Took my first class with Shiloh. She was super welcoming, very on top of making sure we knew how to…read morebe safe (techniques and by warming up!). Shiloh's was super attentive and gave me a lot of one on one help and tips, and of course celebrating our wins when someone got something down! The classroom itself is gorgeous, love how they encourage you to record yourself by offering tripods for you to use in class. Would definitely love to take another class with Shiloh!

P&D is a fine choice but I recommend trying all the studios Portland has to offer. The p&d studios…read moredon't look as nice as other studios (not as cute, vibes are dull). Most of all people at p&d are extremely cliquey. Do not come here if you are trying to build community. You will notice they do have a nice community but it is closed off and not inviting.

BIPOC PROGRAM... WHAT THEY WON'T TELL YOU: Months ago after watching their Nightmare Before…read moreChristmas event, I looked into their dance studio and learned about a BIPOC Program they offer. All I knew about it was there was a waitlist. So when over half a year goes by and we get the call that we've been asked to "audition" for their program, I had trepidations because the fact that an audition was required for my 3 year old to do a dance class meant for toddlers seemed elitist to me. If I knew there was going to be an audition for this program from the beginning I would have never waited with baited breath for them to contact me. But since it was focusing on BIPOC students and we had waited so long I figured maybe we shouldn't miss this opportunity. In the audition they are looking to see if your kid can take direction but even more they want to make sure your kiddo can be away from you. More on this topic soon... So we paid the sliding scale tuition and were ready to commit to 10 months of Sunday morning classes. Oh yea.. they never mentioned until after we were enrolled that the schedule is from 9:30-11:15 and that it's two 45 min. classes! Tap and ballet/creative movement. My daughter definitely did not want to do tap class and I would have never signed up for this class but it was part of their program and we had no choice. So day 1 of tap... was a disaster. Lots of fetal positioning, leaving the room, off to the corner, hands over her ears, looking for me, leaving the room again... yea it didn't go well. Quick 15 min. break and then my poor toddler was at it again in ballet. She was a little more energized for this class as there was less banging sounds now and the teacher incorporated some games. So I was hopeful that maybe if we toughed it through the tap and just made it to ballet we could get through 10 months of this. Well after about class 3 of her demonstrating the same behaviors, the studio sends us an email. Not only us, we learned that many parents got this same email, and when talking to the parents the wording was almost identical..."child's behavior is disrupting the flow of class...." Also, if you're sending the same email to multiple families, maybe it's your program and not the kids? All of us parents who talked about getting this email were full of anxiety and stress and were not feeling good at all about their experience with the program. The final straw for me came on the 6th dance class after talking to the families and learning that folks were getting reprimanded for walking into the room to help their kiddo who was having a mini-crisis/meltdown and then the tap teacher repeatedly yelled at my child to "shut the door behind her" as she was leaving the room due to stress. And I watched as the tap teacher told a parent to leave their child alone while they were comforting them at the door, encouraging them to enter the room. That was the last straw and we quit that day. I'm sharing this not to give StepsPDX a bad review but honestly for the families interested in this program. You have to know what's coming if you invest your time. I wish I did.

Came here on a Sunday for Dance Church with some friends, which might sound weird but was really…read moreamazing and fun (google it!). Class starts at 10am and online they say you should arrive 15 minutes early. We did this and no one else was there and we were told we arrived much earlier than people normally do. We got coffee around the corner and came by at 9:57am and now there were a few people present. We paid for our class (card accepted), and put things away in the cubbies. There was NO WATER available which is a big deal for a dance class. There was a water cooler but it was empty. Class was awesome, with good music and great energy. I'd highly recommend it. There were probably about 40-50 people there. It felt very freeing to be able to move however I wanted to, but also helpful to have some guidance / reminders about moving my hands or arms. Class wrapped up by 11:30am. The space is bright and open and clean. Street parking nearby was easy. I'd be happy to come back.

First timer. Great introductory hour long dance class to master the basics. Second hour was a party.read more

This is a review for the lessons, not the Sunday swing. We…read morewent to a "Lindy 101" lesson from stumptown that was $25 each and two hours long and barely even danced the basic to music by the end. It was painfully slow, way over explained and allowed almost no practice-just a lot of the instructor talking. I don't feel like anyone there who didn't walk in already knowing how to do Lindy left with the ability to try Lindy outside of a classroom setting. It felt like a swindle honestly. I've been to a lot of lessons from many teachers and this was by far the least useful. Mindy is really nice and she knows her stuff in how to dance but, she is not a great teacher (at least not in large group setting) and the lesson was way overpriced for what it was. Everything taught in that lesson could have been covered in about 20mins. Just go to the pre dance lessons on Sunday and you'll be better off, or look on YouTube and then just go dance!

My daughter took the trails lessons here recently and she loves it! Miss Claire and Miss Michael…read morewho are teaching ballet class are both really professional and deliciated themself to teach. The dancers in the class are really sweet and friendly to new student. Miss Brook and Miss Bethany are very nice too. Unfortunately we can not join this year due to calendar conflict, but I want to share the great experience with people who don't know this place.

