Love this gem of a dance studio!…read more Whether you are new to the dance floor or you fancy yourself a dancer and have no problem shaking your thang, they will have something for you! the instructors are highly-skilled, kind, and know how to make the classes fun yet lively and challenging. Their class schedule ranges from group to private, with an amazingly wide variety of styles available, including: East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, Cuban Salsa, Foxtrot, Baby Ballet, and a variety of other ballroom dances. They also host social dances, many of which start with a lesson so you can quickly join in the fun. Many of the classes offer a drop-in or "one-time" fee so you can test drive it before you fully dive in, although many classes are a bit cheaper with the purchase of a series. Wonderful, easy-to-get-to location, lovely space, cool business. Don't be shy. Get out on the floor and dance!

As a long time dancer, over 25 years, I find that Rose City Studio is one of my favorite places for…read moresocial dancing and to take classes/workshops. There are so many positives: great floor, great sound system, good lighting, nice seating area off the floor and friendly teachers. Lisa makes people feel very welcome and they have a studio dog in residence that is very popular. There are a wide variety of classes and workshops available each month. There are many approachable options for the beginning dancer. It is just a comfy, cozy place to dance.

Do not send your kid to Murray School!!!! There are lots of other really good choices in Portland;…read moreAn Daire, Brimhall, Yates, and Oregon Irish Dance Academy. IMO Murray is not a good school!!! Geraldine is anything but patient or enthusiastic (per other review) as a teacher. I did not feel she invested in her dancers at all. In fact, when my kids were there, the dancers often complained about how she treated them. I did not like the fact that parents were not allowed to observe classes or voice their concerns. If they questioned her, she would retaliate by kicking the dancer out of her school. She has a long history of doing this, just ask around. It was traumatic for everyone! Plenty of other Irish Dance schools to pick from, just not this one!

Geraldine Murray runs a great Irish dance school. She is enthusiastic, patient, reasonably priced,…read moreand really invests in her dancers - beginning to advanced, children and adults. She knows her stuff, is certified, and very active in the Irish Dance community locally. She has two locations - a westside location on Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy and close- in SE location.

As a parent, I became concerned about my daughter's friend group at school. It seemed like many of…read morethe kids around her were starting to get involved with drugs and focusing heavily on things like boyfriends, and I really wanted her to be surrounded by positive, sober teens her age who were working toward something meaningful. I literally hopped on google and did a search. Acting for Kids & Teens popped up. Enrolling her was one of the best decisions I've made. She absolutely loves the class and looks forward to going every single Saturday. It has given her a creative outlet, a supportive community, and something exciting to focus on. Her teacher, Steph, is fantastic and truly connects with the students in a positive and encouraging way. Hallie was also absolutely wonderful during the enrollment process--kind, helpful, and very responsive. I'm so grateful to have found a place where my daughter can build confidence, express herself, and spend time with other teens who are passionate about acting and creativity. I highly recommend Acting for Kids & Teens to any parent looking for a positive and inspiring environment for their child.

We absolutely love going to class at AFKT. We have a drive coming in from Washington, but the…read moretraffic is all going the opposite way so we cruise right in. The children's program is a wonderful way for kids to express themselves in a transformative atmosphere allowing creative growth. Super fun. I would highly recommend attending a class regardless of age. They have adult classes that looks so fun, one day I to will take a class, but first the kids.

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.

I joined this space a few months ago and am absolutely in love. Everyone here is wonderful and such…read morean inspiration . I am so grateful to be a part of this community. I feel like this place is truly a gem, and I am excited to be surrounded by such wonderful creative artists.

I've been taking circus classes (mostly aerial) for a little over 2 years. I've also tried all the…read morevarious different aerial studios is Portland and they all have their wonderful flare. With that in mind I've been going religiously to Rebecca every week for almost a year and a half now. I started with aerial silks but now I'm on lyra. Rebecca is a great instructor, her teaching style is a great mix of strength, performance art, and creativity. I definitely feel like I get the personalized curriculum that my body and mind needs. I don't feel afraid to ask her to drill me on the basics (since I wasn't an athlete or dancer before) but she also pushes me outside of my comfort zone with new amazing moves that makes you feel super empowered. No matter what day, I always get inspired to give 110%. And I will 100% of the time recommend other people to go to her as well.

Wonderful fun and challenging! Parking isn't great, but it's worth it! The teacher is nice and…read morecaters to different levels within same class very smoothly!

