Galactic Dance

A long-established school in Zurich-Altstetten

Galactic Dance, the Tanzschule Galactic Dance GmbH, is a dance school at Albulastrasse 47 in 8048 Zurich, in Altstetten. It was founded in 1997 by Claudia Lamm-Brigger, and is now owned by Antonio Branca, who is listed as the new owner. Its program ranges from standard and Latin couple dances to Boogie Woogie, Tango, Salsa Lady Style, Hip Hop and Breakdance for young people, and fitness classes. For couples it runs a wedding dance course, the Hochzeits-Tanzkurs 1, and it also offers private lessons.

The site is in German only and says nothing about teaching in English. A couple who does not speak German should ask before signing up.

The wedding course

The wedding course page is short and to the point. The course works the Viennese Waltz, the English Waltz, Disco Swing (also called Disco Fox) and Jive into its lessons, in a relaxed atmosphere: "Die Tänze Wiener Walzer, Englischer Walzer, Disco Swing bzw. Disco Fox und Jive werden in entspannter Atmosphäre in den Kursablauf eingebaut." It adds: "Individuell wird auf die Bedürfnisse der einzelnen Paare eingegangen" (the individual needs of each couple are addressed). Registration is online, by clicking the course ID you want.

The information section is more lyrical. It calls the wedding an outstanding event in the life of every couple and invites the newlyweds to dance into seventh heaven, with the course laying the foundation. It points out that the couple is at the center of the wedding party, and that this should apply literally to the dance floor too: what a shame if the newlyweds cannot take the floor because they do not know the steps. The goal it sets is a skillful Viennese Waltz and Discofox in front of admiring guests.

That selection gives a couple both a classic opening in the two waltzes and two livelier partner dances, Disco Fox and Jive, for later in the evening.

The wedding page names three teachers for the course: Claudia Lamm-Brigger, Debora Berner and Silvia Bamert. It does not give a price, the number of lessons, dates or a group size, and the course listing itself sits behind the registration link.

The teachers

Claudia Lamm-Brigger, the founder and former owner, is described as a dance teacher, Jugend+Sport leader, coach and expert. She writes that she discovered dancing in 1977 through acrobatic Rock'n'Roll, trained with Swissdance from 1990 to become a qualified dance teacher, founded Galactic Dance in 1997, and went on to train as a judge and head of a tournament office. She was also active in Jugend+Sport as a leader, coach and trainer. Besides teaching, she says she looks after the guests' food and drink, and her favorite dances are Rock'n'Roll and Boogie-Woogie.

Silvia Bamert teaches standard and Latin, Salsa and Disco Swing. She signed up for a basic course at Galactic Dance as a student almost 16 years ago, spent some years on Latin and South American dances, and later returned to Disco Fox, Salsa Lady Style and standard dances. Since summer 2015 she has led basic courses, private lessons and lessons for children on special occasions.

Debora Berner, who also teaches standard and Latin, Salsa and Disco Swing, took part for many years in Salsa and Disco-Fox tournaments. She describes her aim as introducing students to the dances carefully and very professionally, guided by their preferences and abilities.

The wider team includes Roli Denzler for Boogie Woogie, Mathias Kiene for Breakdance, Anna Oster (a dance sport trainer in standard and Latin who has lived and worked in Switzerland since 2013 and holds a judging license in the highest category), and Hip Hop teachers Sophie Ledermann, Larissa Landolt and Yolanda María Chacón Gámez. Guest teachers include Luis Parra for Tango Argentino. The team page states that students are taught exclusively by professional dance teachers, who lead them step by step with skill, empathy and patience, and promises that after the first lessons you will go home with a real sense of achievement. Roli Denzler sums up his own approach with the motto "Let's dance! Let's have fun!". Every page closes with the school's line "Es gibt nichts Schöneres, als zu Zweit über das Parkett zu schweben und mit den Füssen zu träumen" (there is nothing more beautiful than floating across the floor as a pair and dreaming with your feet).

What else is on offer

The course menu covers basic and follow-on courses in standard and Latin, hobby courses, Tango, Disco Swing, Boogie Woogie, Salsa Lady Style, Hip Hop, Breakdance, a junior Boogie Woogie course, a Pilates and fusion dance offer, courses with Pro Senectute Kanton Zürich, private lessons, and gift vouchers, which the site advertises as the right present for every occasion. Friends looking for a wedding gift could use one. The site notes that its courses run on behalf of the cantonal dance sport association (KTSV) and are supported by the Zurich cantonal sports association (ZKS).

The menu also lists room rental (Vermietung), and the team page introduces a hospitality team called Galactic Eventrooms whose motto is that the guest is king. The site does not describe the rooms, their size, capacity or rental terms. The events page states that no events are currently taking place.

Contact and practicalities

Contact is by phone on +41 44 400 48 28, by email at info@galactic-dance.ch, or through a contact form. The address is Albulastrasse 47, 8048 Zurich. The site gives no directions, public transport details or parking information, and a couple coming from elsewhere should look up the route or ask.

What the site leaves open

The site publishes no price for the wedding course or for private lessons, and no course dates, lesson count or class size outside the registration link. It does not say whether a choreography to a couple's own song is possible within the wedding course or only in private lessons, whether teachers come to a wedding venue, or which languages they teach in.

Who it suits

Galactic Dance suits couples in and around Zurich who want a compact wedding course with four useful dances, experienced teachers with long records in the school, and the option of private lessons. The school's long history, the named teachers and the promise of attention to each couple are its strengths. The caveats are a German-only site and very little practical detail online, so expect to settle price, dates and language by phone or email.