The Dance Unit of Hugo

The Dance Unit is a dance studio in Hugo, MN. The studio offers recreational, pre-competitive, and competitive dance classes for ages two through adult, with instruction in ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, and contemporary. Registrations for the 2026-2027 season are open, with fall classes beginning September 14 and open houses held September 1, 3, 8, and 10 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. Summer competition and fall adult classes round out the schedule. The studio holds a 5.00 rating.

The studio was created to give children a safe, positive, and nurturing place to study dance, with a focus on professionalism, high-quality instruction, and life skills that carry beyond the studio. Its name reflects the idea of each dancer being an individual while also forming part of a larger group, and the program is built around recognizing each student's strengths, personality, and identity while training them to work as a team. The space includes three dance rooms with sprung marley flooring, mirrors, surround sound, and LED lighting, along with lobby seating, large viewing windows, and a sizeable parking lot for easy drop-off and pick-up.

Owner and instructor Lauren Gross began dancing in tap, ballet, lyrical, contemporary, and jazz as a child, trained at Woodbury Dance Center, and went on to study dance, holistic health, and cultural studies at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, where she also danced for Breaking Boundaries, Eclectic Edge Ensemble, and University Dance Theater. She has spent 14 years teaching, during which her routines have earned numerous overall placements and choreography awards, and she also custom designs and sews the studio's competition costumes through her business LTG Costumes. Lauren teaches alongside her husband Kyle Gross, who trained in tap, jazz, ballet, musical theater, lyrical, and hip hop at Dance By Kris in Cottage Grove, MN, and won the national "Mr. Masquerade" title in 2011.

The Dance Unit serves the northeast suburbs of the Twin Cities and is located off Highway 35E and Highway 61. The studio's perfect rating reflects the experience of its customers.