We have just opened a new school specifically dedicated to wedding couples. Check out our new website, The Wedding Dance Channel, for more information on how we can help you create your perfect first dance! Whether you are getting married and want the perfect first dance or you want to wow judges at a ballroom competition, or you just want an activity to share with a friend or significant other, you have come to the right place.
Lorena is excellent at teaching ballroom dancing to adults who are just starting to learn dancing and are worried about having two left feet. She knows exactly how you feel because once a upon a time, she too was a beginning dancer as an adult. In the group classes, she breaks down all the steps very clearly and methodically.
Lorena is excellent at teaching ballroom dancing to adults who are just starting to learn dancing and are worried about having two left feet. She knows exactly how you feel because once a upon a time, she too was a beginning dancer as an adult. In the group classes, she breaks down all the steps very clearly and methodically.
Services
I offer private dance lessons for all levels of social dancing, shows, exam preparation, and competitive dancing for singles and couples. Private lessons are by far the most rewarding and exciting method of learning how to dance. As any good teacher knows, every student is unique and the ability to tailor lessons to meet the needs of individuals is critical.
Reviews (26)
Mark G.
Sep 23, 2021
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Lorena is absolutely amazing. My partner and I took group lessons from her for four years during my time at USC and a couple of private lessons as well. She is extremely nice and supportive and gives very clear lessons and concise instruction. She was also great at making sure I understood the reasoning behind everything she taught, rather than just telling my partner and me to move in specific ways without explaining why. She taught us everything we know about American smooth dancing. Even though my partner and I had absolutely zero prior dancing experience, Lorena's instruction led us to
Michelle D.
Nov 07, 2019
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We booked Lorena for five lessons for our first dance and we LOVED everything about her! Importantly, she is hands down the best teacher, we met with about five instructors (through initial meetings that most dance instructors offer) prior to meeting Lorena and no one compared to her, after our initial meeting with her we knew she was great match for us.
She is the best teacher, she tailors her teaching style to what your end goal is, ours was our first dance for our wedding. Because it was a first dance with limited amount of time she did not waste time on technicalities that our guests would
She is the best teacher, she tailors her teaching style to what your end goal is, ours was our first dance for our wedding. Because it was a first dance with limited amount of time she did not waste time on technicalities that our guests would
Jeff Tanedo
Sep 09, 2019
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I have been taking lessons with Lorena Bravo since September 2012. Across those years, she has taken me from a complete novice to a competitive collegiate open level ballroom dancer. The words hereafter are my attempt to capture what a spectacular educator and excellent human being Lorena is.
Great teachers can ignite the imagination and rekindle a love of learning. In this regard, history will soon show that Lorena Bravo is one of the greatest dance instructors of our generation. An endlessly curious student herself, Lorena has studied and continues to study dance from every angle imaginable
Great teachers can ignite the imagination and rekindle a love of learning. In this regard, history will soon show that Lorena Bravo is one of the greatest dance instructors of our generation. An endlessly curious student herself, Lorena has studied and continues to study dance from every angle imaginable
Jeff T.
Aug 23, 2019
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I have been taking lessons with Lorena Bravo since September 2012. Across those years, she has taken me from a complete novice to a competitive collegiate open level ballroom dancer. The words hereafter are my attempt to capture what a spectacular educator and excellent human being Lorena is.Â
Great teachers can ignite the imagination and rekindle a love of learning. In this regard, history will soon show that Lorena Bravo is one of the greatest dance instructors of our generation. An endlessly curious student herself, Lorena has studied and continues to study dance from every angle imaginable
Great teachers can ignite the imagination and rekindle a love of learning. In this regard, history will soon show that Lorena Bravo is one of the greatest dance instructors of our generation. An endlessly curious student herself, Lorena has studied and continues to study dance from every angle imaginable
Jeff H.
Jun 24, 2018
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Started off with a simple wedding plan, but then decided to go for it and get a video done. The photographer stressed that you want variety of action throughout the day; otherwise a sameness will appear in all their work. So with less than 7 weeks to go and now squeezing in dance lessons?!
