The Sonata Room / Latin Dance Pros Introduce
For dance enthusiasts across California, from casual social dancers to dedicated competitive performers, The Sonata Room, home of Latin Dance Pros, stands as a true gem in Arcadia. This exceptional dance studio is renowned for its vibrant community, high-caliber instruction, and dedication to creating a welcoming and safe space for everyone to experience the joy of dance. More than just a place to learn steps, The Sonata Room is where friendships are forged, confidence soars, and the passion for movement comes alive.
Founded by the accomplished professional dance champions Laura Powell and Brandon Kwae, The Sonata Room reflects their shared love for teaching and their commitment to spreading the art of partner dancing. With backgrounds rich in competitive success—Laura, an International Grand Ball Champion and multiple Emerald Ball Champion, and Brandon, an award-winning professional salsa dancer—they bring an unparalleled level of expertise to their instruction. Their teaching philosophy emphasizes a perfect balance of technique, patterns, and musicality, ensuring students not only learn the basics with finesse but also develop the artistry to truly express themselves on the dance floor. The result is a studio that has produced over 100 award-winning students and continues to inspire many to pursue dance careers themselves. This boutique dance studio is a testament to their vision of making dance fun, easy, and accessible for all.
The Sonata Room / Latin Dance Pros is ideally situated at 210 N First Ave, Arcadia, CA 91006, USA. This highly convenient location places the studio in the heart of Arcadia, making it easily accessible for residents throughout the San Gabriel Valley and wider Los Angeles area. A significant advantage for local patrons is the availability of free parking, a rare and much-appreciated amenity in many parts of California, which removes a common barrier to attending classes and socials. Additionally, the studio boasts excellent public transportation access; the Metro Gold Line is literally across the street, offering a fantastic option for those who prefer not to drive. This strategic placement ensures that anyone in the region, regardless of their preferred mode of transport, can conveniently reach this premier dance destination, making consistent participation a breeze.
- Latin Dance Classes: Comprehensive instruction in popular Latin dances including Salsa, Bachata, Cha-Cha, and Rumba, catering to absolute beginners through advanced levels.
- Ballroom Dance Classes: Training in classic ballroom styles such as Waltz, Foxtrot, Tango, Viennese Waltz, and Quickstep.
- Swing Dance Classes: Instruction in various swing styles, including East Coast Swing and West Coast Swing, emphasizing fun and improvisation.
- Argentine Tango Classes: A strong commitment to authentic Argentine Tango, featuring a unique blend of pattern, technique, and musicality, often with rotating world-class guest instructors.
- Group Classes: Cost-effective and social learning opportunities for various dance styles, allowing students to learn different leads and follows.
- Private Lessons: Personalized one-on-one instruction with highly experienced coaches Laura and Brandon, ideal for faster progress or specific skill refinement.
- Wedding Dance Choreography: Specialized packages for couples to create a memorable and personalized first dance for their wedding day, including music selection and editing.
- Social Dance Parties: Regular weekend social events, including Salsa Socials, Ballroom Parties, and Milongas (Argentine Tango socials), providing ample opportunity for practice and connection.
- Complimentary Lessons with Social Admission: Most social events include a complimentary lesson prior to general dancing, offering added value for attendees.
- Competition & Performance Training: Advanced training for students interested in competitive dancing or performance opportunities.
- Spacious, Pillar-Free Dance Floor: The studio boasts a huge, approximately 3000-square-foot hardwood dance floor that is square in shape and uninterrupted by support pillars, providing ample space for movement and social dancing.
- Experienced and Award-Winning Instructors: Led by professional champions Laura Powell and Brandon Kwae, instructors have competed at the highest levels and are known for their patient, meticulous, and technical teaching style.
- Welcoming and Inclusive Community: Consistently described as the "best and safest and most welcoming place for salsa socials," the studio fosters a friendly, open, and vibrant community where dancers of all levels feel at home.
- Excellent Amenities During Socials: Free parking, a variety of complimentary snacks, a water cooler, and often birthday cake, enhancing the overall social experience.
- Optimal Sound System: Speakers are located high off the ground, ensuring comfortable music radiation that allows for light conversation without ear-ringing loudness.
- Convenient Location with Public Transport: Directly across from the Metro Gold Line, offering superb accessibility for those using public transit.
- Dedicated to Argentine Tango: A strong commitment to Argentine Tango, frequently bringing in "world class Tango instructors" and hosting popular monthly Milongas.
- Balanced Teaching Approach: Instructors focus on a balance between technique, steps, patterns, and musicality, ensuring a comprehensive learning experience.
- Value-Added Socials: Admission to socials includes a complimentary lesson that starts and ends on time, maximizing dance time for patrons.
Address: 210 N First Ave, Arcadia, CA 91006, USA
Phone: (626) 286-0373
For residents of Arcadia and the wider California region, The Sonata Room / Latin Dance Pros stands out as an exceptionally suitable and highly recommended destination for anyone passionate about dance. Its suitability for locals is multifaceted, catering to a diverse range of needs from casual social dancers to serious students. The studio's greatest asset is its welcoming and inclusive community. As one enthusiastic reviewer stated, it's the "Best and safest and most welcoming place for salsa socials! They have such a lovely community! Great dancers too!" This emphasis on a friendly, non-intimidating environment makes it perfect for beginners who might otherwise feel shy about stepping onto a dance floor, as well as for experienced dancers looking for a vibrant and respectful crowd.
