From hip hop to cha-cha, the Twin Cities offers plenty of places to learn to dance

Gotta dance? Surprisingly, you're in the right place. The Twin Cities boasts dozens upon dozens of dance schools, studios and troupes that offer grown-ups a chance to cut loose and try everything from ballroom to hip-hop to English country dancing.

Of course, the pandemic has brought changes to the world of dance. Some classes are being held online only. In-person classes still may require masks and social distancing and be reduced in size. Few are currently accepting drop-ins. But there are plenty of places where you can take to the dance floor, indoors and out, this summer and fall.

Here's a small sampling of classes to choose from. If you don't find what you're looking for here, get your Google on. Then, put on your dancing shoes.

René Latin Dance & Music Studio, renedance.com

Professional dancer, choreographer and instructor René Dennis Thompson was born in Cuba but lives in Minnesota, where he and his staff teach Latin dance (salsa, cha-cha, rumba, mambo) in the Cuban style at his Minneapolis studio. Some classes are taught in Spanish and English.

House of Dance, houseofdancetwincities.com

"It's an energetic dance form, says Jake Riley, who owns House of Dance with his wife. "It's out there, but when you're learning the moves, we take it pretty slow." The Edina studio offers 90-minute hip-hop and breaking ("commonly, but incorrectly, known as break dancing"). Adult classes, which are tailored to students' experience and ability, include warm-up and cool-down sessions to "mitigate the risk of injury," says Riley.

To Ellen Keane, tap isn't just dance, it's an accessible American art form that helps create community, builds balance, bone density and "brain power." It's also lots of fun. Keane should know. She's been dancing since she was 4 and teaching since she was 14. Her St. Paul studio offers beginning, intermediate and advanced ("but not crazy advanced") lessons for adults.

Ballroom & Wedding Dance Studio, myballroomdancestudio.com

Tom Larson takes a "down to earth" approach to dancing. While he teaches traditional ballroom (fox trot, waltz, tango) at his Minneapolis studio, he focuses on more flexible social dancing, which has "fewer rules, less counting." In addition to private and group classes lessons for adults, he offers wedding lessons for brides and grooms, fathers and daughters and mothers and sons.

Ragamala Training Center, Center for Performing Arts, ragamaladance.org

Classic southern Indian dances are full of balance and grace, according to Aparna Ramaswamy, co-artistic director of Ragamala Dance Co. in Minneapolis. Students of this expressive form of dance "show joy and emotion through physicality," she says. The introductory class, which begins in September, is open to students ages 7 and up.