Lorena reassured us right away that we had enough time and that we could find a dance that suited us. Even after two lessons, I still couldn't visualize this rounding out into a final product; we were just learning steps and drilling it in our muscle memory. In the final two lessons, that's where it
Lorena reassured us right away that we had enough time and that we could find a dance that suited us. Even after two lessons, I still couldn't visualize this rounding out into a final product; we were just learning steps and drilling it in our muscle memory. In the final two lessons, that's where it
Reed Blaylock
Dec 18, 2017
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Congratulations! You've just found your new favorite dance instructor: Lorena Bravo.
I have been one of Lorena's students for the past 4 years. Because of her, I've learned not only how to dance but also how to enjoy dancing. I couldn't possibly fit all the reasons she's so great into one review, but I'm certainly going to try.
Lorena Bravo is the best dance teacher you'll ever find. She is experienced as both a dancer and a dance instructor; she teaches to your individual needs and skill level; she promotes a positive, dance-friendly environment. If you want to learn how to dance, she's your
I have been one of Lorena's students for the past 4 years. Because of her, I've learned not only how to dance but also how to enjoy dancing. I couldn't possibly fit all the reasons she's so great into one review, but I'm certainly going to try.
Lorena Bravo is the best dance teacher you'll ever find. She is experienced as both a dancer and a dance instructor; she teaches to your individual needs and skill level; she promotes a positive, dance-friendly environment. If you want to learn how to dance, she's your
Erin Soares
Oct 02, 2017
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Lorena Bravo is an amazing person and an amazing ballroom coach. I have been her student for 3 years now, and have taken both group and private lessons with her. She is all you need in a ballroom instructor and will be endlessly supportive of you throughout your dance journey. Whether you are looking to become a pro-dancer, or just want to show off at a wedding, Lorena Bravo should be your go-to dance instructor. I would recommend her to everyone and anyone.
Sara Kwan
Sep 23, 2017
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Lorena is a fantastic dancer and a wonderful ballroom teacher. She is incredibly patient, caring, and professional, and is excellent at breaking down challenging moves into simpler steps. Every lesson is enjoyable and moves at the perfect pace, allowing time for students to review the content of the last lesson before moving on to new material. I would highly recommend taking lessons with Lorena!
Marilena M.
Sep 02, 2017
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I joined the USC Ballroom Dances team last October! Lorena is one of the teachers and she made me love dancing even more. She is very sweet, approachable, explains all the moves in every possible detail and is always smiling!She makes us feel very comfortable and seems a person with very good qualities! Thank you Lorena!!!
Carla S.
Aug 29, 2017
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My now-husband and I were recently engaged, and we were debating about how to learn an awesome wedding dance. Luckily for us, we went out one night to the Cicada Club and saw a group of people dancing, and one particular dancer caught my eye.
I struck up a conversation with her, and it turns out she was a dance instructor! She was so approachable and just lovely, I knew I had found exactly who I was looking for. Lorena literally "swung" into our lives - and we couldn't believe our luck!!
Lorena turned two people with no dance experience into actual dancers!! Our wedding dance
I struck up a conversation with her, and it turns out she was a dance instructor! She was so approachable and just lovely, I knew I had found exactly who I was looking for. Lorena literally "swung" into our lives - and we couldn't believe our luck!!
Lorena turned two people with no dance experience into actual dancers!! Our wedding dance
Dara W.
Aug 11, 2017
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Lorena is a fabulous teacher! Not only does she have a deep comprehension of the underlying mechanisms that fuel movement in dance, she teaches with poise, precision, and grace. She is patient and encouraging, and you can see and feel the difference in your dancing almost immediately. She really knows her stuff and genuinely invests in the development in her students! I studied with her for several years in group classes and then for a year in private lessons with her. She'll make you look great!
Natasha Arora
Aug 04, 2017
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Dana D.
Jul 11, 2017
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I could write a million-word review and still feel like I haven't adequately expressed my adoration for Lorena! Her classes--along with those of her dance partner Jonathan--are the highlight of my week and one of the reasons I love going to USC. While I know her as the American Smooth coach for the SC Ballroom and Latin Dance Team, Lorena is an exceptional teacher for all levels; it doesn't matter if you are an experienced dancesport competitor or a beginner wanting to learn a dance for your wedding.