The expertise of instructors like Laura and Brandon, who are not only professional champions but also dedicated teachers, ensures that students receive top-tier instruction. Their ability to "teach just about all styles," coupled with their patient and precise methods, guarantees effective learning. For those in California seeking to learn specific dance forms like Salsa, Bachata, Swing, or the nuanced Argentine Tango, The Sonata Room provides specialized and high-quality programs that can truly elevate one's skills. The added bonus of "world-class Tango instructors" and dedicated Milongas is particularly appealing to the thriving Tango community in the area.
Beyond the instruction, the practical amenities significantly enhance the experience for locals. The availability of free parking and direct access to the Metro Gold Line makes it incredibly convenient for residents across Southern California to attend classes and social events. The spacious, pillar-free dance floor, comfortable sound system, and complimentary snacks at socials further contribute to a superior and enjoyable experience, ensuring that dancers can focus on the joy of movement without common urban inconveniences. The Sonata Room is more than just a dance studio; it's a social hub and a center of dance excellence that truly enriches the local community of Arcadia.
The Sonata Room / Latin Dance Pros Photos










The Sonata Room / Latin Dance Pros Location
The Sonata Room / Latin Dance Pros
210 N First Ave, Arcadia, CA 91006, USA
The Sonata Room / Latin Dance Pros Reviews
Best and safest and most welcoming place for salsa socials! They have such a lovely community! Great dancers too! I learned everything from Laura and Brandon from their classes at their studio!
Apr 13, 2025 · Michelle MaceThe Sonata room is a dedicated dance studio. Their current lessons are in Swing, Salsa, Bachata and Argentine Tango. Friday/Weekend socials alternate between Salsa, Swing, Milongas, and Ballroom.The instructors have competed at the highest professional levels and can teach just about all styles. Though they can teach most styles, the demand needs to be strong enough for the studio to dedicate time on their calendar to any specific style.They also humbly bring in a rotating cadre of world class Tango instructors. If you're a Tango student, this studio will save you from taking a trip to Argentina to learn. Truly, this place is a gem for the Tango community. Their monthly Milongas gets really busy as a result of their dedication to this dance.The dance floor is square in shape. I've seen rectangular floors that sometimes have support pillars in the center. The Sonata room's floor is huge and not interrupted with any pillars. Small round tables, chairs and mirrored walls encircle the perimeter of the floor. The table arrangement makes it easy as a follower to be on the edge of the floor and be easily seen to be asked for a dance. As a lead I don’t have to step through layers of people to get to someone in the back.As of this writing, socials are $20. Not bad considering free parking, variety of snacks and a water cooler is provided for free. Almost always someone's birthday is celebrated and so you can also get a slice of cake. The metro gold line is also literally across the street for great public transportation option. Other places I've been to require paid parking or validated parking that doesn't always work. Other places may not allow you to bring your own water as they try to sell you bottled water.Admission for the social also includes a lesson. The lesson starts and ends on time. I've recently gone to another venue where the lesson ran over an hour into to the social dancing time. I sat next to a frustrated patron who was getting cold having to wait for the lesson to end and general dancing to begin.The speakers are located high off the ground. I really appreciate this because the music radiates comfortably through the place without blasting directly in your ear if you happen to be next to it. This means I can actually have light conversation. Other places may be impossible to have any conversation without speaking loudly into the other persons ear. And at the end of the night I don't leave the Sonata Room with a ringing in my ear that follows me to bed as I've had elsewhere.My experience here is mainly from the Salsa socials so my comments mainly reflect the same. Hopefully I get good enough for the Swing socials. Will report about that experience if/when I attend. Until then, hope to see you here for the Salsa social.
May 05, 2025 · Tuyen VNice friendly atmosphere. Great place to learn Latin dances. Brandon is an amazing teacher.
Jun 26, 2025 · Monica A.I’ve been consistently studying Argentine Tango with Brandon at Sonata Room for 5 years now. I can say that his teaching style is truly excellent, distilling experiences from decades of dancing and countless lessons from esteemed Argentinian performer/instructors into easily understandable explanations. There are great dancers and then there are great dance instructors. Teaching what one knows is an entirely different skillset from just performing, a craft which Brandon has honed for his classes. His focus on building from a clean, solid foundation for all his students has him explaining all the nuances and details of footwork and body positions for each step, often using creative analogies to capture the feelings of each step when we do it right. He doesn’t just teach steps, he teaches us the structure behind the steps so we can hopefully realize new steps easier because we already recognize their components. Brandon is a wonderful teacher to come to as a beginner and grow into greater and greater sophistication as your own Tango journey blossoms.
Nov 02, 2023 · Ed LeeI gave it 5 stars. I was there tonight and I was very impressed with the place and the owners are very nice and have patiences. I felt at home. I will be taking lessons more then once I been to other dance studios and I didn't rate them at all.My boyfriend will be going next time. I was explaining to him about lessons and he said U look like u had a good time. I sure did. 👌👏💃🎶
Aug 17, 2017 · Gloria Steele
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