Discover What Students Are Saying About Darren's Training

Learn how dancers like you found their confidence and achieved their dance goals

  • Breakin' Student Testimonials

  • Hip Hop Student Testimonials

"After deciding to take class with Darren, I was pretty excited, especially since I knew that the instructor was going to be someone that I admired as a dancer. After taking class with him, I learned more about myself as a person and a dancer. Everyone has their own style and within that style there are certain traits and characteristics that make one unique.

Throughout his lessons I felt like I can finally call my style, my own. Darren showed me many ways to improve my dancing. He taught me how to think outside the box, how to string certain moves and combinations for a certain effect, and taught me how to express myself. It was the way he broke down moves as well as the way he explained it that made learning from Darren very rewarding..."

 Henry Choeung

Breakin' Student

"Before I joined Darren’s class, I was a bit nervous dancing in front of others, especially in a style that seems more physically demanding. I heard from many others that Darren really broke down the steps of a move and showed different variations of that same move.

I wanted to try something new so I joined his class! After being in his class I was stronger physically and mentally, inspired to combine moves and try new things, disciplined, or have a better understanding of why drilling a certain step is crucial to cleanliness, stepped out of my comfort zone..."

Ariana Barcenas

Breakin' Student

"The only thing I was concerned about before taking Darren’s class was how fast the class was going to move. I didn’t want to try to do too many things too fast.

After being in the class I came out with a stronger dance foundation than I came in with! I LOVED Darren’s energy and passion he has for dance, the way he broke down everything was also informative and very helpful.

I have more confidence, I have more knowledge of how to move my body in the way I want to, and I’ve gotten stronger. I would definitely give Darren a recommendation! The way he teaches makes it fun for people of all levels."

Steven Hin Wang

Breakin' Student

"The main concern before joining Darren’s class was whether or not I would be able to pick up power moves. After being in class, I not only gained confidence but also variations of the breaking fundamentals I knew.

It really helped me branch out and improve on style. I also had a place to practice cyphering because I would be too intimidated to cypher with friends at session/practices. I liked that Darren broke things down in a simple way for me to understand as well as help me individually when I needed him. I also appreciated the exercises he made me do and got me to cypher in between learning moves.

Learning from Darren made me feel physically fit and stronger. I gained more confidence in terms of going down in the cyphers. I also learned how to come up with choreographed sets and commandos. This prepared me for future jams/battles.

I give Darren a 10/10 recommendation. He is passionate about dance, very talented, and knowledgeable. A humble teacher and he even learns from his students as well. He is not intimidating so questions are always welcomed and very approachable due to his friendliness and patience."

Louna Nguyen

Breakin' Student

"I was a bit shy about taking class with Darren. But that shyness quickly dissolved coming into the class and learning. I was ecstatic to learn a different style of dance than what I am used to; it helped me personally with my confidence as a dancer as well as some mechanical skills with regard to footwork.

The pacing while learning made it very understandable as well as breaking down every move in a linear fashion which also helped me learn. Darren’s enthusiasm and energy also helped drive class forward while retaining my interest. I now have more Confidence and understanding of footwork. I personally enjoyed and still use toprocking today.

I would recommend Darren as a breakdance instructor. He has an open, friendly vibe and can teach and show by example in a clear, concise way."

Steven Wilson

Breakin' Student

"My biggest concern about taking Darren’s class was injuring myself. As a dancer breaking was way out of my comfort zone. Being trained in styles like jazz, ballet and contemporary made me very nervous about contorting my body, as I used to say. Even though I also trained in Hip-Hop, breaking was definitely a style that made me self conscious about the lack of training I didn’t have.

The biggest thing I came away from the class was learning about my physical strength. I always thought I was very weak physically but Darren’s class definitely showed that I was stronger than I thought, not only that but I also became stronger not only physically but mentally as well. What I loved about Darren’s teaching style was how encouraging he was. He created a space where judgement was not allowed and made me feel comfortable. He taught me that learning was something we shouldn’t be sorry for and learn at our own pace.

