The new Google Dance Studio

Howdy all!

We built a dance studio in Google headquarters, Mountain View, CA!

Seriously – a big, big freaking dance studio, with 23 classes a week – and I get to manage it!  I couldn’t be happier (or more busy).  More than half of our classes are taught by volunteer Googlers who are experienced dancers / teachers in their particular style.  Our Google volunteer classes are in such styles as:

• Lindy Hop Swing
• Bellydance
• Ballroom dancing – Cha Cha and Rumba, Foxtrot and Waltz
• Bhangra Performance Troupe
• Capoeira
• Cuban Salsa Rueda
• Intermediate / Advanced Hip Hop
• Argentine Tango

I am so proud of all the Google volunteer teachers – they are doing a really good job supporting their students, planning fun field trips, and getting new people excited about dance.

We also have classes taught by PlusOne professional staff, and we hope to continue to expand these offerings.  Right now we have 2 yoga classes per week, 1 Bollywood dance class with Shaira Bhan, 1 Zumba class with Alicia Langlais, and various classes with myself.  We were lucky enough to be able to continue all the classes I was already teaching at Google (Hip hop, Around the World, and Zumba).  Further, we were able to add special offerings like “Back to the 80s” Aerobics, and “How to dance at a Club or Party: An Analytical Approach”.

The studio still needs a lot of work before it turns into its fully developed self – we want to decorate the space as a nightclub / lounge, and have dance parties, events, special guest workshops, etc.  We are still working out all the details of the facility (changing rooms, an elevation riser for the teachers to stand on, clocks on the wall, etc), but I am very excited about how well everything has gone so far.

If you are a Googler who has ideas / suggestions about the dance studio program, please shoot me an email at my internal address.

Thanks to everyone outside Google who has to be much more patient with me as I have been so busy and haven’t been as responsive in my other classes / arenas.

Hope to see you soon at the studio!

Anna