My wife and I have been going for several months now and feel much more comfortable actually dancing in a public space than we ever had before, we were goofy and silly, but did not know how to do anything graceful. I would not say that we are experts yet, but we certainly are able to engage in something extremely fun and the instructors are half the reason we keep coming back. They are so engaging and helpful to see the tiny things that we can adjust to get that much better, and they make every class extremely fun. We were also intimidated at first to go to the parties, but the fact that they do these relatively short and focused events is awesome. People who know how (instructors, student la who are maybe a little further along) invite you to go out and do things that you would probably otherwise hesitate to if it wasn't in a venue designed for learning. I know it sounds weird to compare it but it has a lot of the same dynamic that a great jiu jitsu academy does with people taking it easy on you when you are a beginner and letting you learn from their experience whether it is just a bit ahead of you or with a whole lifetime of training they can share. I would never have gotten my feet off the ground otherwise. Excellent experience and I am always excited to go in the evening after work. read more

Fred Astaire Dance Studios - Dance Studios Near Me - Lake Oswego, Oregon

Great Classy people. I would say this is one of the most upscale studios I have seen. Love it.

Very inclusive and supportive environment. The staff is immensely encouraging and positive! Very happy with my experience here, and I highly recommend the studio to anyone interested in dancing. read more

We had an awesome two classes here with instructor Sam. She was completely great with us first timers, we had a lot of fun and learned a LOT. We got through the basic steps of 7 dances in less than two hours and I'd love to go back and pick a couple favorites to dig deeper into. They had one big ballroom floor that multiple couples &teachers were practicing on at once. Lots of space, big and airy, seemed to be masks optional (I still prefer masks). They had a water refill station and a little sitting area with a bar- this was not in service during our lesson lol. All in all a great space and great teacher, will go back! read more

IMPORTANT NOTE: I'm a dance novice --- never taken lessons anywhere but here. I've been taking lessons here for a few months now. I never did any ballroom dancing at all before coming. I'd have to say I feel pretty good now, after only a short time! I LOVE the way they offer the students an array of types of classes to attend. The students get private lessons, group lessons at the beginner level & at the intermediate level, practice parties with other students, & a guest party each week. I'm not limited to just one type of group lesson or only a certain amount per week. I can attend as much as I want with my package! One of the things I LOVE is that the teachers rotate for the group classes so I learn from different people, who are all FANTASTIC & make it loads of fun, & it helps me understand what're the core, most important elements of the dance that I need to focus on & what's more a styling choice. Plus the different teachers each notice a different element about MY dancing that can use improvement, so I get variation on fine tuning my own style while rapidly improving the most important elements of the basics of the dance. Then I get to really focus on the main thing I need to really work on in my private lesson with my primary instructor who knows me best. THE GROUP LESSONS offer two dances in each class & are 45 minutes. Here the students constantly switch partners & the teacher participates in the dancing, so the students get a real feel for their own moves & consistent situations in moves as well as how varied the world of dance is with others. The intermediate lesson starts right after the beginner lesson ends & usually the intermediate lesson of the same day focuses on the same two dances, so I can get an hour & a half of focused work, first on the basics of the core principles of the dance & then at an advanced level, (ie: a special move like a turn or fine tuning for more ease & grace, the way a pro does it.) THE PRIVATE LESSON is initially a spread of six dances: The Fox Trot, The Waltz, The East Coast Swing, The Tango, and The Cha Cha, The Rumba. The student will learn initial basic steps & learn about form & the partnership of dancing as well as timing & rhythm in music for the dances. Then as the student improves, the private lessons focus more on the more advanced elements of the dances including extra moves & the specific dances the student prefers. The instructor, regardless of which one you have, ALWAYS makes it fun! Everyone I see in a lesson is having a blast. They work with couples too & the instructors can dance the part of either gender in any dance perfectly so they'll demonstrate what your part is supposed to look like regardless of which you're doing. REGARDING COST... The intro package is an AMAZING deal! $20 for 3 classes!!! The cost is a little high for the student packages, compared to other hobbies, but they've been known to work with people on a payment plan, so don't let that stop you from dancing! If you take advantage of the classes, IT'S A STEAL! Some people have 3 lessons a week... others have 2 lessons a month... obviously their monthly cost is going to vary dramatically depending on their choice. You choose. It is hard to keep up though without the consistency of attending. I'm liable to lose what I've learned & waste my lessons relearning if I skip a week, so they encourage people to have a lesson a week. The point is... They want the whole world to be able to dance IF THEY WANT TO. It's like an addiction... & You choose how much or how little you indulge. :}- If I had to pick ONE negative thing about this place I'd say the parking - WHAT A JOKE!!! I've missed 2 lessons completely because of this & been late to 5-6 classes, & this is when I KNOW it's an issue. The studio is in a prime area of NW Portland, so it's convenient & nice, but I've got to plan about an extra half hour of time to FIND a spot, then WALK just to be on time, otherwise I won't be able to get parking. One cool thing though is that when I missed those lessons because too much time had passed & it would have wasted my lesson to go through with it, they didn't charge me for it out of my package. They just rescheduled with a smile & said, "Yeah, I know it sucks!" They're really easy to work with. read more

