Groove Nation is such a hidden gem in this town- from the performances that never cease to impress,…read morethe obvious bonded relationships & close community built, the leadership skills, confidence, & worth built into each participant, to the skills acquired from their warm & professional staff. It's clear they truly care; not just about making each participant, team & show or competition *look* good, but also feel good about themselves in the ways that truly matter. If you're looking for family, for fun, & growth, you'll find it here!

Looking for your kiddo to make friends? Socialize? Gain trust with other amazing adults? Learn new…read moreskills, flexibility, and exercise? Look no further!! Groove nation is all of that and more. My daughter has blossomed at groove nation. She's taken skills such as team work, communication home with her. She's gained confidence, made friendships, & we've gained a village here of new friends! We're so beyond grateful to be apart of groove nation.

I'm so furious that I'm shaking…read more My daughter has been placed in pointe levels at Northwest Dance Project and Oregon Ballet Theatre, both with professional companies. She was placed in pointe this past spring at a dance school in Paris with instructors from the Paris Opera Ballet. The Paris Opera Ballet is one of the best dance companies in the ENTIRE WORLD. So obviously she's at the level of pointe. Last night, my daughter had a placement class with DanceWorks Performing Arts. They said that level 3 is the best level to assess new dancers. Shortly in, her asthma started acting up, and she ignored it. She ignored it so long that she nearly reached a point of passing out and had to step out. If her father and I weren't already there, it would have been a situation to call 911. That's how severe it was. She ignored it because she wanted to impress the instructor, Savannah. At the front desk, Karen, who I found out is the director just now, told us that our daughter could redo the assessment tomorrow night, when she's able to breathe properly. Today, I got an email. They're placing her in level 3 instead of reassessing, which is two full years away from pointe, and, no, they don't do midyear advancements. No, they don't skip levels. Karen said Savannah can tell "within the first couple exercises," which was before ny daughter couldn't breathe. You means when they're warning up?! No combinations, no floor work, nothing. Based on "the first couple exercises," they can tell a dancer's full ability? That's absolutely BULLSHIT. There's a reason assessments are an entire class rather than coming in for the first 15 minutes. Karen said this is an absolute, that she has to take at least two more years before pointe there, which is so wildly inappropriate I'm still in disbelief to some extent. So...are they REALLY trying to effectively say that other dance schools, with professional company, and Paris Opera Ballet instructors themselves, were all wrong in their assessments? Really? REALLY?!! REALLY!!! We could understand a few weeks of 3 to warm her up to this school, then 4 for a few weeks, then 5, which is the first pointe level. We could maybe accept a full term of 3 and then a term of 4 with 5 next year, or 4, which is a year before pointe, this year. But no. Even that's not considerable. They want her in a class level with 10-12-year-olds who are two years, minimum, away from pointe, with no exceptions at all, ever, whatsoever. There's no way their instruction is so much better that a pointe dancer with my child's experience would only be at a level 3. If the dancers there were that much better, this school would be world-famous. But since they're not, there's got to be another reason they don't want her in pointe, or even in a pre-pointe level. I suspect, strongly, that, since this school also has competition teams (which is optional and NOT something my daughter has interest in doing), they don't want her in pointe with their pointe dancers who are all the stereotypical twigs. It's the ONLY thing that makes sense. Knocking her down two levels from pointe would age her out of competition, which, again, she had no interest in doing. So basically this would mean she's too fat for pointe. Since my child is absolutely a pointe-level dancer, this is the only thing that makes sense. There's literally no way two schools with professional companies AND Paris Opera Ballet instructors are the wrong ones. None. All that's left is there much be another reason, and what else is left other than my daughter isn't emaciated? That's actually part of what makes her so beautiful to watch on stage, and it's not just me saying that, but people who didn't know which one is mine. Look at the pics from Paris below and tell me if you think that. Tell me if she looks like she needs two more years, minimum, before pointe.