My daughter attended ballet classes here for 3 semesters, from summer 2019 to winter 2020. We had…read morethe best experience. Everything is managed well. The classes were great fun. Especially in winter 2020, when classes went online, they tried to make it the smoothest transition. They went above and beyond in still working on an year-end performance and giving kids a chance to have a red carpet experience still, one kid at a time, in a totally socially distanced manner. I was very touched by their efforts.

LOVING THIS PLACE. I've only had 3 private lessons and three group lessons so far, but I love this…read moreplace. The hubby and I came in with zero experience and are having a great time! We're getting better and better, and dance moves are starting to feel more natural. The place is very inclusive, body positive, super friendly, nonjudgmental...all of the things you need. And it does work! I am learning how to dance. When I mess up, they don't care, when I nail a move, everyone cheers. This is the place for positive-reinforcement, for shy folks to come out of their shells! In addition to group and private lessons, there's also plenty of parties they host on site for you to practice what you've learned. My hustle and waltz skills aren't yet what I'd want to do out and about, so it's great to have a safe space to practice and enjoy myself!

Our experience here was a mixed bag - everybody was great with one exception…read more Everything went pretty well except for the exception. It ended due to that exception in an rather awkward manner that could have gone down hill pretty fast.

Miss Ella's dance classes and camps are super fun and educational. My daughter has flourished since…read morestarting ballet class last fall. She's more confident, has better listening skills, and most importantly, has learned to have so much fun in a structured environment. She looks forward to the classes every week. We recently did a week long summer camp and it was tremendous! I can't recommend Miss Ella's classes enough. She loves children and education and it really shines through in all she does.

Our daughter experienced her first summer camp ever with Miss Bella this summer. Today after a week…read moreof this amazing camp, we tooled her to concerts on Main in downtown. My wife and I were surprised by her new dan e moves, and how happy she was of dancing, and being on stage. I asked our daughter if she liked her dancing classes, and her response was Yes i loved it. We can't wait to have her on the next class!

It's an old building and was hard to find the entrance. Once you're in, you'll need to head…read moreupstairs. That's where Lenora's room is. There's an area to put your coat in before the main room. Bathrooms are located there too. The main room is spacious and there are seats by the windows to rest your feet. There are also benches along the back wall, but they were creaky and teeter tottered. I think they could update the benches / seats sooner than later. The floor is hardy wood. Not too slick or sticky. The sound system for the holiday blues dance was loud enough that we could still talk with our dance partner and understand each other. All too often music at these types of dance don't match the acoustics of the room, but Lenora's was just right.

I'm more qualified to review "Tuesday Blues" which occurs at Lenora's room every.... well, Tuesday,…read morefrom 9pm-12:30ish. The intermediate lesson is at 7:30 and the beginning lesson follows at 8:30. $6 gets you in for the whole night-- lessons and all! But you can also come at anytime and skip the lessons if you prefer. More info at http://pdxblues.com/tuesdayblues.html. Check it out! Your next question is probably "what is blues dancing?" That's a difficult question to answer-- i suggest you you-tube it to find out. After you do that be sure and search "portland blues dancing" and "seattle blues dancing" to get the feel of the local flave. It's basically a very intimate partner dance (a lead-follow type of deal), totally improvised and no set moves. Anyway about the venue-- it is very nice-- large, spacious, open, high ceilings, windows, a couple of little side rooms for lounging and whatnot. Good acoustics. The sink in the women's bathroom has only fallen off the wall once since I've been going there, so really I can't complain. It can often be too cool or too hot, but you can't please everyone, especially when people are dancing and gettin all sweaty and stuff. It seems kind of sketch the fist time you go-- you have to go through a random unmarked door (save for the paper sign posted on it) around the corner under the Melody Club, and then go up 3 flights of stairs. But it's not sketchy once you get up there, don't worry. Like I say I've only gone to blues dancing there, but it's a nice place and would be a great venue for events or bands or parties, too.

I wanted to take the time to praise the Oregon Ballet School for the wonderful year we've had. I…read morefound the school last year after an Internet search and a couple interviews for a new ballet situation for my daughter. We couldn't be more pleased with Leslie Baird's instruction. Her classes are rigorous, disciplined, and focused which is what my daughter wanted. Leslie uses the Royal Academy Syllabus from England, and the students are annually tested by judges. It is a demanding program, but rewarding for the serious ballet dancer. Leslie is so amazingly dedicated to her students and their progress! It is well worth the one hour drive we make to get there! Anna Marie

Teacher Leslie is a wonderful ballet teacher, her passion for ballet is infectious. She knows how…read moreto be supportive and demanding. Teacher Leslie has high standards for her students, but more importantly she knows how to raise the "bar" just enough that each lesson is a challenge and a success for her students.