Testimonials
"My fiance and I are getting married soon, and Desiree did an excellent job choreographing a dance and teaching us all the steps. We both have very little experience with Ballroom dancing, but Desiree made it simple and easy to follow. She was also very patient with us throughout the entire process.
We took a total of five lessons, and during the last lesson, she focused on the little details so we knew exactly where to place our hands and where to look, etc which I thought was super helpful.
The pricing was also very reasonable. We got a discount on our first lesson by mentioning we found her on yelp.
I would highly recommend Desiree if you are in need of a dance instructor for your wedding's first dance! We really enjoyed going to all the lessons and learned a lot from her!"
Linda W., April 2018
"Desiree was super friendly and easy to work with. She took an interest in figuring out our vision and came up with a choreographed dance that fits us perfectly. We're really pleased with the result and would highly recommend for anyone looking for a creative and fun dance for their wedding."
Grant and Tania, March 2018
"Desiree choreographed our first dance, and she made it so much fun. While we would need much more than 5 sessions to become credible dancers, her choreography helped capture some beautiful moments on photo, and everyone loved it!"
Amanda P., 2018
"My fiancee and I tried a bunch of studios, both large chains and privately owned, before choosing Desiree May Productions for our wedding dance. Not only was she the most competitive in price, she was the least "pushy" and "salesy" compared to the big studios, she was the most focused/professional, and she gave the best pointers (timing, song selection, style selection, how to look more natural, etc.). She made certain that we were absolutely satisfied with the choreography before spending an entire class picking out all the small nuances that would make us look more natural/comfortable/smooth. We were able to learn an entire ~2:45 choreography in the span of just 4 classes + the extra polishing class, which is well below what the big studios recommend (they try and sell you into "getting the basics" with 6 classes, and "getting decent" with 10+,while also costing 2x the price per class). We are extremely satisfied with Desiree's work and would highly recommend her to all! Her reviews speak for themselves."
Bryan K., 2018
"Desiree is exceptional at what she does. Very responsive and incredibly patient, with no dance background or ability ourselves, she was able to construct a great routine for us from scratch in just a few lessons. Would highly recommend."
Matt G., March 2018
"Desiree has given my fiancé and I 2 dance lessons so far for a wedding performance. She is a wonderful teacher and person. Her laugh and energy are VERY contagious!
"For the routine she created a unit routine for us and was able to raise and lower the difficulty level when needed.
Very reliable, clear, and knowledgeable. Highly recommend!"
Andrew Y., March 2018
"Great experience with Desiree! We didn't decide that we wanted to choreograph a wedding dance until less than 1 week before our wedding (poor planning on our part). We didn't expect anyone would be able to put anything together in time, but thought we would try anyways. Desiree was available immediately. By the end of the first session, Desiree had given us (at the very least) everything we needed to pull of our first dance and she was still able to make more time the next day to give us another session to really make sure we were comfortable. Sessions were productive, but very fun! In a matter of 2 days, Desiree was able to teach us what was a brand new style of dance and a choreographed routine--a value that certainly exceeded what she asked for payment. Desiree then went the extra mile--the choreographed routine that she put together required a very simple cut to the audio track. I received an email from Desiree the day after our last session--a wedding gift from Desiree--the cut track. I couldn't have asked for anything more! So grateful to Desiree for all her help in the last 3 days!"Desiree was a life saver for us! We decided to do a formal choreographed dance only 3 weeks away from our wedding date. She was very accommodating to fit us in and make sure we can get something that works for our skill set. She gave us a couple of options on what would work given our expedited timetable."
Jordan D., March 2018
"Desiree was such a pleasure to work with! We found Desiree on Yelp after finding out the person we originally wanted to commit to was no longer available and it honestly could not have worked out for the better! Desiree choreographed our waltz + hip-hop dance (~3.5 mins) over the course of 6 45-minute lessons (1 of those lessons was an evaluation for her to test our ability to handle certain difficulty levels and direction). DESIREE THE INSTRUCTOR: She was extremely patient and flexible with our schedules and not once pushed for any extra lessons we didn't need. Her technique made it really easy for us to grasp certain movements that we found difficult to learn. It made us feel good that she took the time to repeat anything we weren't sure of. After we had gotten the steps down, she made sure we took time to focus on hand movements/gestures and facial expressions (another really important part of any dance performance). DESIREE + YOU: It's important to note that learning a dance is a two-way street: you need to put in the time to practice and memorize your choreography, too. Your money and Desiree's time will go to waste if you don't commit to practicing. Desiree got us to feel comfortable in breaking out of our boxes to do something challenging and fun for our wedding -- it was worth every penny invested in these lessons. My husband and I got to bond over trying something new and we enjoyed every moment of it. I hope we never forget the choreography! We will be sending anyone interested in dance lessons her way. DESIREE'S MASTERPIECE: You can find our choreographed dance here: Angle 1 (youtu.be/N1ODzIxOl88) Angle 2 (youtu.be/oXn2FFTHvQ4)"
Audrey C., February 2018
"With only about a week before our wedding, Desiree worked with us to choreograph a dance for the full-length of our first dance song. She was always punctual and responsive. Highly recommended!"