Darren gave me confidence, he influenced my choreography by thinking outside the box and showed me a different side of dance I never thought I would explore. I would 100% recommend Darren as a teacher to anyone. He is kind, patient and knowledgable. He won’t let you give up on yourself and that’s such an important trait in not only a teacher but a teacher of dance.

It is impossible not to come away with anything from his class. One can tell he loves to teach dance and that’s the best thing to find in a teacher. I thank him for everything he has taught me and made me expand my artistry in ways I thought impossible."

Santiago Rivera

Breakin' Student

"Before joining Darren’s breakdance class, I was concerned about having the groove and confidence to successfully improvise in the manner that breaking calls for. As a trained modern dancer, I feel most confident performing modern dance movement that is choreographed. Break dancing requires a type of looseness and groove my body was not familiar with.

After being in the class, I came away with a toolbox of steps I can pull from for structured dance improvisation and simply the dance floor. I left feeling more relaxed and confident about dancing alone in a style I was unfamiliar with. Darren’s class also reminded me that dance is not only structured, but also fun! I appreciated the way he created progressions for the steps, from most basic to more advanced. This allowed me to pick the one I was comfortable with but still strive to master the more complex steps.

Darren is also a super passionate teacher, it made me want to have as much fun as he was having. He is patient and welcomes questions of any level. I felt comfortable with my growing process with him in the room… he was approachable and non judgmental. As a result of the break dance class, I felt more strong in my muscles and had increased stamina. I also felt more comfortable dancing. It also opened a new realm of knowledge, helping me with the coordination of my body and my confidence.

I’d highly recommend Darren as a teacher. He is organized in his structure of the curriculum, patient and clear in teaching the steps, and knows how to challenge his students at their own individual levels. I had a blast taking break dance from him, and would do it again!"

Boroka Nagy

Breakin' Student

"My only concern before joining class with Darren was that I had never joined a dance class before, even though I had been breaking for four years prior to taking a class with Darren. I wasn’t sure what level of intensity the class was going to be at. One of the biggest takeaways i had was the importance of the fundamentals. I like how

Darren taught fundamental bboy moves in both directions. I also learned about the importance of warming up and stretching and gained some exposure to a lot more moves that I never practiced (e.g. back rocks). I would highly recommend Darren as a teacher because he is friendly, patient, approachable, and qualified to answer any questions or concerns about breaking and dance in general.

Darren does an excellent job in really breaking down moves one step at a time and will slow the move down even more if it is complicated."

Jerald La Madrid

Breakin' Student

"Coming in, I had zero experience dancing and if I were to be honest, I didn’t even like dancing that much. However after taking class with Darren, I had a newfound appreciation for dancing, and I ended up having an awesome time.

Darren taught me basic fundamentals of breakdancing which included different variations of toprocks and basic footwork. The pace of the class was fast for a newcomer like me, but it didn’t feel rushed; Darren was able to break down moves in a simple way for me to understand them. I could definitely tell that Darren had a passion for teaching dance; he was always energetic, and he always encouraged me to be creative and explore new ways to mix moves together.

Darren’s dance class has been one of my favorite classes, and I would definitely recommend him as a teacher to anyone who wants to learn or get better at dancing."

Raymond Wen Tsu

Breakin' Student

"Coming into Darren’s class, I already had knowledge and practice of some basics in breaking. I enjoyed how relaxed the class felt. Because some aspects of breaking are difficult, sometimes it can get frustrating, but I didn’t feel that at all.

Darren broke down each move and would also challenge me by making the music faster or ask me to spice moves up with my own personality, and that pushed me to work harder. After the class, I had a more technical grasp on Darren’s interpretation of the fundamentals (because I have heard a lot of different ways people explain the fundamentals). I also had a lot more confidence.

I trusted myself that my body knew its limits and that I could just let loose and listen to the music. 3 benefits of having Darren Wong as a teacher are: 1) I started to enjoy and love breaking more and it wasn’t just a class I was taking. He reminded me why I enjoyed it to begin with 2) I gained confidence in dancing in front of my peers and trusting in my creativity and artistry, and I felt more humbled from seeing dancers better than me rather than intimidated 3) My understanding of the fundamentals of bboying is a lot better, and because Darren drilled the basics so well, it has now pushed me to push past the basics and train to be better in bboying.

