I’ve been square dancing with the Rosetown Ramblers at the Ankeny Street Studio since June. There is much to love about this studio, beginning with the fact that it is located in this nondescript building.
There are a variety of instructors who use the space, including ballroom dance instructors and folk dancers.
The room we use is the Grand Ballroom and it’s huge. It has mirrors and a beautiful floor. Also a disco ball.
Along the side are tables and chairs. The decorations on the tables change with the seasons. One of my favorite details is the carpet-covered bumpers along the wall, which keep chairs from hitting the wall.
Sadly, this space will be eliminated. The original owner of the building was a woman who was invested in the ballroom dance community. The building has been sold and the new owners are not interested in supporting the dance community. The Rosetown Ramblers will be dancing in Milwaukie in the future. And Portland will lose this unique space.
I’m heartbroken. How can anyone NOT love dance and want to support it? They must think they can get more money from someone else. Boo.
Will you continue to dance with the RR once they move to Milwaukie?
Also me, heartbroken. It was such a cool space. There’s no room for cool spaces that aren’t maximizing their income earning potential in Portland any longer.
I will continue to dance with the Rosetown Ramblers in Milwaukie, but I’m hoping we find a better spot for the lessons that begin in September. If we stay in Milwaukie it will be very hard for me to attend. Right now I’m getting a ride from my friend, when I can’t get the car, but she has to drive out of her way to take me home, which I don’t like.