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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Do I need a partner?Do I need experience? What should I wear? How much do lessons cost? How many lessons will I need to get ready for my wedding dance? How often do you start new classes? How much will I learn in one private lesson? How much will I learn in a group lesson? How can I pay for my classes? What is the most effective way to learn to dance? How do I find a partner? Is there parking near your studio? What is the age range of students in your classes? Do we have to rotate partners in class? When are your dance parties? Can I skip the lesson & just come to the party? When do classes start and when do they meet? How do I know what class is right for me? Will I be the only beginner? What dances do you teach? Where do people go to dance? Everyone is welcome, with or without a partner. We rotate throughout the class in order to dance with a variety of people. This significantly improves your learning curve. We love beginners! The beginning level classes start with the basics. You will fit right in! The more classes you take, and the more dances you attend, the faster you will become an accomplished dancer. Everyday clothes that are easy to move in are perfect. Thin-soled dress shoes will work if you don't have ballroom shoes. There are several dance shoe stores in the area, including The Glass Slipper at 3106 NE Broadway. Beginning group classes for adults are $7 and $5 for students. Intermediate classes are $9, and Advanced are $11 when prepaid. Each class is $2 additional when dropped into. Private lessons are $70 for 45 min Five private lessons should be enough to learn your wedding dance choreography. Bring us your song on CD, and we will design a memorable first dance! A five lesson package, complete with original choreography, is offered for wedding couples at $325. For more information on wedding dances, click here. New class series start the first weekend of every month and run the entire month. See the Calendar tab for current class offerings. How much you learn in a private lesson depends upon you! If you choose to focus on one dance, you will learn several figures and be able to link them together in a pattern. This pattern will allow you to dance an entire song. You may also choose to focus on 2 or 3 dances. In this case, you will learn a few figures per dance. The emphasis here will be on translating concepts used in one dance to using the same concept in a different dance. More advanced dancers often choose to focus on one or two figures in order to improve their technique. 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. We currently accept cash, checks, and gift certificates. Regretfully, at this time we are not equipped to accept credit card payments. A combination of group lessons, private lessons, and dance parties is the fastest way to learn to dance. Group lessons are the most inexpensive method of learning. Many dance parties feature free lessons from local instructors before their dances. For more information on group and private lessons at UpTown Ballroom, click here. Meeting people in group classes or at dance parties is the best way to find a practice partner. Notifying your instructor of your partner goals is also beneficial, as they can keep an eye out for potential partners. Also, the more social dances you attend, the more people you get to know! This also may help you find someone to practice with. Gender parity is different each day for each class. While we occasionally have an uneven number of leads and follows, rotating partners ensures that everyone has a chance to dance. We have a small parking lot next to our studio. Street parking in the neighborhood is also easily available. In the event of icy weather, please be aware that our studio is at the top of a hill. Our students range from children to post-retirement ages! Everyone is welcome. No. Rotating partners is not required. However, in our experience, partners who do not rotate in class do not learn the material nearly as quickly and are far more likely to fall behind the rest of the class. We hold dance parties from 8-11 pm every 2nd, 4th and 5th Saturday of the month, with a free lesson (with dance admission) from 7:30-8:00. We also hold a dance party on the 2nd and 5th Saturday of every month from 7:30-10 pm, with a free lesson (with dance admission) from 7:00-7:30. Certainly! Although we encourage beginning dancers to take advantage of the free lessons, many of our dance attendees arrive after the lesson. When do classes start and when do they meet? If you are a new dancer, or new to a specific style of dancing, we highly recommend that you take the beginning group classes. For more experienced dancers, we recommend our intermediate and advanced class series. If you are unsure if a beginning or intermediate class is right for you, we invite you to come observe a beginning class for free. If you have questions, please email us at UpTownballroom@gmail.com or call us at (503) 789-3023. We would love to assist you! Certainly not! Every month we welcome brand-new dancers to their first group classes. You'll fit right in! We teach International Standard, International Latin, and various social dances. International Standard consists of Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot, and Quickstep. Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba, Paso Doble, and Jive are the five international Latin dances. We also teach East and West Coast Swing, Night Club, Meringue, Salsa, Mambo, and Bolero. For more information on specific dances, or more information on the difference between international and American style, please visit our Dance Styles (link to dance styles) section. We host dance parties every 2nd, 4th and 5th Saturday. The Portland Metro area is full of ballroom dancing venues and offers social dancing every weekend and throughout the week. For a full list of dancing options, please visit: http://portlanddancing.com/ or http://www.portlandballroomdancers.com/Calendar.asp |
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(503) 789-3023 8936 S.W. 17th, Portland, OR 97219 |
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