Lenora’s Ballroom

It’s an old building and was hard to find the entrance. Once you’re in, you’ll need to head upstairs. That’s where Lenora’s room is.
There’s an area to put your coat in before the main room. Bathrooms are located there too.
The main room is spacious and there are seats by the windows to rest your feet. There are also benches along the back wall, but they were creaky and teeter tottered. I think they could update the benches /​seats sooner than later.
The floor is hardy wood. Not too slick or sticky. The sound system for the holiday blues dance was loud enough that we could still talk with our dance partner and understand each other. All too often music at these types of dance don’t match the acoustics of the room, but Lenora’s was just right.

I’ve been here for Tuesday Blues. This is a medium sized ballroom on the third floor of a building. The entrance is an inconspicuous door facing 6^th Ave; it’s not actually on Alder. You wouldn’t expect a ballroom to be here at all, but here it is.
It’s a nice space with windows, a mirror on one wall, chairs around the sides for sitting out dances, a kitchen, and bathrooms.
Regarding parking: There are a couple of bike staples outside, but since I’m here at night and the rest of the block is dark with no (open) businesses, I’m always worried that my bicycle will get stolen. I would come more often if they would allow some bike parking inside (some people park inside despite the rule, but I’ve been asked to move my bike before).

So maybe I am a bit biased, as I go here every Tuesday night, but I do really like this place. Decent free lessons included in $ 6 ($ 5 for a dance card of 4 dances for us truly addicted dance people). Never danced anything in my life before, but found blues dancing to be very easy to pick up and the friendly atmosphere with a very welcoming crowd of people makes this place really easy to come to.

I’ve been going to blues dances and workshops at Lenora’s room for about a year now, and I absolutely LOVE this space. Yeah, it was a little hard to find the first time, so I’d advise anyone planning an even here to put a sign out, but once you get here, the place has everything.
The dance floor is huge and always lovely to dance on. There are mirrors across one of the walls, good for classes and practicing, and the other wall has a row of beautiful, giant windows. There are usually seats near the windows for dancers to cool down and take a break. The sound system is great, clear and loud with enough bass to get you moving. I also appreciate that there’s a side room to hang out with friends between dances. This way, when you’re exhausted, you don’t have to stand on the sidelines shouting above the music and awkwardly turning down dances, you can just wander into another room.
The blues events organizers always pack the dance floor with wonderful people, and the live bands are top notch. Highly recommended.

The Zumba instructor (most likely one of) is amateur just by observing her rhythm and movement. She had plenty of energy though, which is required in a dance exercise obviously. I expected someone who energizes the class and not just know the steps and routines. In the end I got an average Zumba class but not the experience I was hoping for. I’m hoping that there’ll be a different instructor next time. I got my class on Groupon. It also took awhile before I could figure out on my own where Lenora’s room was! The address is on Alder but the door to the class room is facing 6^th Ave. There was no sign to indicate it at all.

I’m more qualified to review «Tuesday Blues» which occurs at Lenora’s room every… well, Tuesday, from 9pm-12:30ish. The intermediate lesson is at 7:30 and the beginning lesson follows at 8:30. $ 6 gets you in for the whole night– lessons and all! But you can also come at anytime and skip the lessons if you prefer. More info at
. Check it out!
Your next question is probably «what is blues dancing?» That’s a difficult question to answer– i suggest you you-​tube it to find out. After you do that be sure and search «portland blues dancing» and «seattle blues dancing» to get the feel of the local flave. It’s basically a very intimate partner dance (a lead-​follow type of deal), totally improvised and no set moves.
Anyway about the venue– it is very nice– large, spacious, open, high ceilings, windows, a couple of little side rooms for lounging and whatnot. Good acoustics. The sink in the women’s bathroom has only fallen off the wall once since I’ve been going there, so really I can’t complain. It can often be too cool or too hot, but you can’t please everyone, especially when people are dancing and gettin all sweaty and stuff.
It seems kind of sketch the fist time you go– you have to go through a random unmarked door (save for the paper sign posted on it) around the corner under the Melody Club, and then go up 3 flights of stairs. But it’s not sketchy once you get up there, don’t worry. Like I say I’ve only gone to blues dancing there, but it’s a nice place and would be a great venue for events or bands or parties, too.