The name Cours George has its origin in the name of its founder, Leopold George, who came from a bourgeois family of Belgian origin. He suffered from the loss of his parents at an early age due to a car accident and was sent to an orphanage, from which he escaped by climbing over the wall. After wandering for days, he succeeded in reaching Marseille and decided to enlist in the French Foreign Legion, which took him to Algeria.
Having engaged in many sports during these years spent in the Legion, upon his return to Paris he had the idea of opening a gym specializing in French boxing and fencing, in the Rue de Tournon, which he particularly liked.
A few years later he expanded and bought a large gymnasium at 33 Rue de Vaugirard, devoting the 19 Rue de Tournon site to dance, including the fox trot, tango and waltz which became very fashionable during the years between 1900-1920.

All the young people of Paris grew enthusiastic and came to learn these new dances which had originated abroad. Then came the war years and post war years. It was in 1955 that his granddaughter, Edith George, who worked with the instructors of the Paris Opera, took over Cours George and made it a school for ballet and jazz, a new discipline brought by the Americans. This school had a great success.

As she had the same sense of celebration as her grandfather, her New Year’s galas gathered the children of men and women of the theater and political world from all over Paris. Big names in dance made their debut here before playing at the Opera.

In 1988, after a trip to the United States, Edith George did not hesitate to start a course in aerobics which was taught with a knowledgeable mix of dance that respected the uncompromising work of body placement and the beauty of "port de bras".

In 2000, Edith decided to retire and leave the now famous Cours George in the hands of her daughter Valentine.

Motivated by the pioneer spirit of her family, Valentine dreamt of introducing new technology related to well-being and fitness. In 2007 the large dance studio became an authorized Power Plate® center for the supreme pleasure of the clients, as it combines dance, yoga, physical care and toning in an environment which has lost none of its yesteryear charm, retaining its period parquet floors and Baccarat chandelier.