I would definitely recommend Darren as a teacher because he is funny, friendly, patient, helpful, and charismatic. It is clear that he knows what he is talking about and that he loves it at the same time. Having a teacher that clearly loves what he is teaching makes the learning experience much more intimate, invested, and interesting."

Lisa Nguyen

Breakin' Student

“For me personally, I knew that taking class with Darren would give me a chance to brush up my fundamentals of break dance and the basics of what dancers were built upon. I already knew several moves such as 6-step, top rock and baby freezes but I only knew how to do the moves and nothing more to expand my creativity. Yet by taking class with Darren, I got the chance to explore my creativity to a much higher level than what I could have done on my own.

Taking the class gave me a lot more confident in my moves and helped me understand what I was doing with every move. What I liked was how patient Darren is. By learning from Darren, I became a lot more confident with my moves and have better knowledge of the roots of break dance and the importance of cleanliness in fundamentals.


I would definitely recommend Darren to anyone regardless of your dance background because no matter what, with his humor and humble personality, you can definitely learn something new from him."

Michael Lam

Breakin' Student

"Before taking Darren’s class I was very hesitant. I had entered into his class having taken previous “break dancing classes” and I never found them helpful. They were either teaching me things I already knew, or they just didn’t feel like they were coming from a trusted source. Working with Darren really is a gift! You’re getting someone who is recognizable! He’s amazing at what he does.

He not only can break dance, but he has history within the Souther California Dance Community. Darren really takes the time to break down the steps for you, and he’s more than willing to go at a pace that is challenging, yet comfortable for you. If you have questions, Darren’s going to answer them. If you want to learn something specific, Darren’s going to give you the tools to get you there. I felt like I was learning a library of moves, and also various ways to get into them. I now have ways to subtly transition in and out of a hip hop circle or cypher. I also learned various terminology that helps me in communicating what I have learned (i.e. Top Rocks, Up Rocks, Indian Step, Six Step, etc.).

Something that is very specific that Darren uses that I love is his references. He’s good at giving metaphors such as “Dance Dance Revolution” pads from the famous arcade game. If you aren’t used to that he gives very clear and concise directions indicating where your body weight should be, where it is going, and the direction of force/momentum you should be using.

I definitely walked away from my time with Darren feeling confident, inspired, and always challenged. There is no limit to creativity and Darren not only wants to teach but is always willing to learn and be inspired by his students as well. I felt stronger, and definitely understand the urge to train and how much hard work pays off. If I didn’t state this already,

Darren is one of the BEST to learn from. He understands what it takes, and if you are willing to put in the work he is more than willing to guide you."

Matt Olson

Breakin' Student

"I have no background in breakdance or any related style of dance, and certainly was nervous about trying out Breakdance. Breakdance seemed very intimidating, very overwhelming, and very complicated – after Darren’s class, I can tell you that those are all myths!

Darren did a tremendous job of making me feel welcome. He taught breakdance moves in in a slow, simple way without sacrificing learning a lot and gaining great new skills. He is a superb instructor and his lessons are definitely one of the best dance course I ever taken.

Darren is super approachable, friendly, and responsive to his students. He helps you out individually if you are struggling with any aspect of a move, and makes you feel very comfortable.

I could not recommend Darren more as a breakdance instructor. I gained so many skills, and how awesome move to show off to friends who would never expect I could’ve learned how to breakdance."

Andrea Licata

Breakin' Student

“Initially, I was scared of not being able to keep up with some of the floorwork or powermoves because I don't really have much upper body strength. I was also super concerned about freestyling, let alone battling! After being in class with Darren, I feel like I gained a good understanding about the basic foundation of breakdancing. I feel like now I know enough moves to string together small combos or freestyle a bit on my own!


