Ballroom Pros Bring Latin And Social Dance Club To Ridgefield

RIDGEFIELD, CT — A new Latin and social dance studio has opened its doors in Ridgefield, bringing ballroom, salsa and Argentine tango to the heart of town.

Tonja Dias and her husband Randy, both longtime professional ballroom dancers, launched Pivot Dance Club earlier this year inside the Way of the Sword facility. The couple, who moved from Manhattan to Ridgefield a decade ago to raise their daughters, had been searching for space for the past two years before finding a starter location with manageable overhead.

“We put some lipstick on the space—painted the walls, cleaned the floors, added mirrors—and we’re off to a great start,” Dias said. “It’s been brewing since we moved here.”

Dias, who previously served as national training director for Fred Astaire Studios and Dance With Me, the company founded by “Dancing with the Stars” pros Maksim, Tony and Val, had been quietly offering group classes in town through the Ridgefield Recreation Center and Founders Hall. But the launch of Pivot marks the couple’s first permanent studio in Ridgefield.

The studio held its grand opening party in January and drew more than 60 attendees. Regular monthly practice parties, open to the public for a small cover charge, are now part of the club’s programming. In addition, Pivot hosts a monthly milonga—a social event dedicated to Argentine tango—on the first Friday of each month, often drawing about 30 dancers.

“We’re not trying to strike it big,” Dias said. “We just want to build a small dance community here, have some fun, and grow with the town.”

Classes at Pivot cover a range of styles, including salsa, bachata, swing and ballroom. Participants range from couples taking lessons for weddings to parents and children learning basic steps. The studio also offers children’s dance classes on Friday afternoons, with students ranging in age from 5 to 12.

Dias said the focus is on community engagement rather than commercial expansion. Future plans include hosting open-air dance sessions at local events like summer concerts in Ballard Park.

“We love this community, and we love what we do,” she said. “This is where we’re raising our kids, and we just want to share dance with our neighbors.”