The teachers here are excellent. They can make anyone look good. When you start here you will want to take as many group lessons as you can because they are as long as you are taking private lessons. That way you get more bang for your buck. The price is one reason I didn't give them 5 stars. Not only are the private lessons expensive, they charge high prices for party food etc. The other reason I didn't give them five stars is one of the teachers occasionally smokes right in front of the front door. read more

Ever dream about learning to ballroom dance? Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Lake Oswego is the BEST place to go. It is a friendly, warm, fun and non intimidating place to go, guarantee you will love it. We have going for two years and dance is now one of our favorite things to do. We look forward to our private lessons, group classes and the Friday night dance party. The other students are awesome too and we have made many new friends. The instructors and staff are incredibly gifted and terrific teachers that will have you dancing around the floor the first night. read more

Really fantastic teachers, absolutely stunning studio. We haven't come back because we moved across country, you won't regret checking this place out! read more

My boyfriend and I signed up for a special intro package ($25/each for 2 privates, 1 group lesson). We thought it'd be a fun and relaxing way to spend time together. The first lesson involved learning the basics of 3 dances. It was perfectly fine, even though the instructor kept stopping to introduce us to the strange cast of characters that seem to hang around the studio. The second lesson was TERRIBLE. We learned another 3 dances, but the instructor spent the entire time hard-selling us on signing up for their $199 intro package. "Pick your 3 dances, pick your 3 dances!" he kept reminding us. With the harsh lighting, the same cast of characters swirling around us, odd music, and total emotional exposure of trying to dance together for the first time ever, it felt like we were in an alternate reality staffed by cylons. Super stressful! We told him we'd think about it and ran the hell out of there as fast as we could. We got home shaking from the stress of it all. If you aspire to be an uber-tanned, bleach-blonde pro ballroom dancer, I suppose this is the studio for you. But if you want anything less than that, stay far, far away. read more

Shame on Fred Astaire portland...Dance is an inclusive and joyful experience for all...except at this studio. They do not welcome newcomers and would not let me take a group class because they were afraid I would slow the class down. They made the decision that I was not good enough based on nothing. Although Im a four time champion pro am dancer with a world ranking still not good enough. As a public figure part of my mission is to encourage others to try new things. I will be sure to let my dance community know this is not a place to train and I will alert my agent to not send people here. I can't think when Ive been so hurt...especially by other dancers...shame on you Fred Astaire Portland read more

The instructors and staff are friendly and fun. I like the drop-in nature of the group class schedule, and that the private lessons are flexible as well. It's totally non-intimidating and a fun atmosphere. The Altoids on the tables are a nice touch. :) The only drawback I can see is that it's a little pricey--it's not unreasonable, but their system is based on private lessons, so there's, unfortunately, not a less expensive option for those who aren't sure yet if they're serious about dance. The intro package is a great way to get a taste of the dances and the teaching methods. read more

Purchased a Groupon on to Fred Astaire Dance Studios. Supposed to get 2 private lessons, 2 group lessons, and 1 dance party. First private lesson was an overview of approx. 6 different types of dances (foxtrot, tango, swing, etc.). Went to second private lesson. EXACT same as the first - just a recap of the dances with nothing else. Was expecting to set up our next date for our first group class and was told that we were done and if we wanted to continue dancing we needed to buy one of their packages. Put the HARD sell on us. Finally we just said we'd think about it to get the hell out of there. Obviously we're not getting the group classes we paid for and am not buying anything further from this company. read more

i was listening to a song called fred astaire and passed by this without knowing of its existence. i'm pretty scared now.