Even with large groups (some of USC's group lessons have more than fifty participants
Even with large groups (some of USC's group lessons have more than fifty participants
Elena M.
Jul 11, 2017
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Lorena is a wonderful instructor and an incredible part of the collegiate dancesport community here in SoCal. She took me from newcomer to collegiate pre-champ, and is a huge inspiration to me.
Her group classes are excellent and her private lessons even better. If you are a technically-oriented learner, Lorena is especially good.
Her group classes are excellent and her private lessons even better. If you are a technically-oriented learner, Lorena is especially good.
Allie L.
Jul 09, 2017
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I did ballroom for about 4 years or so. Lorena was my coach for 2 of them (for my college ballroom team, no a private coach). She's very encouraging and she won't give up on you because you don't have enough natural talent. She believes that great things can be done by even people without much inborn talent with lots of work and the right guidance. At the very least, this is a very encouraging attitude to have from a coach. Lorena is experienced and good diagnosing problems and seeing what kind of choreography fits a dancer best.
Alison Eling
Jul 07, 2017
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Lorena is wonderful! I had my first class with her a year and a half ago, and I had no ballroom experience. She was so good at explaining everything and made sure my friends and I understood things before she continued with the lesson. I still adore taking her classes—everything I know about American smooth, I know from her. She's really great at tailoring lessons to our skill level, and she's sweet and professional. I highly recommend Lorena!
Jonathan S.
Jun 26, 2017
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Lorena has been a competitive ballroom dancer for many years. She recently competed in the world championship at Blackpool. She's also coached the USC ballroom dance team for many years.
A fun, positive, and experienced teacher, Lorena is extremely qualified to teach beginners, intermediate, and highly skilled dancers. She is very encouraging and very adept at diagnosing trouble-spots. She also has a great knowledge and facility with choreography, and finding the right choreography to suit both the couple and the music.
I highly recommend her as a teacher and a coach! Happy dancing!
A fun, positive, and experienced teacher, Lorena is extremely qualified to teach beginners, intermediate, and highly skilled dancers. She is very encouraging and very adept at diagnosing trouble-spots. She also has a great knowledge and facility with choreography, and finding the right choreography to suit both the couple and the music.
I highly recommend her as a teacher and a coach! Happy dancing!
Eric Gauderman
Jun 23, 2017
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Lorena is an excellent dancer who has competes professionally! But she's really an amazing teacher because she can really perfectly tailor her level of instruction to the level that best suits you.
I learned most of my dancing from her from scratch. Beyond that, I got a huge benefit from a private lesson with her when I had only 6 months of experience, and I got an equally huge benefit from a private lesson with her when I had 2.5 years of experience. The more experienced dancers I know (5-6 years of experience) also keep coming back to her for her excellent instruction.
I learned most of my dancing from her from scratch. Beyond that, I got a huge benefit from a private lesson with her when I had only 6 months of experience, and I got an equally huge benefit from a private lesson with her when I had 2.5 years of experience. The more experienced dancers I know (5-6 years of experience) also keep coming back to her for her excellent instruction.
Sanika B.
Feb 04, 2016
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I cannot say enough wonderful things about Lorena! I started ballroom dancing at USC, having danced a few years of Indian classical dance...but ballroom was a completely different beast. Lorena is incredibly patient and can break down the most complicated steps into understandable chunks. She will always answer any questions you have and work with you as much as you need to help you figure out a step that you're struggling with. Most important for me, Lorena spends a lot of time on explaining important techniques. I've met teachers who brush over the technique and focus on the steps,
M. L.
Apr 13, 2015
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5 stars only, but Lorena deserves an infinite amount of stars!! I started ballroom dancing at USC with zero dance experience. Lorena is excellent at teaching ballroom dancing to adults who are just starting to learn dancing and are worried about having two left feet. She knows exactly how you feel because once a upon a time, she too was a beginning dancer as an adult. In the group classes, she breaks down all the steps very clearly and methodically. There has yet to be a question asked in class and in private lesson that she cannot answer. About a year ago, my dance partner and I started
Miyo C.