Jonnel J., February 2018
We did three lessons and the final dance came out so well! We can not thank her enough. We found out at our wedding another friend of ours used her services and were just as pleased."
Simon N., January 2018
"Desiree was amazing! My dad was pretty set on taking lessons so we would have a great father daughter dance at my wedding. My dad and I are very close and chose to dance to Queen's "You're my best friend." For this song we wanted a faster type of dance and wanted to seem like we somewhat knew what we were doing. I found Desiree on Yelp and decided to reach out. She was incredibly quick to reply to me and we got our first lesson scheduled right away. Mind you, I waited until pretty close to my wedding to find someone and she was able to squeeze us in for a total of four lessons in like a month. Desiree was so accommodating, super fun, and understanding with my dad and me. She was super encouraging and playful and knew exactly how to work with two inexperienced dancers. She would record my dad and I doing the moves she taught us so we could have a reference for practicing in between lessons. She even edited the music to fit the tempo and length we were wanting for our dance. Honestly, there are so many things I could say. I highly recommend Desiree for any ballroom lesson you are looking for."
Stevie W., November 2017
"Desiree is an amazing teacher.
My husband and I were not dancers, but after 5 sessions, we had a whole tango routine down.
The classes were the highlight of my week, in no small part due to Desiree's genuine enthusiasm to teach. She got two shy goths to really come out and dance!
At our wedding, there were many oohs and aahs! We had so much fun! We even used some of the spins we learned during our open dance, so we got quite a lot out of our lessons."
Ashley B., November 2017
"My daughter was in the 8th grade wanting to try out for the high school cheerleading team. My daughter had no Dance Experience whatsoever, but she had a passion for wanting to learn to dance. She was very shy and didn't have a lot of self-confidence. She was too shy to be in a group dance class with other girls. We found Desiree and told her our goal was to get my daughter ready to try out for the high school cheerleading team which should be sometime in the summer. Upon first meeting Desiree me and my daughter were truly impressed with how passionate she was about dancing and teaching it to others. But it wasn't only just about dance it was giving girls the confidence to be comfortable with who they are. My daughter only had three weeks with Desiree before we found out that her cheerleading tryouts were actually that weekend. My daughter was supposed to try out with two of her friends but they bailed on her. My daughter said that doesn't matter I'm not going to let it stop me from trying out. My daughter went to the high school not knowing anybody in the tryouts. She told me "if it hadn't been for Desiree I would have never tried out by myself". But because of just those three short weeks 2 times a week Desiree gave my daughter the confidence and felt comfortable enough with the skills that she learned in such a short time to try out. Needless to say my daughter made the JV cheerleading team for San Mateo High School for 9th grade. Seeing the confidence and the skills that Desiree had taught my daughter is priceless to me . I definitely recommend Desiree to anybody looking for a dance instructor or private lessons for dance. If I could I'd give her 10 Stars. ~~Thank you for everything Desiree~~"
Tiffany and Alexis H., October 2017
"I've never taken a formal dance lesson in my life. As you might imagine, I'm not much of a dancer. Desiree provided a safe and supportive environment for me to learn and experiment. She worked with my very hectic work and travel schedule and she was very encouraging and positive throughout.Most importantly, she sent me to my wedding reception with new skills and confidence. I danced confidently, and competently, and it was thanks to her tutelage. She even sent us a congratulatory card after our wedding.I am forever grateful to Desiree, and I'm already looking for good excuses to take lessons from her in the future."
Jerreau, October 2017
"Desiree is absolutely amazing to work with! My fiancé and I have two left feet and she made our intricate first dance look polished and professional. I highly recommend her!"
Lori B., October 2017
"Desi was an amazing dance teacher. She choreographed a gorgeous first dance for me and my new husband as well as me and my father. My dad has never danced a day in his life and she was very patient and understanding with us. She has infectious energy! Hire her immediately."
Katia S., September 2017
"Desiree was a great instructor! She helped us come up with a dance last minute (only 3 classes total). Neither of us had any dance experience but we now feel very prepared for the dance!!!"