Similar experience to Susan N: had purchased a Groupon for 2 private lessons, 2 group lessons, and one dance party. Private lessons are only 40 minutes in length so we flew through the 6 dance overview spending only about five minutes on each. The last 10 minutes was spent trying to sell us packages for future dance lessons which were surprisingly expensive. Second lesson we focused on two dances which was better, but it was unnerving having the instructor constantly remind us how much time was time was left in our lesson ("Three more minutes before we move on to the tango!" What if we hadn't learned the waltz yet??). We were also assured that this was a "competitive" studio, which, since we don't plan on competing on Dancing with the Stars, really wasn't important to us. End of the second class was once again spent trying to sell us further lessons. We felt like we were dealing with a timeshare salesman who absolutely would not take no for an answer. We collected our things and bolted out of there, knowing we wouldn't come back for the group lessons because we didn't want to be subjected to the sales pressure again. It was a real shame because the dancing itself was fun. We expected a relaxing, enjoyable experience and this was far from it. We figured that the dance instructor/salesman was evaluated on how many Groupon customers converted to regular students. Should have listened to our friends and gone to Viscount Dance Studio instead. read more

My husband and I have been wanting to take ballroom dance classes for a while now, so when a Living Social deal came up, we jumped on it. And what a deal it was: 3 private and 3 group lessons for my husband and me for $50! Overall, this is a great studio with top notch instructors who are truly passionate about dancing and teaching dance to others. We've been taking classes for a couple of months now and have learned a ton, and our improvement is noticeable. Moreover, the studio community has been very welcoming, with free practice dance "parties" on Fridays and lots of encouragement. And let me say again, the instructors are truly great. However, there are some drawbacks, especially for certain people. First, you have to be somewhat committed in time and financially. After that great Living Social deal was used up, it got pretty pricey, especially once we bumped up a level. And the prices are not really displayed, nor do they really tell you the prices up front; rather, you find out as they eagerly sign you up for more classes. My husband and I have had to do a gut check about our commitment, purely from a financial perspective. Because this is a priority for us, we're happy to continue with classes (and cut out other expenses :), but I could see this being a deal-breaker for some. And the time commitment is no joke. The studio is NOT open on weekends, so if you have a 9 to 5, all your classes are after work on week nights, and then if you throw in the Friday parties, you end up spending quite a bit of time there. BUT, if you want to actually learn to dance, a skill you'll have and enjoy for the rest of your life (we've already showed off at weddings!), it is well worth it. If you're just looking to pick up a move or two or take a cheap class now and then, this might not be your place. After a bit of re-budgeting we're very happy to be learning from the best. read more

My husband and I took an introductory series and learned the basic steps of five different dances. It was a great way to see what we liked and what we didn't. My husband was apprehensive at first, but was definitely more comfortable by the end of the series. He will even dance with me more now! Jan and her staff are fun and make you feel totally comfortable. read more

Horrible! I would give them no stars if possible. I will never go here again. We planning to take lessons here for our wedding and it was simply a terrible experience. Every lesson felt like a sales pitch rather than an effort to teach us something enjoyable for our special day. We ended up going to a different instructor by the name of Ted Roe, who teaches tango. He was the BEST! The experience with him was the exact opposite of the experience we had with Fred Astaire. He made learning fun and actually made the process a stress reliever rather than a stress inducer. You can contact him at www.tedroe.com or troe@tedroe.com. Give him a call and forget about Fred Astaire. read more

