Vitalidad Movement Arts Center (VMAC)

"As challenging as my life has gotten, it’s crucial that I always know where my next oasis of Joy is. VMAC always delivers that for me – – especially classes like Daniel‘s Vogue class and WallE’s breakdancing class. Playful and challenging and sweaty fun — that doesn’t feel at all like the great exercise that it also is!"

"Angel was a great instructor it was fun and engaging. We need more Hip-Hop dance classes like that!!"

"I wanted to love this so bad, but it just wasn't it. Mind you, this is my first American dance class. I just spent a month in Colombia taking 4 hours of bachata a week with a 1:1 teacher for 20$ an hour. I learned so fast because I was learning one to one with a professional competitive dancer. Learning bachata with a strong experienced lead makes a huge difference as being the woman, I'm supposed to follow. If the lead doesn't know what they're doing, as in the classes here, you not only learn a lot slower, but often learn incorrectly. I signed up for a full month of lessons here however, my first class was a turn off. The classes are extremely full. There might be 30 to 50 people in the room. I don't know what I was expecting. Maybe 15 or 20 equal men and women that you would get to know each other over the course of the month. Just something more intimate. I also thought you would also dance with the teacher kind of get the feeling physically of what the correct dance looks like, however, this is not the case, you're just watching. It is also very fast-paced, so if you're neurodivergent or take a little bit to get the hang of things, it's probably not for you. Especially since the class is only an hour you only learn a little bit at a time, once a week in class. There's also really no time for you to like invest in learning a specific step, the 30-50 or whatever people in the room are all on the same clock, and one step is rushed to the next. After my first class I was looking into the cost of individual dance lessons here however they are ridiculously expensive at $100 an hour. I have a decent job, but still cannot afford that. The location is also not that convenient unless you live in the general area and can walk. Parking is really difficult, it’s not right off the freeway or anything so if you live in another part of town, give yourself at least an extra 15 minutes to park and walk to the location. I guess I will be back in Latin America soon to learn more one-to-one! Or maybe at a bar in Portland they'll teach us some steps"

"VMAC has been a life changing community for me. I came in with literally no experience dancing and their teaching style (focused on social dancing) was so patient, energetic, and intuitive. I took bachata classes with Deblin and Malik for 6 months, but have also attended workshops with Carolina, Jamal, and Chris and they are all fantastic educators. I would highly recommend this amazing community."

"I've tried many dance studios in the Portland area over the years and I always come back to VMAC. Classes are consistently high quality, organized, timely, and all the admin/front desk operations are smooth and highly communicative. Instructors and the owners actually care about their students and they've built a pretty incredible community over the last several years. I don't use the word community lightly- these people organize meal trains, check in when you've been out for awhile, and routinely ask for feedback. Not to mention this studio is home to the biggest Brazilian Zouk scene in Portland! No partner needed- just a desire to learn from some of the best in the area."