My relationship with flamenco is complicated. It all started with loves whose friends created the…read morecurrent flamenco community in Portland. And because of those loves, I pursue as audience every and any unusual or contemporary dance performance in our fair city. Flamenco has a long history. But it is open and evolving in reinterpreting that history. And you cannot beat the passion! Espacio Flamenco has lessons, they sponsor events and they have a big yearly confab, which I have attended, enjoy, and recommend to everyone! That's their Feria de Portland. It's a festival of performances, food, (maybe a little wine might be involved.) I was surprised to find a prominent startup investor I know was also a flamenco dancer, but in a way not surprised. The event is inexpensive, informal, packed and social. With their lessons, they also have a kids program. Along with our expanding Spanish food community, this is a node for Spanish culture and Spanish expats. It's where my Portland friend who fell in love with and married a Spaniard brought him to feel at home. So if you are interested in lessons, go. If you are interested in performances, follow. If you are interested in getting to know more of flamenco, go to the feria. They are a Portland outpost of Espania!

Before the Foster corridor between 50th and 70th was cool, some artists bought an old building as a…read morelive work space. Their work is making dance and making performance. I know them and have been to many events in the space. One of the owners is Portland's top lighting designer for performances in our high end performing arts theaters. The partner is a modern dancer who worked in New York with the best. The space has a great dance floor, and there is a small garden which is sometimes open for events. The rental rates are very reasonable, for rehersal or for a show. The space is wheelchair accessible. They publish a monthly email newsletter of modern dance events covering the whole city, including competing spaces. Subscribe!! Yes, how the space is laid out for performances with respect to bathrooms is not what you would find at the Schnitz. It's an old low budget church. That's why 4 stars vs 5. This is a DIY space, but hey, they have a great floor! That DIY attitude, graciousness to performers, and their outreach to all comer performers outweighs not being fancy, by far. Their Cabaret Boris & Natasha series and Alembic are examples of making a show accessible to all performers. So if you are a performer, keep them in mind, including for rehearsal space. And if you have movement artists visiting Portland who want a large rehearsal space, they have lovely short term lodging by their garden. Performance Art NW is a good space for Portlanders interested in modern dance to track by their email newsletter and website. The creators are lovely and the audience is too. They have many special events a month!

A friend and I took a few yoga classes here, and I just recently attended a dance performance with…read moreanother friend. Since I'm reviewing the space and not the class or the performance, I'm gonna stick with (some might say dwell on) some fairly pedantic details. The place is supposedly an old church, but seems a bit more like an old high school gymnasium. One big main room, with a bathroom/kitchen/utility space tucked into the side. You enter via a ramp, and it's not entirely clear that you're really supposed to be there. But it's fine, really, it's fine, just go in already. As a yoga studio, it works pretty well. Lots of floor, smallish enough to be intimate without seeming crowded. I'd always wondered how it would work as a performance space. The answer is: hmmm... maybe not great. There are a few ways a person imagines configuring this space, but the way they had it was a bunch of metal folding chairs (the lucky people got cushions) spread across a few seemingly randomly-placed stadium-style risers. The entrance and performance area were on the same side, which made for a bit of awkwardness when it came time to leave. The restroom was also on the performance side, so it was good that the performance was short. The lighting was nice. The sound quality was great. The place has potential. But it seemed like a more appropriate practice space than actual venue. If you need a space on the SE side for a private event or show... I'm not sure if they rent it out, to be honest. But I can easily imagine high school dance wallflowers dutifully drinking their punch and covertly teasing broccoli from their braces along the edges in here. Maybe it was their ghosts that made me a little bit uneasy.

This review is for the building/theater space. Very intimate theater setting. Seats are moderately…read morecomfortable. Lots of vibrations is felt in seats from audience. Friendly staff. Building architecture is nice. Clean bathrooms.

I usually see productions upstairs at the Newmark. This theater is much cozier but there really is…read morenot a bad seat. I was able to catch a showing of Cabaret which I heard about thanks to Goldstar. I have seen Cabaret live numerous times including a fabulous production at the Keller a few years back. With that said, I actually prefer smaller productions like this because it seems more powerful. I like musicals ...not musical fans (just being honest) as the crowds are generally pretty douchey. I have had to relearn to walk five times in 6 years so I have a cane. I go out to a lot of shows and the staff throughout this building (which also houses the Newmark) have been amazing every time I go. Just knowing I do not have to deal with staff drama and can easily get in the door and to my seat with minimal issues having people trying to run me down, my having to fight to just get in and around a door, well marked stairs and such...just decent crowd control like sufficient elevators available or not having things that create lines trailing into one spot encouraging large crowds focused blocking walking so folks like me have to "excuse me ....excuse me.... excuse me" and people then slam into me trying to push through. The seats themselves are roomy and you are not stupid close to the person in front of you. More about the wonderful staff... one of the lovely ushers had let me know before the show started that I could move seats if I wanted to because my row was completely full and I was on the very end. When I was going into the theater, I had made a wince look as my knee was mad. I have a ruptured Achille's and it has been super cold so my knee that day decided to be less than content and was angry bending. She looked at me like the are you ok and I said yes, I am ok - it just somedays tries to make me regret getting out and about. I have had all the staff throughout the building see a struggle and offer to help which is so nice and genuinely rare.