Very welcoming atmosphere. Beautiful studio, ample free parking. Excellent teaching, well attuned to our skill levels (me: beginner; my wife: far more advanced). Our teachers have been amazingly diplomatic and effective in working with our differences and building our dance harmony and coordination. Foxtrot, Waltz, Cha-Cha, Rumba and Swing are becoming easy-breezy. Even Viennese waltz, Mambo and Bolero have become dances we can enjoy. We sometimes have joint lessons (us, as a couple) and sometimes separate lessons (a teacher for each of us), all of which are sensibly coordinated to help us achieve our goal of becoming able to dance well together. Many thanks, FADS-PDX Super Stars! read more

This is definitely my Favorite place to dance. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly. The studio is gorgeous. I first came on a Groupon because I was curious about dance and now I am hooked. read more

I gave them a five because so many here rated them so low (and really, they don't deserve that)... realistically, they are a 4-5. I am now moving from Intermediate classes and have taken beginning dance lessons several places (including PCC). And I too started with a Groupon. They do have to keep the business going and so I understand the need to ask if we are ready to sign up for more lessons. Like anyone, I believe they should not put pressure on dancers and ask once or twice and be done with it after the lessons are completed. I appreciate the strange cast of characters (as described in a previous post). If you want to learn basic dance instruction you can go anywhere but when we sit there and watch those who devote themselves to the 'art', it's beautiful. I don't want to compete or be a 'star' but I do want it to be enjoyable to do and something I can use beyond a single event. I've taken beginning classes and tried to learn but I am actually 'getting' it hear with once per week individualized instruction and a few more group classes. Which are critical because if you want to really learn it, you need to mix it up and get to know others... and even figure out how to improve as a general leader or follower since dancing is a social sport. So I think they hope that some of their new customers learn to appreciate it in the same way... sophisticated, not always, useful, absolutely. So, anyway- we are continuing to go, paying for what we get, and of course, that's for 2 people.... j read more

I'll start with my background: I did ballroom for a year for team and club in college. I came back home for the summer and decided to take lessons here to keep up with dance while I was away. This was my first time taking private lessons, though. Taking private lessons here, I found an incredible amount of understanding in the technique of the dances that I hadn't learned before. All the instructors are wonderful and encouraging and also really good at what they do! Everyone there is so nice! The atmosphere is classy and welcoming. The group lessons are offered every night at 7:15 and are just drop in, so you show up to the ones with the dances you like and just sign in at the end. They are great for getting comfortable dancing with strangers and chatting while dancing. It's a good way to get practice and to socialize with other dancers. The practice parties they have once a week are fantastic too! They are like mini social dances. They have spotlight mood lighting and music playing and we just trade partners and dance with everyone. Through the parties, I've gotten to dance with all the instructors and they all got to know my name quite fast. Just to add, I started with their Groupon offer which was $49 for 3 private lessons, 2 group lessons. It was an easy way to get my parents on board, that's for sure. The beginner package I got afterwards was pretty inexpensive when you compare prices to other places. For all that I've been learning and the fun that I've had, the money was definitely more than worth it! The only complaint I would have is that parking can be hard sometimes because you have to find a spot on the street. read more

Started dancing here a few months ago and absolutely love it. It is a non-threatening environment so it's a great place for true beginners. The teachers are all professional, competition dancers and have been trained in the Fred Astaire curriculum. They have all been very patient and do an outstanding job of both explaining and demonstrating the dances very well. The classes are designed to teach techniques that generalize to all dances, as well as build more complicated moves onto the basic steps. After completing our intro package purchased on Living Social we happily signed up for the Beginner package and are now into the next level. Packages include private lessons, group lessons, and parties. The group lessons reinforce what you learn in private class and the parties provide an excellent opportunity to try your skills in a social setting. The community of people we have met, including staff, have been exceptionally welcoming and friendly. Highly recommend this dance studio! read more

I'm in a wheelchair and was challenged by a friend of mine to take dance lessons with her. Jan and Sydney customized the lessons and made us feel really comfortable. And best of all we both became better dancers. Great place!! read more

