Educators lack any type of early age developmental training, parents are often called to have their…read morekids disciplined. Zero training in nor diversity often blaming the child for "not behaving correctly". I was literally followed in to the bathroom to be questioned why my 2 children needed to use the restroom. And when the daughter of the owner hovered over the water fountain insisting she would press the button for her, our daughter cried wanting to do it herself. There is a major miss with this facility in bringing a warm and supportive environment for children. When a child cries wanting their mommy, it's not a means to then tell the parents she's a distraction in class. This is 2025 and this is the best that lake Oswego has to offe? We are so happy to have severed ties with this group. I truly hope they one day get the wake up call they need.

Spotlight has been a real life-changer for my daughter. If your child loves music, dance, and…read moretheater, and really wants to work on developing their skills in a rigorous yet compassionate environment, there is nowhere better than Spotlight! Over the years, we've gone to several places for her lessons, but no place else is able to achieve the balance between really teaching and demanding a lot of the kids, finding top-notch professionals to teach them, while also being emotionally supportive and compassionate. At Spotlight, my daughter feels both challenged and supported, and has a true sense of belonging there. We were on the waitlist for a long time (almost 2 years!), because Spotlight is so good and people know it, but believe me, it was worth the wait. I am very grateful for the HUGE difference Spotlight and their wonderful staff have made in my daughter's life.

I attended the Academy of Ballet and Dance Arts consistently over two years and part-time over the…read morethird year. I was a teenager and a part of the upper level ballet curriculum which included technique, pointe and a performance/variations class. I have also observed the younger students in class and can vouch for the quality of the training. The instruction that I received at this school was phenomenal. My primary teacher was Ms. Goldthwaite (the director), but I was also taught by a professional dancer with the Oregon Ballet Theater. When I first transferred to this school from another local school, my technique was rather dismal. Ms. Goldthwaite completely renovated and fine-tuned my technique. She is very observant and well-trained as a teacher, and she can see and correct even the most minor of errors. That said, she is not militant and is very kind, approachable, and a pleasure to work with. Furthermore, as a resident of New York City, I now frequently take class at a variety of well-known professional schools with renowned teachers. What is so impressive is that from the first class I took in NYC, to the last one I took today, every new teacher that I go to ALWAYS compliments my technique and my training. This is a big deal in a city where there are endless numbers of beautiful dancers. I owe all of it to Ms. Goldthwaite! This dance school may be small and developing, but it is completely worth it. You will get personal attention, work with the director herself, and won't have to deal with the administrative bureaucracy as at larger and more impersonal schools. I wholeheartedly recommend the Academy of Ballet and Dance Arts completely for any age ; )

This was my first time at Lakewood Center for the Arts and I was pleasantly surprised both by the…read moreevent venue, but the caliber of the actors in our visit. We were invited to join as friend and the group of a recent play. The performance was excellent - Straight A caliber! The seats were comfortable and as a small venue, there is no bad seat in the house! Would I recommend going - ABSOLUTELY YES! Don't miss this local venue for culture, experience and just a fun night out!!

What a fun theater to see a play, and we had a blast. With so many restaurant choices within…read morewalking distance, makes this a fine location to make a whole night out of it. Parking is set up pretty well but can get full fast, if it's a sold out show. We got there a tad on the early side so that we can get a drink inside at their small beverage stand with beer, wine and some snacks, nothing special. Theater seating was perfect in terms of view of stage. Here is where it gets weird, in the middle of the show it started to get super hot, many people started to fan themselves with show programs, including me, I almost had to get out. I was able to make it through to the end but while leaving I noticed how narrow the exit was from theater to lobby, got a little claustrophobic and thought, if there was an emergency, it would be very hard to safely exit, in my opinion. All & All, next time I will dress light and sit near an exit. Loved this venue and plays they put on yearly.

Just want to leave an informational review because there's a couple of important things they do not…read morestate on their website. 1. There is no where to view your dancer inside of the building. If you choose to stay to watch your dancer in class, you must view from the windows OUTSIDE of the building. (If weather permits of course. Their normal protocol is for you to just drop your dancer off.) 2. Limited parking 3. If your dancer is in a 3-6yr old class- if one dancer has to use the potty, the whole class has to go. The teacher is responsible to take the little ones to use the restroom. I enrolled my 3yr old in one of their classes and was surprised by their lack of accommodations, especially having come from another established studio out of state. I also have a 1yr old that I have to bring with me and watching my 3yr dance from the parking lot was not safe for my little one. I also thought their potty protocol was frustrating because of the time (15min) it took away from class and having a stranger tend to my daughter using the potty did not sit well with me. To each their own. Just leaving this info for other mamas who are looking to enroll their younger dancers. 2 stars because they do not reply to emails and voice mails and for the lack of info on their website. My daughter had a great time in her class but unfortunately the studios lack of accommodations lead to an unsatisfactory experience and we unenrolled immediately.

