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| - BOTTOM LINE: Soooo....those beginner classes are more like intermediate. :) Also, $5 off from a Yelp check-in deal!
TUDC offers house, hip-hop, locking, jazz, contemporary, heels, voguing, hitting, etc.. If you're looking for more classical or traditional styles like ballroom, tango, salsa, etc., you'll need to go elsewhere. Although it's not entirely clear on the site, drop-in classes are $15. You can get up to a 20-class pack for $240 (this is the best deal at $12/class), or their monthly membership for $20 for unlimited classes at $10/class (which means you'd have to attend at least 23 classes/month, or you're better off getting the 20-pack).
I don't have a dance background at all so I was initially intimidated to try this place out because I was told that some of the best dancers in Toronto train and teach here. But the staff and instructors are super cool and welcoming, and not pretentious at all. Other students I've met have been down-to-earth and friendly. Many seemed to have been coming for over a year, so you know the classes are good! It's worth dropping by if only to watch the advance/master classes go to work because they're so good!
Their website and app are really well organized, which makes looking up and booking your classes a cinch. They also often have different instructors for the same genre so you'll get to see how their styles differ. They're very active on Instagram (https://instagram.com/theundergrounddancecentre/) post most choreos within an hour of the class - I can see some peeps being shy, but you really don't notice the GoPro camera running. You can also purchase specific class vids for 99 cents, which can be really helpful for review (and/or cringe worthy).
The studio has 2 rooms: a smaller one that faces Richmond Street and a much larger one in the interior. I would say that the smaller one can get cramped and on busy nights, and you'll need to be careful not to run into others. Not really that big of a deal though, to be honest. There is also a change room with 2 showers you can use. You can definitely work up a sweat in these classes, so I would recommend bringing extra water and a change of clothes.
Finally, as someone who sometimes feels like they have 2 left feet, the "beginner" classes can sometimes feel like "intermediate" for the uninitiated. But again, a lot of people are probably in the same boat as you, and you can only get better when challenged. I've done beginner's House with Anna M (bring extra water!), beginner's Hip-Hop with JP, Aaron and Shane, and intermediate Locking with Lady C (even though I'm a total Jon Snow when it comes to Locking), and I'd definitely recommend them all.
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