I'll start with the positive. We signed up for an introductory special where you get private lessons to start and then group lessons. Our private lessons were so much fun!The instructors here are phenomenal. Our experience with them during the private lessons were first class and we can't say enough about them. This is unfortunately, where the negative part begins. After our private lessons ended, we were walked into a tiny room with the owner, where she jumped straight to the financial end of things. To continue our experience we would need to pay around $380 per person- and this was a special that was discounted. We know this is not an inexpensive activity, but there was nothing inbetween offered. $760 a month for something fun (we don't want to compete or become professional) is VERY costly. There was no further breakdown of cost if we wanted an option to simply continue with lessons on a week to week basis. The next issue we had was when the instructor called to confirm. I received a message to call back and did so. When I did- Jan- the owner answered and said she would call me back after checking on something. There was confusion around the time we were asked to come in (a bit late), then she left anothe message indicating we needed to pay first. This was communicated to us that it was the group lesson part of our intro package. I called back today to cancel and a receptionist answered. She did not know what I was referring to (intro package) and did not seem to understand that we were not happy. When all was said and done, I just politely requested to cancel our appointment. Her response? "Excellent". Mine? "Thank you, but losing a customer is not exactly what I would call excellnetl." For a second she backtracked but at this point we're done. We are so disappointed. Since we had so much fun and wanted to continue- it would have taken very little effort on their part to retain us as paying customers or even a follow up call to straighten things out. This is a new business but customer service should be common sense . It's where you begin and end when running a business. Especially with that kind of cost. read more

I agree with the people who wrote a negative review in regards to this studio. For my birthday, my boyfriend got me 2 private lessons and we wanted to have fun and learn the Waltz only and ONLY dance together. First off, I had a very bad first impression when I called one day to ask questions about our lesson and for two days there was no answer and the voice mail box was full. I had to go there in person to ask questions and spoke to one of the owners, Jessi. When we arrived for our first lesson the other owner was having a smoke break right in front of the entrance and I didn't think that was a good message or professional. Our first lesson was with Priscilla who I thought was awful and didn't communicate well. I wanted to know exactly how I was doing and to be told exactly what to do to learn and she was hesitant and almost timid. I didn't like how she danced with me and my boyfriend and we wanted to dance together only. I kept telling her that we wanted to focus on the Waltz and she kept ignoring that and reminded us of the time and watched the clock. It is too confusing learning 3 dances at one time and I think they do this so you have to come back numerous times to spend more money. We have never danced ballroom before and she seemed to think we were not good and never complimented. I didn't like that the owners have their child running around the dance floor as it was distracting and it was distracting to have two other couples on the dance floor with us. They should invest in a couple of private dance rooms for people who don't want to dance with others and only want private lessons. They would make more money. They kept pushing the Friday night parties which we told them we were not interested in at all. That isn't our thing. Perhaps they want to make money on the drinks but they need to accept that not everybody wants to mingle with strangers and make new friends. Again, we were there to learn to dance together and learn the Waltz only. I did let them know that when we came back for our second lesson that we didn't want to dance with the instructor and for her to show us the dance and we would dance together to learn. Our second lesson was just as disappointing as the first and I knew it would be but didn't want to waste the lesson. We asked if we could learn the Waltz and she taught us that last. It was as if she knew we wanted to learn that but waited so we would come back to spend more money. We learned like two steps of the Waltz. After our lesson she told us we needed to let her know what three dances we wanted to focus on and we asked her what the cost would be going forward and she said we had to talk to the owner. The owner didn't have a list of packages or cost and wouldn't tell us how much it would be to continue. I asked if I could take something home with us to review and he said, "no". That is very unprofessional. He was arrogant. He TOLD us that the next time we came in that we would be dancing in a group and that I would be dancing with him and my boyfriend with somebody else. In my mind, I was laughing because nobody tells me what to do and so I told him we would think about it and he said I shouldn't wait too long because we would forget the dance steps. He kept pushing the Friday parties and in not so many words I was trying to tell him that we prefer one on one dance lessons. Obviously they don't provide that there. Their loss. In any case, we ran out of there an never looked back. What a horrible experience. I will not recommend this dance studio to anybody. read more

