Vitalidad Movement Arts Center (VMAC)

I went to vitalidad for my first class ever tonight (heels with Sadie) and was just wildly impressed!! The folks at the desk were so sweet and helpful and the building itself / studio i was in were gorgeous!! I used to teach dance and lemme tell ya, dimmable lighting and a good sound system make all the difference. Throw in an INCREDIBLE teacher 10/10
Mar 27th, 2024

I've been attending VMAC events since they opened, and I have been welcomed, supported, and befriended. Vmac has the highest level of dance excellence in Portland. This is a gender inclusive and affirming space. All persons are safe here. The instructors are very skilled and invested in growing their community and their students.
Mar 19th, 2024

As challenging as my life has gotten, its crucial that I always know where my next oasis of Joy is. VMAC always delivers that for me especially classes like Daniels Vogue class and WallEs breakdancing class. Playful and challenging and sweaty fun that doesnt feel at all like the great exercise that it also is!
Mar 8th, 2024

Angel was a great instructor it was fun and engaging. We need more Hip-Hop dance classes like that!!
Feb 15th, 2024

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, its 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
Feb 11th, 2024