"Sexy" makes me giggle. When I saw 50 Shades of Gray, I did so on a Sunday afternoon when I knew there would be a ton of Octogenarians tittering along with me at both the innuendo and blatant hot, hot, hot things happening on screen. As you can imagine, the idea of Red Hot & Ladylike - a studio where you can classes on cabaret jazz, burlesque, go-go, and hip hop dancing - makes me very nervous especially since their motto is "bringing sexy back one lady at a time." The idea of touching myself, letting my hair down, and being seductive makes me wanna cringe... until I met MissE, the perfect person to run this kind of place. She's outgoing, she's empowered and empowering, she's encouraging, she's all accepting, and I couldn't think of a better person to help women find their inner diva, goddess, and all around badass self. I've taken several classes here now and it's always the same: 1. Sign up for the class. 2. Immediately regret it - I can't dance. I don't do sexy. What the hell was I thinking? 3. Show up and feel the warm sunshine that is MissE's personality. 4. Dance (awkwardly), have a ridiculous amount of fun, and get excited to try it again someday. Doesn't matter if you can or can't dance, doesn't matter if you're a woman or a man, doesn't matter if you're already leading with your vagina or not (this makes more sense when you take class with her)... this is fun, fun, fun even when it's uncomfortably (for me) hot, hot, hot. Good for one off experiences, good for getting a unique and different work-out in, good for meeting new open-minded and friendly people, good for bachelorette parties, and good for spicing up your romantic life (she does a "Bring Your Human Prop to Class" that I'd definitely do again!). read more

Ended up here for a bachelorette party and it was SO much fun!!! I highly recommend to kick-off a bachelorette or birthday party - it totally broke the ice and kicked off our weekend perfectly. Added bonus, this class actually really helped my lackluster dance moves. Miss E is hilarious and totally knew how to handle rowdy bachelorette girls and made sure to offered to take videos and pics of us as well. Sidenote: as a feminist who's taken the occasional Women's Studies class, I was impressed at Miss E's emphasis on empowerment and being inclusive. Very safe, accepting space. read more

This was the first event of my best friend's bachelorette weekend and it was a BLAST. We all had SO much fun. It was the perfect ice breaker and had us letting loose with confidence! I highly, highly recommend dancing at RHL. We added a half an hour of pole dancing at the beginning which was amazing. I can't say enough about how much fun this was! read more

Red Hot & Ladylike Dance Studio - Pole dancing! - Dance Studios Near Me - Portland, Maine

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Feeling hot, hot, hot! I tried this place out with the ever amazing Yelp group and I was hooked! Hooked on the comfort and safety I feel when I enter the warmly lit studio. Hooked on the amazing choreography Miss E teaches. And definitely hooked on the sizzle she encourages each to have when they dance. I love to dance but sometimes feel intimidated by other dancers and pretty much freeze up and look and feel like Elaine from Seinfeld. Not so here. I mean I will admit I got anxious, but I get anxious in an empty room and yeah I forgot a few moves, but i had a blast! When my friend I went to class we decided to go for the Intermediate class since we both have background in dance. Miss E greeted us warmly and let us know that most of the others would slide in at the last minute. When class started she started with a little taste of a small routine to warm us up. She moved into some stretches that was paired with some somewhat sassy poses. We then headed into another short routine followed by some "moving across the floor" which we soon figured out was a good swing in the hips as we completed a few moves as we worked it across the dance floor. We ended with another short routine that included the floor and a chair. The sizzle got sizzlier here and it was wonderful. So if you are not afraid of shaking it or even if you are afraid of shaking it but want to be able to with less fear, this be the place. She will not disappoint. Bye for now. I need to go show a super well behaved husband what I did in class. read more

Red Hot & Ladylike Dance Studio - Give spanks!! - Dance Studios Near Me - Portland, Maine

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I would like to highly recommend Red Hot and Ladylike Dance studio. I am a mom of two boys, and I work with mostly men. I was looking for something that felt "girly" to try. This was way out of my comfort zone but figured I would go once to see what it was like. It's now been two years! The classes are not only fun but they are also amazing workouts. The benefits, however, go far beyond that. Taking part in RHL is confidence boosting, and empowering. I was afraid I would be too out of shape or too old...not true. These classes are for every size, shape, age and level of ability. January is a great time to start a beginner class there. Step outside your comfort zone, check this off your bucket list or just go to try something new. You will be so glad you did. read more

RHL is so much more than a dance studio, it quickly becomes a family of supportive and amazing people! Being welcomed into a dance community with zero dance background was a life changing experience that I didn't even think was possible. The journey to self-love and body confidence can be challenging for many but that's exactly why RHL truly honors all bodies, ages, skills, and comfort levels. I'm so thankful for finding MissE, RHL, and my wild and crazy dance family! We laugh, we dance, and we leave feeling amazing! read more

Bachelorette party looking for an amazing weekend? Look no further. 5 stars. 10/10. Best thing we did for the weekend. I'm from NYC, my sister wanted a bachelorette party in Portland,Maine. I wasn't sure how to make it awesome..... but I found RHL and it blew my sister's mind as well as my NYC mind...... totally amazing! MissE is a treasure!!! Do not hesitate to book this!!!! read more

