Portland Dance Classes Portland, OR

Portland area dance instructors talk about dance lessons

What styles of dancing do you teach?

Susan Molitor: "I teach swing, Latin and ballroom."

Susan Price: "Tap, jazz, hip-hop, ballet, double Dutch and musical theater."

Diana Redding: "Ballet, jazz, tap, tumbling, hip-hop, break, ballroom and belly dancing."

What's your favorite dance and why?

Susan Molitor: "I have a lot of favorites."

Susan Price: "Tap, because I started tapping when I was 3. Even though I've branched out, that's been my favorite."

Diana Redding: "I'm hooked on all dance. Each style has a mood that, depending on the day, works on me."

How do you charge for dance lessons and what's the cost?

Susan Molitor: "I do sessions for group classes, and I have a rate of $65 per hour for private lessons. A three-week session is $25, and a six-week session is $50."

Susan Price: "Students are charged by the month, so they can stay as long as they like and leave at any time. The rate for recreational classes is $59 an hour. After two hours, everything is half-price."

Diana Redding: "Normally, the rate is charged monthly at $48 for a once-per-week class."

How often do you recommend your clients take a class with you? Do they need to practice outside of class?

Susan Molitor: "Once a week. I ask them to practice at home; some do, some don't."

Susan Price: "We really recommend two hours per week, because we're divided up into ballet and tap/jazz. We encourage them to practice at home."

Diana Redding: "A minimum of once per week. The more you take, the faster and better your results. Practice helps."

How far in advance does someone need to schedule lessons with you before they can start?

Susan Molitor: "For private lessons, about two weeks. For group classes, at the very least, one week ahead of time."

Susan Price: "As long as there's room in the class, we always have something available. If they're full, we start a new class."

Diana Redding: "Immediately. We offer one free class for new customers."

How do you handle the most dancing-challenged clients?

Susan Molitor: "Often it's getting people to get out of their head and stop judging themselves."

Susan Price: "Everybody's welcome. We've trained our teachers to teach to a variety of levels. We have lots of ways to take care of that."

Diana Redding: "With tons of patience." 

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