We've been involved with Shoestring for 2 years now and are very thankful to have a local community…read moretheater group. My oldest daughter was in The Sound of Music the summer before last and both my daughters were in Willy Wonka this past summer. What a great local resource that, for some unknown reason took me too long to discover after moving here 6 years ago! I've met some really nice and talented people from the local community and beyond. Shoestring doesn't have it's own facility so it can be a bit costly to put on performances, but they do a nice job at the St. Helens HS and, more recently, at the new Scappoose HS auditorium. I recently volunteered and was elected to serve as the Secretary on the Board and am hoping to see some more community support for this group and the arts in this community in general so I don't have to always go to Portland to scratch that itch. While my talents don't lie in acting, dancing, doing anything backstage, etc, I love watching! Through my kids' involvement with Shoestring, I also found that I enjoy taking tickets and manning concessions, probably because I enjoy meeting and talking to people. We are lucky to have this in our area!

From the owner: The ShoeString Community Players has been producing plays and other performances in Columbia County…read morefor over 30 years. Formed from a dedicated group of "Reader's Theater" performers, SSCP was officially founded in 1982. The first production was Brigadoon, performed at the St. Helens High School Olmscheid Auditorium. SSCP has consistently produced productions and performances since that time, tapping into the rich and "undiscovered" talent Columbia County and its surrounding areas have to offer. We perform Revues, Musicals, Dramas, Comedies, Children's Theater, and any other type of production that captures the attention of the community.

Has everything you probably need! I was happy that I wouldn't need to alter my normal leg day…read moreworkout. One of my favorite things is a lot of the machines have plaques to describe how to use it, that's a great touch for people new to the gym. I got a $10 day pass and the sign up was very quick and easy.

Michelle (the owner) is an inspiration. She leads a majority…read moreof the classes there and I don't know how she does it. Love the 6am spin classes!! I love that the membership is monthly and it's also affordable!

If you are looking for a dance studio with a positive learning environment, South Sound Dance is my…read morego-to studio recommendation. Experienced and knowledgeable staff offer a wide variety of dance classes for all ages and levels. As a mature (and I mean mature) adult with two left feet and zero prior dance experience, I moved out of my comfort zone and purchased pair of ballet shoes. No tutu yet but I am enjoying the exercise and comradery I found at South Sound Dance. Each class is an enjoyable learning experience.

Oh My Goodness!! I cannot say enough about this place!…read moreFrom the first time I "enquired" about this business they were PROMPT, not pushy. Persistent but not pushy. Thorough without being annoying. A+ on info and reaching out to answer your questions and encourage you to "try on" a class before you commit. I was new to the area and thought it might be a fun way to establish a routine. As an adult with grown children I wouldn't have thought the dance studio that was a family kind of thing would have been a place for me to thrive as an adult. I'm not competitive and wanted a reason to exercise. I've found a family type of environment, a fun way to exercise with out the pressure to be more than you are (or want to be)... the folks that work here are professionals that welcome any level, positive and encouraging. At 55 I'm having the best time! Thank you SSD!

My two daughters take hip hop and ballet here. They are four and five years old. We are just about…read moreto finish up our first month of classes and love it!! This studio is family ran and you can tell. It's super welcoming here! Every staff member, from the instructors to the parents in the waiting room are really friendly!! What I'm mostly impressed with is the love, the connection and the passion, each staff member has for every single students. All while maintaining structure and control of the class. There's so many students and it's very impressive to see them connect to each and every dancer. They are super organized, have great communication and always send out emails on updates. I called 4-5 different studios, before I found Encore, with no call backs from my voicemails, no reply to my emails at all and the one studio that we did a trial class with was a a total fail. They put my girls in the totally wrong level class and the instructor was completely unprofessional. Encore replied immediately and got us right in.!! So, don't settle for just any studio they are not all the same. I have a 19 year old daughter and have been through this industry before. I'm a dancer myself, (well I'm only dancing in the kitchen these days lol) but let me tell you, sometimes it is like an episode of dance moms and it's important to find the right fit if your trying to build your child's confidence in dance and plan on having them dance long term. Check Encore out!! They are amazing!!! They really care about their dancers!! I'm very happy to become part of the family!!!!

My kids have been taking classes from Encore since 2013. My…read morefavorite things about ENCORE: * High quality teachers for every age range/class level * Personalized attention to each student and their dance career * The most well developed street styles program I know of in the area * An excellent acrobatics program, with highly knowledgeable instructors * The Pre-Pro program is amazing! Geared toward kids who are working toward professional dance careers, this program prepares them in every way, physically, practically, and with the knowledge they will need. I cannot recommend Encore enough!!!

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.

Five stars for a really fun and honestly fairly priced hip hop series class for adults. I love that…read morethe class is a mix of all ages (from 18-older dance moms from the sounds of it). Everyone is friendly and encouraging and it really is an actual beginners course (there is an intermediate as well). Truly a no judgment zone and the instructors are all fun. They offer the beginner series (6 weeks) for $90 and then the intermediate for four weeks after is less than that, I'm spacing on the cost. All around a fun way to let loose and get a good workout in. It was also nice to see that some people enjoyed the series so much they decided to do it all over again. They do a new song/routine every class so if you miss a class you're not super lost like in many series classes. Overall, would definitely recommend The Beat Box!

The adult hip classes are held on Tuesday nights that's led by instructor Miss SJ. I would say this…read moreis beginner/ intermediate class. If you are absolutely new and with no background in dance.. You may want to look for a foundations/ intro to hip hop (check out Tacoma Dance Studio on Thursday nights) . If you are a advance beginner and looking for a little push to get to intermediate level than this is the spot!! I started in January 2023 with some knowledge and experience in hip hop foundations, grooves, rocks, bounce.. But after joining The Beat Box and learning everything I can from Ms. SJ, I can confidently say I'm picking up combos and learning musicality so much more!! And Ms. SJ, Jayce, and Madelyn have been so much to work with. And you can see how much Ms SJ enjoys teaching and seeing her students improve. I've tried every adult hip hop classes in Olympia/ Lacey and The Beat Box is the best!

I'm so grateful I found High Impact dance for my daughter last summer. My daughter is very…read moreinterested in ballet, but I was concerned with the "body-image/ diet culture" that can come along with being in dance. Thankfully High Impact dance put an emphasis on the fun of dance and has been perfect for our needs! I find their prices to be very fair too! Would definitely recommend.

We have been coming here for a little while & my daughter LOVES it! She has Ms. Dani as her teacher…read more& she's a sweetheart. I also attend with my almost two year old for the mommy & me class on Tuesdays, it's a lot of fun & very low key. I am so happy we switched to High Impact!