I went into this night feeling exhausted from the long week and shopping all day. The cold and rain…read moredidn't help much either but you can park right next to the main door easily in this safe neighborhood. I'm a freestyle ectstatic dancer, I dance at three different studios a week and I entered last night exhausted and damp from the rain. As I came through the red curtain shear over the doorway at 7:45 PM I was immediately transformed into a room of twenty dancers doing yoga stretch warm-up. I joined in and soon I was ready for a dance evening like I haven't had in a long time. This venue does the slow start, fast middle, and medium speed wind down. I began my night with the stretch. What followed can best be described as a wonderful warm dance energy where modern dance meets contact improv and barefoot boogie/freestyle with some flamboyance of Ecstatic Dance thrown in. The DJ sets the mood. Tonight seemed romantic and warm with the heater cooking us away on a Sunday rainy night. Thank you DJ Clari, and whatever theme that was last night, bring it back again. You were good, and even though this Monday morning I ache from all the leaping and stretching, I am inspired to write this in recognition of a wonderful way to start the week - recharged and cleaned out!

I've been dancing at Barefoot Boogie, here in Berkeley semi-regularly for several years . I love…read morethe fun variety of music and people that show up to this dance with their fully expressive selves. Folks are friendly and inclusive, and after an hour of down-tempo music where folks stretch and 'drop-into' their bodies, the DJ picks up the beat and the party starts! In my dancing, I love to invite people to connect in duets, trios, or even larger constellations that loosely flow together, weaving in and out, sharing energy with each other, sometimes for several songs, sometimes just briefly. Together we create a sense of community and belonging. There is a comfy couch in the studio facing the dance floor which provides a nice place to sit and chat with other dancers taking a break. And there is an area with a matt on the floor that serves as a chill space where folks can give and receive bodywork, or just stretch out and rest, often in physical contact with others. It's a friendly dance where you may receive a welcoming hug from the person at the door, and find enough space to move freely on your own as well as engage with others. It might just be the place you decide to come to dance regularly and become part of the Barefoot Boogie 'family'.

We came on a Friday evening expecting a fun dance club to dance the night away, as the marketing…read morefor this place promised dancing at 10pm. Instead, there was a super lame comedy show with various incredibly lame misogynistic comedian-wannabes, including one who would not shut about about "B*tches in Los Angeles." Dude, why are you calling women b*tches? And we're in Oakland, we're not gonna care about Los Angeles and the culture there. Most people were just sitting around on their phones. We felt misled and scammed. We decided to bounce after about 20 minutes there, and will seek a refund. They take Venmo as payment, so gonna have to dispute through Venmo. It's kind of shady that they request Venmo payment, and not, ya know, credit card payment like any other vendor.

Love this spot had a ball at the Taurus birthday bash event. Great bartenders and great dj choice…read morewith mind motion

It's a down to earth, barn like music venue with a very small bar and amazing music!…read more Hard to find a place like this in a city!

I come for a weekly Bhangra class which I love. It's a get your body moving and the more you put…read morein the better your workout will be. The instructors, especially Andrea, is consistently welcoming. I also find her easier to follow because her pants are not override and it easier to see the leg movement. Viki, the lead instructor, is nice on email but when I try to talk to her in person, I find the interaction awkward. Maybe it's me but I see her interacting with others. Come! Great music, energy, joy and movement. A great way to spend an hour.

Ok so you have seen a few reviews that talk about alcohol... if your goal is to come and drink…read more This is not the venue for you. This is a BALLROOM studio, where you learn and practice ballroom dancing. Think of ballet studio or jazz or hip hop, you would not expect those studios to have alcohol. This studio is probably the best in the Bay Area for ballroom dancing. Excellent teachers and instructors. I have taken both beginner, intermediate, series, and bronze level classes. I have some dancing experience but my partner doesn't, so he is now able (after 4 classes) do the basic steps for Viennese Waltz. This studio hosts events, which is fun but again it won't have alcohol. This studio emphasizes on ALL levels and welcomes ALL. You can always ask the staff questions before attending a class to see which level you fit into. The area is safe but it is an urban area, so please stop putting 1 star reviews bc your stuff got stolen from your car. It's not relevant to this studio. It's not their responsibility ... stop being dramatic. I don't work for Allegro and don't get compensated in any way by them. I just find it annoying that people post 1 star reviews for the heck of it. This is an excellent place to learn ballroom dancing and compete. If you are new or advanced, you will find an appropriate level for you!

