Patch Picks: Best Places for Dancing

Every week Patch picks the best in Hoboken. Whether it's the best place to get a cup of coffee, or the best place to take a date, we'll tell you about the Mile Square's finest (in no particular order, of course). This week: Patch picks the best places for dancing.

You live in Hoboken, and you should dance to celebrate. Whether you're looking for a nightclub floor where you can shake, shake, shake, a studio to sharpen your disco skills, venues to watch choreographed routines or even ways to exercise by gettin' down, these are the best groove inducing locations in town:

• If you want to learn how to dance, try taking classes at the , 230 Willow Avenue. The academy specializes in teaching ballet, tap and jazz, and offers classes for children and adults, including one-on-one instruction.
• Then there's , 80 Hudson Street, which has small class sizes and can teach you hip hop and modern dance in addition to tap and ballet. They also have "mommy and me" and ballroom dance classes.
• You can also register with the , located in the Monroe Arts Center, 720 Monroe Street. In addition to adult dance classes the large space also offers courses in yoga, pilates and martial arts.
• New moms can exercise with their babies through classes at , 1125 Maxwell Lane. The classes are baby safe but still give moms a calorie burning and strength building workout.
• You can also take your kids to the , Thursday mornings at , 603 Willow Avenue. Teacher Michael Napolitano gets the kids shaking in a fun, high-energy music class.
• If you have kids interested in making dance music, particularly hip hop, contact the Boys & Girls Club and ask how you can enroll them in the
• stages a musical open to the public every spring. This year they'll perform Hairspray, which has plenty of large choreographed dance scenes. The Hoboken Dance Academy also just of The Nutcracker, so check their website to learn about similar shows in the future.
• If you're interested in belly dancing, you can join this Jersey City/Hoboken belly dance meetup group.
• The city has several bars and clubs with ample space where you can dance the night away. perhaps has the biggest dance floor, but you should also check , and . Also follow local dance band Swingadelic during their ongoing residency.
• Finally, if you love dancing so much that you want to do it for a living, Hoboken has its very own marketing firm devoted to the dance industry. Contact and they can offer direct mailing, newsletter e-mailing, consulting and advertising for your studio or troupe.

There you have it. Plenty of place in Hoboken to learn dancing, see dancing, and enjoy dancing. So what are you waiting for, get on that dance floor!

Have an idea for a Patch Picks column? Have a comment or a question about a pick? Send an email to alanskontra@hotmail.com, and be sure to check back every Thursday afternoon.