Paul Nguyen
TLDR; I’ve been dancing for 11 months now and joined DCD about 5 months ago; long enough to see their dedication. Sebastian and Elisa care and think deeply about how to nurture their students and the community as a whole. The suite of offerings they go through great effort to organize and make excellent reflect their heart and commitment. 5 stars. Group Classes. Ranging from Level 0 Fundamentals to the advanced Cohort, I can say without hesitation that syllabi and technical explanation is curated with the growth of their students in mind. Every class for the past 5 months has continually challenged and nurtured my dance vocabulary. Sebastian and Elisa take great care to make sure that they’ve got you covered whether you enjoy Urban, lean more traditional, or want to flow with your sensual Bachata. They will consider the needs of their students as a whole, curate and elevate what they bring to each lesson. Private lessons. I’m 11/12 privates in. First, Sebastian and Elisa care about your understanding and mastery of the fundamentals more than copying choreography because they’re looking out for your long term growth as a dancer. When you bring them something specific to work on, they have the ability to break complex choreography into core syllabi - adapted to your current skill level. The result is deeper understanding, greater versatility, and heightened creative potential as time passes. To make the most of the private lessons though, I would say you need to have a high degree of ownership and agency for your own growth. Having a keen awareness of your current level, what you’re struggling with, and your best attempt at a self syllabus allows Sebastian and Elisa to take what you bring to them and elevate it to new levels. Performance Team. Sebastian is an excellent artist in his own right and an amazing teacher. Being able to travel to attend festivals and being exposed to international artists and teachers has played a vital role in providing a point of reference of what excellence and beauty actually look like. Sebastian currently maintains, and I agree, that performance team doesn’t necessarily translate to social dancing skill, but it has taught me a lot about presence, trust, frame, and has provided community to fellows that make this journey incredibly rewarding. Special Events. Sebastian and Elisa have invited guest teachers that we students and even they as teachers have found great value learning from. This level of coordination, organization, and frequency is clear reverence and passion for the art itself. These events are unique offerings and bring new dynamism, life, and energy to the scene. It also demonstrates a core quality of excellent teachers: humility, respect, and love of the craft. Similar to festivals, you’ll be able to dance and speak with the artists at DCD’s socials. Socials. Socials are challenging for all sorts of reasons, but I have found a home in the DFW dance community and love it. DCD’s effort to maintain a steady heartbeat with these socials is deeply appreciated. Sebastian and Elisa pay careful attention to pulse of their socials. I’ve had a conversation with Sebastian where he expressed how much he thought about the skill level and enjoyment of everyone who attends. Elisa deserves a major shout out for making the space feel like home with a real sense of community. Musicality. Bryan and Laura - have teamed up with Sebastian and Elisa as mentees but are excellent instructors in their own right. As someone who’s trying to break out of ‘automatic combo lock’ and actually trying to dance with musicality, freedom, and play - Bryan and Laura offered a deeply curated musicality training with their privates. Both have been dancing for years and have competed and won at high level Jack and Jill competitions. It’s a joy to recognize them as a vital part of the DCD familia.
