructors. Faculty include Inna, Azero, Ariela, Danny (the director), and Luis Alberto. The academy is trusted by celebrity students including Jennifer Grey (a "Dancing With The Stars" champion), and has provided choreography and dancers for television shows including "Basketball Wives," "Love Undercover," and a dance demo for Steven Spielberg's production of "Westside Story."

Beyond classes, the academy runs a weekly Friday night official practice session with free extra coaching from instructors, open to students from all programs. The community organizes private parties (often attracting over 100 students), salsa and bachata dance festivals in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Hawaii, student-organized social events including skydiving, bowling, and beach parties, and group nights out social dancing. Class videos are pre-recorded and kept by students forever in the Movers and Shakers app. The academy emphasizes a zero-tolerance policy for harassment, offers social dance safety training for women, and maintains a support line for student concerns. Over 3,000 dance students are enrolled across programs, with over 747 five-star reviews on Yelp, Google, and Facebook.

The academy also offers private lessons, wedding dance lessons (the academy serves couples every week), corporate team-building events, birthday parties, quinceañeras, school events, retirement home events, Valentine's day dancing dates, Latin Heritage Month events, and gift certificates.

Your first salsa or bachata class welcomes you with rotating partners, trained assistants helping with every movement, and classmates you'll see for the full 10-week term. You'll start from fundamentals on day one, even if you've never danced before, and learn in a safe, welcoming environment with no partner needed.

Full-time professional instructors include Inna, Azero, Ariela, Luis Alberto, and Danny Kalman (director). The advanced Salsa 104 master program is taught by Francisco Vasquez, credited as the creator of L.A. style salsa, and his partner Shakaia Francoise. The academy employs no student or hobby instructors.

Specializes in beginners with no dance experience needed; zero-tolerance harassment policy, social dance safety training for women, and trained assistants in every beginner program.