Jenn D., September 2017
"Desiree was great to work with. Both my fiancee at the time and I had very minimal dance experience, but she was patient, energetic and made this an overall fun experience. We had 5 lessons for a choreographed rumba for our wedding. She put together the whole piece and was on point with her suggestions and based on what we could do. Our dance turned out great!"
Shaun O., September 2017
"Desiree choreographed a dance for my son and I to dance at his wedding. She planned it, taught us, and we practiced it until we knew it all in two hours. The lesson was stress free and so much fun for two non-dancers. Our dance was a big hit at the wedding and so special for my son and me."
Jane B, June 2017
"Very nice and helpful instructor for our wedding dance. She was also being flexible with our schedule and work with our last minute session request. Highly recommended. We could not ask for a better instructor."
Raymond H., June 2017
"Desiree was an excellent teacher and went way above and beyond what we expected. My (new) husband and I had very little previous dance experience. We had taken 4 group foxtrot dance lessons at another studio and felt awkward and really had no idea what we were going to do for our wedding dance. In 45 minutes Desiree heard our music and helped us to plan out every second of our 2.5 minute song using steps that we either already knew from the foxtrot lessons or were very easy to learn. She is very patient and clearly has a lot of experience teaching newbies how to dance. Oh, and although she normally works out of Fremont she met us at a studio in San Jose for our convenience. Would highly recommend her services!"
Clair B., June 2017
"Desiree taught my husband and I how to dance for my daughter's wedding. He was terrified and had never taken a lesson. Desiree was great! She put us at ease and gave us a simple few steps that enhanced our daughter's beautiful day! He also learned to dance with his daughter for the father daughter dance. I would not hesitate to contact Desiree in the future and we have even discussed continuing just for fun! She is top notch! The fact that my non dancing husband has said it was fun and he wants to do it again is incredible!!!"
Theresa P., June 2017
"Desiree did a very good job choreographing our first dance. She adjusted the choreography to match our needs and skill level. She also had a good sense for harmonizing the song with the choreography. She is great with communication and all rehearsals were prompt and on time. I recommend selecting Desiree for wedding dances!"
Dora G., July 2017
"Desiree is a fantastic dance instructor: she makes instruction both entertaining and educational. We are thrilled to be working with her at Slap Face Coffee. She is a true professional in her field -- she knows her stuff!"
Anonymous, July 2017
"We've had two lessons with Desiree so far. She has been an excellent teacher, bringing us along in small manageable steps (no pun intended) and keeping it light hearted and fun. "
Rod and Danielle, April 2017
"Dancing has been something I have always wanted to try. I finally decided to give dancing a try and I am so happy that I found Desiree. I have never felt so comfortable doing something that is so out of my comfort zone. Working with Desiree is absolutely wonderful. She is so personable, patient, and fun! She breaks down the movements, and sends me home with homework so I can better my skills. I highly recommend Desiree without any reservations."
Helsa P., August 2017
"Desiree helped us with our first dance for our wedding. She choreographed a beautiful dance for us. She's a great teacher. We were very happy with our dance. We highly recommend her."
A.C., August 2017
"Desiree was such a great teacher and super flexible given our short timeline!!! She did an amazing job coordinating our wedding first dance! Would highly recommend."
Mike R., August 2017
"Desiree was a wonderful instructor to work with. We met with her 3 times to put together a choreographed dance for our wedding. She was flexible, friendly, and patient. She was able to create a dance we could do at our level that was fun, beautiful, and was and exactly what we wanted for our first dance. We highly recommend her!"
Valerie D., September 2017
"Desiree is a fantastic teacher with great positive energy. She is very professional and makes sure you are getting what you want out of each lesson, doing so with an engaging and fun teaching style. Go for it!" Antonio C., August 2017
"We booked a couple of sessions with Desiree for our first dance, and I have to say it was well worth it!!! We initially didn't think we wanted a choreographed dance for our wedding, but she understood our style and crafted the perfect flow for what we wanted. We also told her that the music theme was going to be late 90s-early 00s hip hop & rnb tracklist, so she was able to whip up a perfect dance style for us that didn't make anything too cheesy or off-topic. She was always so accommodating with our schedule and location. She also had A LOT of patience dealing with both me and my husband, where the both of us have 2 left feet and absolutely ZERO experience in dance. Even after we got our moves down, she helped record our practice sessions so we were able to take it home and practice!!