I am looking forward to taking more classes on Sundays! They offer bachata at 6:30 and salsa at…read more7:30 p.m. Excellent instructors who teaches the steps slowly with many opportunities to practice before partnering and rotating partners throughout the classtime. It used to be located in Emeryville but now they are located in Richmond next to a grocery store which feels much safer when parking. I went here with three friends and we all plan to keep coming back at least 1-2x a month when we can!

Finally got to check out Crybaby this past weekend! It was…read more$22 at the door at around 10:30PM. The crowd here is very young but it's a nice little spot to grab some drinks and enjoy some music. Drinks were priced pretty good and they also have a nice little outside area if you want to smoke or grab some air.

Honestly not worth it all the black girls were pulled on stage with djs crew like 20 guys and the…read morecrowd was mixed no black women honestly thought this was a black club just hood music not worth it for black men looking for black women lots of the good music if you like dancing with men but other then that not worth it long island cost $20 entry was $20 nice bartender but wouldn't recommend this place to no black single men honestly

I love this dance community…read more Community: -friendly -safe -fun -relaxed -good people -diverse ages -diverse life experiences -diverse skill levels -welcoming/people will ask you to dance Venue: -large floor -plenty of room to dance/not crowded -fairly informal, don't need to dress up -not too loud -good mix of fusion songs (great for blues dancers looking for something a little different) -variety of DJs -variety of instructors -run by people who dance at their venue & engage with their community/strive to improve -snacks :) This and the Wednesday dance at La Peña used to be my regular East Bay dance diet.

This is one of my favorite dance venues in the Bay area. It's fusion partner dancing, but you don't…read moreneed a partner. Most people show up alone and either ask people to dance or solo dance. Just make sure you get here in time for the lesson if you're new to this type of dance!

Once a year, Ecstatic Dance takes their party outside. This is their fourth year, the format is…read moresimple, come and enjoy. Starts at noon, ends at five. Each DJ plays an hour set. A friend asked me to join him for their fourth year celebration and I agreed. Armed with our picnic lunch from Phat Matt's, we set up our blanket in the shade. From the left, we had an excellent view of the DJ set up, dance floor (located at the Bandstand), dancers (young, old and everything in between), jugglers, acrobats, babies and dogs. What a beautiful day and awesome time. I heart Lake Merritt and I hella heart Oakland.

Great place to come for a drink or a $5 shot!…read more Service was great. Ambience emasculate. Come have a party here for free -that means NO COVER

Coming from a conference, we needed to unwind. My friend recommended this place so we decide to…read morecheck this out AMBIANCE: Parking: Welcome to Downtown Oakland! There's a parking lot and some metered parking. Walking around, the parking wasn't too competitive. Seating: Bar seating moreover, for maybe about 10 people or so. Vibes: Welcome to Downtown Oakland! It is a grit and grind place with a lot of culture and things to do - food, museums, shopping, and community events on the occasion. The place itself is pretty spacious, there seems to be a lot of space for an eventful time from jamming good music or karaoke. FOOD: Malibu & Pinepple Rum (Recommend) A simple drink that's smooth and sweet. Get a cherry for that additional sweet flavor to it. CUSTOMER SERVICE: I believe our server was Mel and he was dope! TL; DR OVERALL: 4.5 Stars. Great! A pretty proximal place from the Marriott Hotel. Prices were reasonable, drink selections were wide, and the energy was good. When in Oakland and need some good Hip-Hop & R&B music, this is a great spot! TIPS: * Tuesdays and Thursdays are karaoke nights.