My girls dance at load and love their teaches! We look forward to going to dance every week!read more

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!!!

I have been dancing with Maralee's for over 10 years and have absolutely loved my experience here!…read moreStarting dance later in life at age 14 can have its challenges; however, the instructors and studio atmosphere at Maralee's made me feel at home. I tried other studios in the past, but ultimately felt a sense of family and belonging here. The instructors did an incredible job of challenging me while also allowing me to grow at my own pace which is not always the case at every studio. The Worthington's are truly like family to me, and I have made friendships to last a lifetime. Now as an instructor, I feel incredibly grateful to have had these experiences as I get to teach other kids during such formative years of their life. Confidence, musicality, kindness and connection are some of the attributes you can expect to gain from coming to Maralee's Dance.

I cannot say enough great things about this place and the family who runs it! I work for an…read moreorganization that provides advocacy services to survivors of human trafficking. I reached out to Tammy, at Maralee's, about the idea of hosting a survivor leadership event at their studio. She was quick to respond and so incredibly generous, offering not only their space but access to their tables, chairs, lights, sound system, beverages, everything we could ever want or need. Not only that, but the staff here were so helpful and supportive along the way, offering to help set up and asking nothing in return. Everyone had such a fun and memorable time dancing the day away. So thankful for Maralee's!

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.

Our daughter doesn't go here anymore because she's now off to school but when she did a couple…read moreyears ago, her time here was very beneficial to her. She blossomed as her dance skills grew. The staff treated her so well and encouraged her keep expressing herself. There was a good balance between making it fun and still pushing her a little. I would not hesitate to have your child attend class here!

My daughter has been taking dance classes at Sherwood Dance for about 2 years and she LOVES it. The…read moreinstructors are all very professional and great with children. They make it structured and fun at the same time. My daughters dance technique improves more and more every week. If you are looking for a fun place for your child to grow as a dancer this is the place for you!

I haven't been into a dance class in about 10 years but I used to go to Vega and was a collegiate…read moredancer before that and let me tell you the experience I had at Vega was so great! Everyone is so supportive and lovely and the studio looks incredible. I highly recommend they have so many different types of classes for everyone. I love that it's an adult setting. And they have air-conditioning! Yay!

I have tried many classes so far and the teachers I liked the best are Nikki, Jeanine, Evie and…read moreTara. I am basically an absolute beginner and I found their classes easier to keep up with. If you are a beginner I would suggest a class that is labeled more workout than choreo because they do choreography in all I have been to. The owners are very nice people and the people who go there are also nice and approachable.

I highly recommend Step It Up Studios for anyone wanting to take dance lessons. Husband and wife…read moreowners and instructors, Kristy and Drew, are highly accomplished, have won numerous national dance competitions for many years, and are well known in the industry. I'm in my sixties and was needing to prepare for my daughter's wedding. In fact, this included my wife, my daughter, her fiancé, and me. I called and connected with Kristy and was immediately greeted with a cheerful eagerness to accommodate our needs and our demanding schedule. It has been a wonderful process and we are approaching the wedding with a confidence we couldn't have hoped for. Kristy has been my personal instructor and she has been truly outstanding. I have come to define professional excellence in terms of the combination of competence and conscientiousness. Kristy has demonstrated both of these to a high degree. To that she adds compassion, intuition, and a genuine desire for your success. Her ability to assess the student in real time and tailor the instruction to optimize learning, enjoyment, and advancement in each lesson is truly remarkable. We are so very happy with both Kristy and Drew. We look forward to each lesson with respect and excitement. What a wonderful experience! Step It Up Studios has hour highest recommendation.

This is the best place to learn proper ballroom technique and steps, whether you want to compete…read more(like I do) or for social dancing! I find that the owner goes out of her way to make sure everyone is happy and progressing. The instructors are incredible and show that they care about their students' learning and most importantly, they make the learning fun! I enjoy the fantastic relationships I have built with the other students and there are more and more leads participating than ever! I highly recommend you come and check out this amazing studio!