From the beautiful spacious studio to the amazing teachers, we have enjoyed our experience at Fred Astaire. The teaching is exceptional and the atmosphere friendly and fun. Overall, if you have any interest in learning to dance as a single or couple, young or old, you won't be disappointed! read more

I couldn't disagree more with any negative reviews. My partner and I took 3 lessons to get ready for our wedding, and not only can we do a passable waltz now -- and we were awful before we started, had no prior training -- but our instructor Jessi was so nice and such an excellent teacher. She listened carefully to what we wanted and kept our goals realistic. She was very clear in her instructions, very encouraging, and was excellent at seeing little things we needed to change to make a big difference. As well, Lindsey, who runs the studio, is very professional and yet fun. We bought the beginners package, and we accomplished just what we wanted. We had a great time, too. Now of course, if we want to learn to tango or more, we'll have to get more lessons, and someday we may. But in terms of getting our money's worth and having a great time, this was a great experience. read more

Fun and professional... I thought I was only coming for a few classes to prepare for a party but I have so much fun and learned so much that I am still here. Kacey is an awesome teacher! Alex and Jesse are excellent dancers! read more

I walked into the studio two years ago, shortly after they opened, and did not know a thing about dancing or ballroom. Since then, I've done several performances and dance competitions, and gained some great friends along the way. A very professional group of teachers that is fun tot work with, but takes their dancing very seriously. A great place to learn whether you are a beginner or an advanced students looking to move to the next level. read more

this dance studio is stellar! the instuctors are very talented and are great teachers. They love what they do! I went there to just learn a few basic steps so I could do some ballroom dancing on a cruise. well, it only took 1 lesson and I was hooked. I have been there about 9 months now and have learned so much. I have made a lot of new friends who may well be lifelong friends! I have even competed and have found a new passion. dancing has pushed me to discover things about myself that I didn;t even know was there! I love the people there and they all make you feel very welcome. I would recommend this dance studio to anyone who wants to learn to dance, whether it be for social dancing, honing up on your dance skills, or even to compete! read more

As a part of our corporate holiday party we spent a very fun hour with Jan and her team at Fred Astaire. They were very patient with our large group of 50 and made sure we all felt comfortable and had a great time learning the foxtrot. I highly recommend Jan and everyone at Fred Astaire. Thank You! read more

I wanted to learn to dance to house and this lady just kept telling me I had to learn tango and merenge first. It's complete nonsense I paid something like 20 or 25 bucks for 3 basic lessons. By the 2nd visit I realised they were trying to scam me. Maybe they actually have something to offer people that want to learn merenge and tango. But I know for a fact any modern dance music they can offer you absolutely nothing, but they will try so hard to sell you. I kid you not this lady was begging me to give my visa so I could pay in advance for dance music lessons. I told her I'll call you if I'm still interested in two weeks. She wouldn't take no for an answer. Stay the hell away from this place. It's amazing these people haven't shut down. read more

We started lessons here on an intro package. When I called to schedule the gal on the phone told me to check the calendar online and come to any of the group classes. So we checked the calendar and we headed to a class that started at 7:15, when we got there at 7 the class was already started. (So we jumped in and felt a little lost.). Later I was told that the calendar online was "old." We were told AFTER the group class that we should have scheduled a private lesson first. We then scheduled our two private lesson, with some pressure to keep them much closer together than we wanted. (We felt as if they were pushing to get us in and out of our lessons since we had already paid). On our first private lesson we asked to focus only on the foxtrot but we were not taught a single thing for foxtrot, instead we were taught one step from everything else (a waste of time for me). We expressed that we wanted to learn a few key steps in one dance so we could push around a dance floor at social events. Then our instructor pushed very hard for another dance that HE liked better than the foxtrot. After our lesson we too were shuffled off into a tiny office where they put on the high pressure sales.... for $500 each we could take 4 more classes that (in my opinion were not at all what I was asking for). And we were given a load of bull on the classes being tailored to fit what we wanted. I found some of the staff down right rude and pompus and completely unwilling to do what a customer wanted. They seem very money hungry and then pushy to get you to take lessons quick quick quick. But I don't feel like I have learned a thing. I would not go back. read more