Miss E is great! I wasn't sure what to expect when I found RH&L on Yelp but with all five star reviews, I figured we couldn't go wrong! I emailed with Miss E prior to arriving and she was very responsive. (Phew! Who has time to call these days?) We were four girls (30+) in town for a bachelorette party weekend. Miss E suggested that we could do a drop in and I'm glad we did. We ended up being the only people there so we had a private class. :) (I wouldn't count on this though, she shared her schedule for the coming weeks and she is PACKED with parties!) We had a lot of fun loosening up and learning some moves. It took a few minutes for the nerves to wear down (bubbles helped with that!) but once they did we had a blast and a bit of a workout. For the price, you can't go wrong and it was a fun and sassy way to start our day! Pro Tip: Hit up the liquor store on the block and bring some libations! read more

What can I say about Red Hot & Ladylike? Actually, I'm going to say quite a lot, so hold onto your fishnets, boys and girls. The studio is located on Forest Avenue, in a location you are unlikely to stumble across if you are not fortunate enough to be told where it is. It's like a hidden gem, that calls to those in need of a confidence boost, some fun, or a little bit of craziness in their lives. And it is run by a fierce and sexy firecracker of a lady named Miss E. The classes at RH&L are classic burlesque style, designed to teach even the most tentative of beginners (trust me, I'm one of them), and are provided almost every day of the week. If you are not familiar with burlesque, then you are in for a sexy treat. My first visit to the studio, I walked into a room with red walls, a huge mirror, and fun dance music playing. Women of all shapes and sizes (the curvier the better!) were there working on the latest moves. Some wore tights. Most wore fishnets with booty shorts. High heels were prevalent, as were small shirts, ripped tops, and glittery belts. Props could be anything, including whips, batons, chairs and handcuffs. Some would say that Miss E came into our lives by chance. I'd like to say it was providence - or fate, if you will. You see, we were putting on a charity event at Port City Music Hall during Gay Pride. It's the big event that raises money for AIDS awareness and the Frannie Peabody Center. My brother was in charge of putting together a performance that could knock some socks off, as attendance to the event had been dwindling in previous years. Enter Miss E - by chance (or destiny) , referred to us as a potential choreographer for our event. Who not only accepted the challenge, but ended up choreographing six songs, when she was initially asked for one. Who worked with us until 10:30 at night several nights a week for months - always with a smile on her face, a spring in her booty poppin' step, and a sassy remark. Always exclaiming after a room full of belly laughs, "I love my job!". She took our gaggle of gays (two drag queens, a pseudo drag queen impersonator, and 12 men) and turned us into a fully functioning, confident, dance team. She worked with each persons ability level and comfortability level ("Do you want to take your clothes off? It's up to you!"), asking no more than what each person could give, while silently getting us all to expand our boundaries with nothing more than her own infectious confidence. In the end, she made us look like rock stars. The event was a huge success, the venue was packed, the performance was out of this world, and people are still talking about it and will for months to come. Our little group became as tight as family, with many post performance hugs ending in tears (the happy kind). And none of it would have been possible without the amazing talent of Miss E and her girls at Red Hot & Ladylike. If you are looking to dance, if you are looking for a confidence boost, if you are looking for your next passion - you will NOT find it anywhere the same way you will find it here. So bust out your fishnets, put on your sexy face, and head on down to Red Hot and Ladylike!! read more

Red Hot & Ladylike Dance Studio - The always fabulous - Miss E! - Dance Studios Near Me - Portland, Maine

So much fun! MissE makes you feel comfortable, confident and teaches you dances that are fun and sexy. No need to have any dance experience, she works with beginners and explains the steps in a way that you understand. We did this for a Bachelorette party and it was the most fun thing we did all day. I highly recommend! read more

I have had some friends who have had their bachelorette events here and I hear nothing but good things from them. I got to personally know Melissa the owner and lead instructor and she is an incredible dancer with a ton of experience in the field. The facilities are great and the dance floor is beautiful. This location was actually used for a segment of Dancing with the Stars! Melissa not only knows how to run a studio but she knows how to put on a memorable event. If you want to do something fun and different, look them up! read more

My friends took me here for a surprise lesson during my bachelorette weekend. It was SO much fun! Miss E is hilarious, she is easy going and the environment is so much fun. I highly, highly recommend this as a fun activity to do with friends OR to explore your sexy side. I really can't say enough about how much fun this was. read more

We did this for a friend's bachelorette. It was AMAZING. We loved the class, MissE was the best instructor. She made us all feel beautiful, confident and sexy. It was great, if we lived locally, we ALL said we would want to come back for weekly classes. We brought our cocktails, and our good attitudes and had an AWESOME afternoon, I would totally recommend this to everyone! Added bonus, its super affordable. read more

I will never go to this dance studio again. The owner specifically made me feel extremely uncomfortable and was very rude to me. I thought I was going some place I could "feel comfortable" and let loose. Boy was I wrong. The classes aren't a work out whatsoever and a total rip off. My biggest complaint however, would be their poor attitude. The owner was stand-offish with me, critical, and just plain rude. Talk about the OPPOSITE of a confidence boost! read more