Fantastic experience with Ashley. Amazing Salsa teacher, super personable and she allowed us to film the experience for the memories!
Ashley Mayer - Dance Connection
- 39 hires
- Based in Sherman Oaks, CA
- 20 years in business
- 1 employee
- Background checked
About Ashley Mayer - Dance Connection
New to Thumbtack, but NOT to the world of dance education! At AM Dance Connection, my goal is to create an unparalleled dance experience for my students by offering world-class instruction tailored to each individuals goals with an emphasis on fun! With an extensive background in ballet, modern, and ballroom dance, I have honed my skills in a myriad of partner styles over 21 years as a multi award-winning competitive dancer, studio owner and seasoned instructor. I offer comprehensive results-driven instruction tailored to your aspirations and proficiency level in a fun, no-pressure environment. Credentials: Member Organizations * National Dance Council of America * Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing Certifications * Dance Vision International Dancers Association (DVIDA) Certification * Fred Astaire Dance Teacher Certification * ICF Certified Marriage & Relationship Coach Notable Awards & Titles * United States Rising Star American Smooth Finalist 2014 * Capital Dancesport Championships American Smooth Finalist 2014 * Dancer's Cup Tour Top Teacher 2013 * Heart of America Championship Rising Star Standard 2nd place finalist 2012 * Three time Dancing with Missouri Stars Champion 2009,2011, 2013
Reviews
Ashley has been absolutely wonderful to work with! From the beginning, she was incredibly thoughtful about tailoring our lessons to what we actually needed and making the most of our package. With my fiancé and me, she took the time to choreograph our first dance in detail and make sure we felt confident with every part of it. Then, for my dance with my dad, she adjusted her approach to our limited time—helping us feel comfortable and polished without making it feel overly choreographed. She is patient, encouraging, and such a great teacher, especially for people without much dance experience. She has also been extremely responsive, always on time, and very accommodating with our schedules throughout the whole process. We’ve had such a great experience with her and would absolutely recommend her to anyone preparing for their wedding!
We are so happy that we hired Ashley to get us ready for our wedding. Neither of us are confident with dancing to say the least, and Ashley had us feeling confident and ready for our big day. She clearly has extensive experience and our lessons with her made a very scary first dance feel easy and comfortable. I highly recommend her!
We had an initial session with Ashley and really enjoyed working with her. She immediately makes you feel comfortable and makes the steps easy. Looking forward to more sessions with her!
We hired Ashley to choreograph and teach my daughter and her fiancé their first dance at their wedding as well as my daughter and my husband for the father daughter dance. She is very kind and patient. She also was very responsive when I first contacted her.
Ashley is one of the best hires my fiancé and I booked for our wedding. In the last two months, I searched on Thumbtack to have a professional dancer choreograph our first dance as a couple. Ashley is always punctual to our appointments and has a firm and gentle demeanor when she is coaching us. She also is so enthusiastic about her work that she motivates my partner and I to execute our dance well. My fiancé has never danced before and I have never partner danced. With her clarity and easy instruction, we are picking up a rotating box step, some easy spins, a change of place, and some other spiny/pretty moves she simplifies their name for to help us conceptualize them. I really cannot emphasize enough how professional Ashley is. Other choreographers I looked at seemed really great, but for the price Ashley is offering, you really get a person who knows what she’s doing and can motivate you to execute something really beautiful.
Ashley is a wonderful coach—calm, attentive, and highly intentional in how she teaches. She carefully observes how you move and tailors the choreography to your body and style. Because of this approach, we were able to truly master our dance within just 8–10 lessons. Highly recommend—also a great date idea!
As soon as we met Ashley, she got right to business with beginning to compose the choreography for our first dance! She was so patient with us (we don’t dance) and cued us through movements we never imagined we would be able to string together. She didn’t just teach us the moves, but she also taught us to adapt. During our lessons we ended up learning more than just dance. My fiancé and I learned more about each other through our dozen sessions with Ashley. I can’t recommend her enough! Thank you for crafting one of the biggest moments for the most special day of our lives!
Ashley is a true dance professional – and when I say "professional," I mean PROFESSIONAL! My wife and I didn’t know what to expect, but she completely blew us away. We shared our vision and Ashley took the reins. From day one, she hit the floor running, diving straight into the lessons without wasting any time. She is incredibly detailed and has an expert eye for what works. She would tweak just one or two positions and it would make a world of difference in our form. Punctuality and flexibility were a given; she was always on time and understood the time crunch with our wedding approaching. Above all, Ashley is passionate about what she does—she lives and breathes dance! She absolutely knows her stuff, and I highly recommend her!
As a beginner, I felt comfortable learning from Ashley. Her teaching style provided me encouragement and patience! With focused attention and flexible pacing, I accomplished more in one session than expected. I highly recommend!
I had the genuine pleasure of taking a few one-on-one salsa lessons with Ashley, and I can honestly say it was a game-changer. As someone who has always joked about being born with two left feet, I walked in feeling hesitant and awkward. But Ashley immediately put me at ease. She has this rare ability to meet you exactly where you are, breaking down complex footwork into something intuitive and natural. Her teaching style is patient, clear, and confidence-boosting, and by the end of each session, I found myself moving with more ease, more joy, and even a little bit of swagger. Ashley doesn’t just teach steps; she teaches connection, flow, and self-trust. I left every lesson feeling more capable than when I walked in, and that is a gift not every instructor knows how to give. Don't hesitate. Just take the class with her and have fun. :O)
Hired her for our wedding dance, we’ve completed 2 lessons so far, and it’s been a great experience. She’s very flexible and easy to work with
We could not rate Ashley high enough. She was so helpful and communicative leading up to our lesson, and exceeded our expectations during the lesson itself. She choreographed a dance for two total novices on the spot, made learning the steps so easy and tailored the whole thing to our abilities flawlessly. We are so thankful we found her for our upcoming wedding, and will definitely recommend her to all our friends and family in the future!
Ashley is an intelligent dancer who can articulate subtleties
I’ve taken a few classes with Ashley and she truly has the gift of teaching. She is patient and clear on her instruction. The way she describes moves creates a visual in my head that helps me with remembering and practicing steps. She is a beautiful dancer and her presence exudes elegance. I’m so lucky to have found her
I took Ashley’s salsa class and she was an excellent teacher that made it extremely easy for a beginner like me. Even in a group setting there is individual attention to all involved and I highly recommend her to anyone looking for both a fun and rewarding experience!
Ashley is the best!! She really breaks down the steps so it's super easy to learn. Plus, she's a great person. I've been taking West Coast Swing lessons weekly for over a year with Ashley. I highly recommend her for any dance style you'd like to learn.
I just finished my first class with Ashley for beginning West Coast Swing and I’m hooked! Ashley made it easy to follow along and was responsive to my questions. This made me feel more at ease. This is exactly what I had hoped for. A fun place to learn with an amazing instructor!
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Ashley Mayer - Dance Connection★ 5.0
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