Paradizo School of Latin Dance

I did Paradizo’s intro to Salsa & Bachata earlier this year and am now continuing with their Level 1.5 classes. The intro program was fantastic to refresh all the basic steps along with a bit of musicality. The teachers were really focus on creating a great atmosphere and a bit of a community through a WhatApp chat. The 1.5 classes, especially Bachata, cater to a much bigger group of students. Easily 70-80 on a Monday night. I love the partner switches every few minutes, how thorough the instruction is on every move - sometimes a bit too thorough as I get impatient and would love to learn more steps faster - and the social dancing after. I also love that there tend to be more leads than followers. At another dance school we’re always short leads which makes for quite a bit of idle time. Only point of improvement would be to have air con in the soapbox location. It gets so warm so come dressed lightly or in gym gear with an extra towel and lots of water.

Paradizo is much more than a dance school. It is a warm, friendly and vibrant Latin dance community. The teachers are world class. They have so much passion, and it shows through their work. The dedication to technique, constant refresh of content, and general commitment by the whole team is second to none. Highly recommend for latin dance in Brisbane, and the world. ❤️

I LOVED my beginners Bachata class! So many people turned up for the class and the room was filled with energy and vibrance. This was something totally out of my comfort zone but I’m so glad I signed up. I genuinely had a really good time and I can’t wait to learn more!

Carlos and Claudia are awesome teachers - they're super friendly explained everything really well and always run us through lots of mini-exercises to build up to the main skill whenever we learn something new. They also have great chemistry, are really funny and create a super fun, relaxed and welcoming environment where it feels okay looking stupid at first while learning. I had fun even from the first week when it was super basic, and it's only getting more interesting and fun now that we're moving on to more complex stuff! I was actually surprised at how quickly we're learning new things without it feeling overwhelming. I did some social/dance classes of a different style a few years ago for months and I feel like I've already learned more in 5 weeks with Paradizo than I did previously. Would 100% recommend Paradizo! I did the Salsa and Bachata 8 week beginner courses at the same time and I would recommend that too. I just make sure I do at least 2 x 20 mins of practice (by myself) on the days inbetween classes each week and it helps me keep up with both without getting too overwhelmed.

This has been the worst Latin dance school I’ve attended in Brisbane. While the teachers are okay, the overall community is extremely toxic. If you’re already a good dancer, people are friendly — but if you’re a beginner or still learning, many dancers are rude and dismissive. They rarely invite you to dance and create an unwelcoming environment. It’s not just my experience either; I’ve asked around and many others feel the same way. It’s a very difficult place to make friends or feel included. Sadly, I found it to be a discouraging and unhealthy environment for anyone who genuinely wants to learn and enjoy dancing.