Absolutely! Ballroom dancing is the best way to meet people from all over Portland and beyond. Dancing is also a great hobby for couples to share. It is also great accidental exercise!

UpTown Ballroom strives to make beginning classes as accessible and comfortable as possible. We provide clear and easy beginning instruction that teaches correct technique in your very first class. Our smaller classes encourage beginning students to ask questions and allows for more personalized instruction than do big group classes. By the end of your first class, you will be able to dance 2-4 figures in you new dance style, and by the end of the month, you will have a choreographed routine of 4-6 figures.

UpTown Ballroom offers one hour beginning group classes on Saturdays and Sundays. Each month begins a new class series. Beginning group class series are $5 per class if you pre-pay for the entire series or $7 per individual class (drop-in). Beginning group class rates for students are $3 per class if you pre-pay and $5 per drop-in class.

Everyday clothes that are easy to move in are perfect. Thin-soled dress shoes will work if you don't have ballroom shoes. Try not to wear rubber-soled shoes, as they stick to the floor, and make it hard to turn. There are several dance shoe stores in the area, including The Glass Slipper at 3106 NE Broadway.

Please plan to arrive 5 to 10 minutes early. After you have paid for the class, take a seat anywhere in the ballroom. Other students, singles or in couples, will arrive for class as well.

We will play one or two songs for a warm-up before class begins. Please feel free to review the figures you learned the previous week, either by yourself or with a partner.

At the beginning of class, we will demonstrate the pattern that we are learning. Next, we will divide the class into men (leaders) and women (followers). Leaders and followers will learn their parts separately before dancing their parts together. You will dance once or twice with each partner before rotating to another partner in class. Rotating in class is not required. However, changing partners vastly increases your learning curve. Finally, after several partner rotations, you will dance the pattern with a partner to music.

You may take another beginning class series, an intermediate class series, or a private lesson. The choice is up to you! Although we often teach the same dances in beginning classes, we do not always teach the same figures. For example, if you attended a beginning waltz series in January, and attended a second beginning waltz series in May, you would likely learn some new figures. Many students repeat beginning classes until they feel comfortable with the material. We also teach intermediate classes and private lessons, both of which are designed to advance your dancing beyond a beginning level.

For more information on classes and lessons, check out our Frequently Asked Questions.