Mar 19, 2015
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She's so good that I'm willing to write a separate review. Lorena is awesome with her instructions. very clear and precise on telling and showing you what she meant. Aside from moves, I love the fact that she offers tips on techniques to really polish up any dance steps. What appears to be super complicated can easily be broken down by her. I trust her as a choreographer entirely and she has plenty of patience with all her students. I will only recommend her.
I've taken plenty of dance classes from festivals, dance classes, studios etc. but I must say that she's been the most
I've taken plenty of dance classes from festivals, dance classes, studios etc. but I must say that she's been the most
Kevin K.
Feb 12, 2015
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Lorena was recommended by my fiance's friends for our wedding dance instructor. And boy, she was really good. My fiance wanted to do a choreographed tango dance, which I was apprehensive of since the beginning. Lorena was able to teach me, someone with negative partner dancing experience, to being decent enough to showcase my fiance who's good at dancing. She taught us moves that were showy but not too difficult to learn, and she was also very good at breaking down the steps to make it easier. She also added fun things to our dance that spiced up our performance. I was also very impressed
Aison N.
Nov 08, 2013
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My husband and I met Lorena through her classes at USC and Caltech. (in fact, my husband and I met at ballroom dance class, but that's a different story!)
So, of course, we asked Lorena to help us with our wedding dance.
Among Lorena's strengths include:
- Ability to break down complex moves into small patterns so everyone can learn
- A talent for telling stories through choreography -- her style is the opposite of one size fits all. She can tailor the dance to your music, style, level and venue. We asked her to put together a foxtrot that we could do in a measly 6 square feet of
So, of course, we asked Lorena to help us with our wedding dance.
Among Lorena's strengths include:
- Ability to break down complex moves into small patterns so everyone can learn
- A talent for telling stories through choreography -- her style is the opposite of one size fits all. She can tailor the dance to your music, style, level and venue. We asked her to put together a foxtrot that we could do in a measly 6 square feet of
Amy H.
Dec 26, 2012
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Lorena is that one in a million ballroom dance instructor. Her technical knowledge, ability to communicate complex concepts, and skill at effectively teaching students of all levels (from zero dance experience, up to professional competitors) with deep dedication makes her the ideal match for anyone hoping to learn or perfect their social dancing.
- GROUP LESSONS
I first met Lorena through the USC Ballroom & Latin Dance team. An alumnus of the team herself, she began teaching the ballroom & Latin beginner classes when I first joined. Her patience and organization/efficiency in teaching
- GROUP LESSONS
I first met Lorena through the USC Ballroom & Latin Dance team. An alumnus of the team herself, she began teaching the ballroom & Latin beginner classes when I first joined. Her patience and organization/efficiency in teaching
Vie C.
Nov 12, 2012
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Lorena taught my husband and me a foxtrot for our wedding dance. Although initially I had chosen her mainly for convenience sake because she was within walking distance, we could not be happier with her as our wedding choreographer.
Lorena is very patient and knowledgeable and a great teacher. We knew how to dance, yes, but not ballroom. We felt comfortable with her from the start, and she is warm and friendly. We never had any time to practice the moves she taught us, but she never lectured us. I had a lot of doubts whether we'd be able to remember all our moves, but on our wedding
Lorena is very patient and knowledgeable and a great teacher. We knew how to dance, yes, but not ballroom. We felt comfortable with her from the start, and she is warm and friendly. We never had any time to practice the moves she taught us, but she never lectured us. I had a lot of doubts whether we'd be able to remember all our moves, but on our wedding
Sirinda S.
Sep 02, 2010
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So, you've been watching Dancing With the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance, and you think that you kind of maybe wanna try to learn how to ballroom dance. But you need the right teacher/coach. And how do you even go about choosing one from those zillion ballroom websites where they try to sucker you into huge package deals for classes? Well, look no further- Lorena Bravo is an awesome ballroom dance teacher with loads of experience.
Having had Lorena as my coach for nearly 2 years (I'm an amateur American Smooth dancer competing in the Open/Championship level), I have experienced
Having had Lorena as my coach for nearly 2 years (I'm an amateur American Smooth dancer competing in the Open/Championship level), I have experienced