I liked how Darren really broke down moves step by step, explaining every aspect like weight changes/shifts, hand placements, and whether a certain step should be on a snare or bass. Also, he was good at explaining how some moves could transition to other moves and how to do variations of the same move to add style and dynamics. Not only did his class help give me a basic working knowledge of how to do certain moves, but now I can watch other bboys in ciphers and understand how to observe another person’s style of flow, footwork, toprocks, etc. Second, I feel like his class gave me a definitive confidence boost in dancing because before the class I only knew how to do a six-step; after the class, I could do so much more that I never thought I could accomplish.

I feel like his class was like a sort of catalyst class because now I feel more confident to explore other dance styles outside my comfort zone. I highly recommend Darren as a teacher. He is always so supportive and won’t nag you or make you feel bad if you can’t nail a certain move or step down right away. He’s also very invested and engaged with his students. Darren is always willing to review moves or answer questions and he is great at tracking and noticing students’ progress.

I’ve honestly never felt uncomfortable or unconfident when I’m in Darren’s classes and he makes every class a fun experience! One of the most enthusiastic and supportive dance teachers I’ve ever had!"

Jaymes Rombaoa

Breakin' Student

"I was really intimidated when I first joined Darren’s class because I didn’t know what to expect with breakdancing other than the stereotypical B-Boy top rock move that everyone jokes about. I was looking forward to learning how to windmill if I ever got the chance though! That move is super cool. I initially wanted to do the HipHop class instead of breakdancing because I assumed it would be a lot more doable. I am really glad I took this class though….

Darren’s class definitely boosted my love for dancing, especially in this style. I was really confident with my abilities after the class too. Darren is really easy to learn from. He goes through each move step by step slowly at first then increases the speed and steps as he completes the moves. He has a lot of energy when he moves and he’s REALLY COOL to watch dance and do his thing. It inspires you to want to move the way he does. Also he’s really patient when he’s trying to teach you how to move.


If you really just don’t understand, just let him know and he will make sure you get it until you can do it yourself. I’m a slow learner, and apparently learned some of the moves backwards so he set me in the right direction when I asked him. My confidence in dancing improved and definitely motivated me to keep looking for more opportunities to dance elsewhere after the class.


Overall, I highly recommend Darren as a teacher because he is passionate, easy going, fun to talk to and even funner to learn from. If you want to get a good start on how to loosen your body to learn to dance or even just hone your skills and get better at breakdancing he’s your guy. Through the lessons and training you may even develop core strength, creativity, confidence, etc… It’s a win/win"

Leslee Nwogu

Breakin' Student

"After taking Darren’s breakdancing class, I felt inspired to dance more and continue dancing. A few of my friends were breakdancers and at the time, I just didn’t have the motivation to keep up with them, but I decided to take Darren’s class and that really encouraged me to keep at it.


What I loved about Darren’s teaching style is that he breaks down the moves really well and is willing to slow down and work with you if you’re unable to understand how a move was done exactly. Learning from Darren has taught me how to feel the rhythm of the music and to just get out there and dance whenever I hear a song I love.


I would definitely recommend Darren as a teacher because he genuinely loves dancing, cares about his students, and is just an enjoyable person to be around."

Joey Vongpanya

Breakin' Student

"Prior to the class, I had received minor instruction on hip hop dancing, particularly popping and locking; however, I had never really tried breakdancing due to sheer intimidation of the technical and physical requirements. Within moments of the first class, Darren made me feel more at ease. With both an incredibly friendly personality and patient instruction, Darren made the class incredibly enjoyable.

Admittedly, certain aspects were naturally challenging, but even so, his classes made every challenge entertaining and rewarding. Every move, every set, and even just instruction on how to make the moves match beats was clearly broken down. Whenever something was unclear or needed work, Darren was very reassuring in offering constructive criticism. By the end, I found myself able to transfer the confidence I had garnered from my beginner’s breakdancing into other aspects of my life.


I continue to recommend Darren’s classes to many of my friends. In fact, I still recommend him as teacher even now."

Andrew Barber

Breakin' Student