Tiffany L., September 2017
"Desiree choreographed my first wedding dance. I showed up as a man without any rhythm or even the slightest interest in dancing. I thought the entire process would be one of the worst experiences of my life. Desiree not only had me enjoying dance on day 1, but I've been taking dance lessons for the last 7 months as a result of her inspiration. She managed to teach me two choreographed dances (Tango and Rhumba) in only a handful of lessons. Desiree is an excellent teacher, clearly explains and demonstrates moves, stays positive at all times, and keeps you motivated as a student. Cannot recommend her highly enough. Our guests were shocked and blown away by the choreography, and that was with someone with no prior dance experience. You will not be disappointed!"
Andy R., May 6, 2016
"Desiree has been really wonderful. We came to her about a month from our wedding, since we are rather comfortable with dancing, we have made great progress over only 2 classes. Still have 2 for us and 3 more for our parents coming up(yes she's able to squeeze that many classes in one month). Desiree can modify the choreography according to our needs and ability. And she also gave us suggestion about music editing." Summer W., May 2016 "Desiree and her staff are awesome. They helped my daughter (12yr old)gain confidence in her self and to be more out going. They have always made my daughter and the rest of us feel like family. Desiree and her staff are the best hands down. Juan Q., May 2016 "I was nervous about beginning dance lessons, but after a few lessons with Desiree I feel comfortable and confident dancing with anyone. Desiree is professional and very enthusiastic, and she made our lessons really fun! I had a great experience with her and recommend it to everyone!" Robert G., May 2016 "I took Desiree's contemporary dance class series, and loved it! I am definitely not a dancer, and I often feel embarrassed when trying to dance. Desiree made me feel comfortable, her class was fun, while also being rigorous and technical. We ended each class with a "mini performance" of the routine we had learned, which made me feel proud and accomplished at each class. I would definitely recommend Desiree to anyone looking for a supportive, positive, and technical dance instructor! "
Karen K., May 2016
"Desiree is a pleasure to work with! She is very patient with beginners and good at breaking down the steps so that a person with very little experience can learn in a fun and low pressure way. She is flexible with where the lesson can take place. We would definitely recommend her and are considering taking her group dance class after our wedding."
Fan L., June 2016
"I am prepping for a wedding dance and my fiance and I were trying to look up moves on youtube, but it just wasn't working on our own. Before I met Desiree, I was nervous about my dancing skills and have little confidence in my moves. Desiree's skills as a dance instructor are outstanding. She is flexible and able to accommodate for complicated moves. She broke down her choreography down to my level so that I could feel confident! Also the lessons are really fun too! I would highly recommend Desiree anyone that wants dance lessons, she will get the job done." Jessica L., June 2016 "We booked Desiree to help us with our first dance. She was fantastic! She helped us choreograph a fun fast pace song and a slow song. She helped us edit the music as well. Desiree was really fun to work with and was always on time. She was flexible to changes and asked us how we feel... "do you want it easier? harder?". She pointed out areas of improvements and areas of strengths. Her fee includes the studio that we used which was very helpful. She helped us remember the cues of the dance so we don't get lost in the song. She is very enjoyable to work evidenced by her ability to communicate effectively, to remain calm, fun, and sweet all at the same time. She's able to capture our vision and bring it to life. Overall an amazing dance teacher. My husband and I were talking about having more dance lessons just for fun sometimes in the future all because she was so much fun to work with, and that means a lot because my husband is not a dancer at all, but also had a lot of fun."
Van N., June 2016
"When I say i have two left feet, I mean one is probably missing as well when it comes to dance. I took a private lesson with Desiree for an upcoming event with my girlfriend. We had to learn some classic ballroom dancing. What does that entail? I had no idea! Thank goodness Desiree was very patient and broke down the steps for me and my girlfriend who have absolutely no experience. Desiree's professionalism and extensive knowledge of dance concepts made the experience of learning dance steps such very wonderful. I'm not saying that I'm anywhere near auditioning for "So you think you can dance" anytime soon. But thru the instruction and break down that Desiree was able to give my girlfriend and I, we didn't feel out of place during the wedding. Desiree has incredible positive energy and is fantastic at insurrection. She also is a very decorated dancer- I may have to take up a hip hop class from her. Not sure if the world is ready for this jelly tho."
Deuce V., February 2017
"There is always intimidation when trying out a new style of dance, the fear of not being able to keep up with class, or looking ridiculously uncoordinated. Fortunately, Desiree's non judgemental and easy going demeanor makes class so much less awkward. She genuinely loves dance and to share her art with anyone willing to learn."
Judy N., February 2017
"Desiree has been an incredible teacher! Very patient, and very professional. I will continue to seek her out for lessons. I haven't danced in forever and I'm already feeling progress because of her hands on teaching style."
Courtney C., November 2016