So grateful we found this studio. Our daughter has been begging to take Hip Hop dance classes. We…read moretook her to another studio and were immediately concerned about their lack of awareness/acknowledgement that we are in the midst of a pandemic- wearing no masks indoors with the omicron variant wreaking havoc. This studio is clean, the staff and dance teachers are extremely friendly and everyone is wearing a mask. We feel like our daughter can enjoy learning and having fun while we feel safe in an environment and business that is doing it's job to prevent spread of COVID. The hip hop class she is in is for 6-8 year olds. The teacher is super energetic, the studios are lit up with colorful lights, and the music and routines are on point! Thanks DanceWorks!

Our granddaughter loves this place. Very friendly and they work hard to make sure all the dancers…read morefeel comfortable.

We have two 4 year old girls who wanted to start dancing this last summer. Through a friend at the…read moregym she talked about how her daughter had been going to Columbia Dance Center for quite some time and had nothing but glowing things to say regarding the staff as well as the center itself. We got an introduction to the programs here through their "Super Hero" Summer program. The girls had a blast and they had a short show to demonstrate what they learned at the conclusion of the summer program. My wife and I had concerns about our daughters ability to listen to instructions and we thought that the more exposure they had to structured classes of any kind would be helpful. We were so thrilled to hear that they would be happy to have the girls participate in their kids dance classes during the school year. We enrolled both girls in Miss Molly's 9:30am class on Saturdays and to say my wife and I are impressed would be an understatement. She has so much energy with the kids it makes me feel lazy. The girls love her, love the class, and look forward to coming every weekend. As parents we cannot ask for much more than that, and we look forward to getting further exposure to their dance programs as our girls progress.

My five-year-old daughter has been dancing here for almost three years. She looks forward to "dance…read moredays". Dance has become her creative outlet after stating kindergarten this year. She adores her dance teacher and always has fun stories to tell after her classes. I love the kind structured guidance Miss. Tara provides for all the kids. Very family friendly and low pressure.

Consistently canceled classes with no makeups and you're still charged, overpriced with fees that…read morearen't clear with reason, and you have to sit outside in the cold and wind while your child dances. I never got to see my child dance and be part of the experience. Don't waste your money.

My daughter went there 38 years ago great school and she is till dancing I love it. She is now…read moremarried with 5 kids still dance like a pro.

Mrs. Walker is a fantastic teacher who instills in her students not only discipline but confidence…read moreand dedication. If you want your child to be classically trained while also learning modern technique, this is the studio for you!

We enjoy Starr Dance Studio and most importantly, my daughter does! The teachers are great with the…read morekids!

Fabulous place for your little one to learn dance and socialize. Wonderful teachers and parents…read more All the kids are made to feel very special We love it - give it a try!

We were apprehensive about moving studios after arriving in Portland from Arizona. We loved our…read moreprevious studio and worried we'd never find anything as good. We were blissfully wrong!! Both my daughters have flourished under the current instruction at Inspire! All of the instructors have provided tremendous leadership and growth for my dancers. Can there be a rough day occasionally? Sure, but that's life! 99% of the time my girls come out of class having worked hard and had fun. This is definitely a pre-professional studio, and the dancers are treated as if this can be their profession after graduation. Their competitive teams are amazing, but I adore that the focus isn't only on competition. The technique classes are FAR more important. Participation in The Nutcracker is also a must! The girls do an amazing job, rivaling the professional shows downtown We look forward to it every year.

I moved my daughter to Inspire because she was ready for a more rigorous dance education. She was…read morethere for not quite a year (one season), and overall, it was a very negative experience. The dance instruction IS rigorous, but we found it to be anything but inspiring. A harsh environment is cultivated, and it is not at all unusual for students to be humiliated in class and made to cry. There are favored dancers, who are all in the highest level, and the levels below that are generally treated pretty harshly. There is a level of controlling-ness (for example, dictating across the board that all students must wear a certain brand of pointe shoes, regardless of what may work best for each individual student) that is ridiculous. My teenage daughter's confidence was pretty much destroyed during her time at Inspire; although she was accepted into three prestigious summer intensives, she believes that she's "a bad dancer" thanks to the messages she received at Inspire. Heavy on criticism, sometimes downright mean, skimpy on encouragement. I don't typically write Yelp reviews, but I feel compelled to share our experience on this one. We are relieved to be moving on from Inspire.