Dancing in Portland

     My schedule lately has been super hectic and as much I try to make it to dance class I find myself not having enough time; especially since the only modern/contemporary classes are on Tuesday and Thursday at 1 o'clock. Today was a dance class day, but I was helping my friend move in and wasn't able to go. However, since this blog is supposed to be partly about my love of dance and me going to this dance class that I've only been able to make once, I will talk about my some what embarrassing secret that I do find time to do; I go dancing with the same group of friends every Friday in Portland.

     This small addiction I have to going dancing once a week first started when I turned 21 this last September. Since then, I haven't missed a weekend of going out dancing whether I am in Portland or my hometown in Washington. The reason I like to go out dancing, or I guess "clubbing," is simply because I enjoy dancing with my friends and like every twenty one year old I enjoy drinking. I know clubs can be seen as places to grind up on some strangers, but that is not my cup of tea, and I don't find myself dancing with anyone, but my group of friends. I will admit there are some douche bag guys that can be found at these types of places and will try, but I have found if you say no very clearly they will go away. After, going out every weekend since I turned 21 I have developed a sense of places I like to go and places that I do not enjoy at all. I would like to share with you my top 3 recommendations for places to go dancing...

1. The Barrel Room - First I would like to fully admit that this place can get super crowded and super douchey real fast. HOWEVER this has been the place I have had the most fun at for a few reasons. It's located in downtown Portland. First off I find this place to be pretty versatile, especially, the age range of people you will find here. They have a restaurant, two bars, and an all request band inside the building. The band is very funny, knows a ridiculous amount of songs, and makes celebrating events there a lot of fun. They seem to draw in the older crowd and like I mentioned people celebrating birthdays, bridal parties, and etc. There is a small dance floor in front of the stage and they will let you steal the microphone as long as you aren't terrible. 

Outside, there is a covered dance floor in the cold seasons and it's uncovered during summer. There are two bars on the dance floor as well. The music is usually your typical top 40 club songs, but make for a decent time. On Friday nights, there aren't as many people and usually there is more girls than boys. You typically find people who are just trying to have a good time on this night and will not try to dance on you or bother you. Saturday night is a different story and I don't recommend it so much on this night. The guy to girl ratio becomes 3:1 and it can be very ridiculous. This is why I really recommend Friday nights. Another plus to the Barrel Room is if you come in before 10 pm you don't pay a cover. This way you can watch the band until the dance floor gets going and not have to worry about paying the cover which is great for when you don't have extra money to spend, but want to have a good time. However, when you do have to pay the cover you only pay about $3-$5 if you are a female and unfortunately for males it ranges from $10-$20 to get into both places. I really enjoy there are two types of scenes going on so you have options to how you want to spend your night. Also, Redbull and Vodka is only 3 dollars typically which is the cheapest I've found them.

2. CC Slaughters- I'm sure if you live in Portland you know this is a gay bar/club located in Chinatown. For those of you that don't, well now you know. When you first walk in you see the bar and the drinks are a fair price and jello shots are only a dollar every time I've gone on Saturday. This is the perfect place to go if you are a female not trying to be bothered by guys at all. However, if you are a straight male, be warned they know, and they more often than not will not be friendly to you unless you came with friends that are gay as well. I say this because I have seen straight men come in and be asked to leave by just some of the men in there not the establishment itself. 

The music is very electronic and techno. The dance floor has tons of lights going off at all times and is located behind the bar. Every one is there to have a good time and are usually very friendly. There are mirrors all around the dance floor and more often than not you will find at least one person who is on something and is just getting down with themselves in front of one of the mirrors. It is definitely funny to watch, but everyone is used to it and just continues to have a good time. I really enjoy dancing here and the friendly people, but techno isn't necessarily my favorite music. However, I enjoy the people and not having to worry about being bothered by anyone. I also don't believe there is a cover because I have never had to pay one. You will get a really cool stamp on your arm though that  you should remember to wash off before going to work the next day. My favorite one being " King Limp Dick."

3. Holocene- So Holocene, is a well known club in SE Portland. This club can't be described as much more than the "hipster club." The people who work there aren't very polite and the people who go there are either very nice or also not very polite. It's also hard to get to the bar so like me and many yelp reviewers recommend, you may want to prefunk before hand. The price at the door depends on the night you go. They have all different types of nights to go from 90's night to Gaycation. It's best to check the website before going so you know what event you may be getting into. The music honestly really depends on the night. They have shows earlier in the night for people looking for live music and then they have djs after nine for the dancing night life people. The events are seperate and you have to pay for both even if it's the same night. Like most clubs it doesn't get going till atleast after 10:30. Holocene gets super full though and depending on the person that is either good or bad.
The drinks are a little spendy, but I have always found them very tasty. They have drink slushies and the kind depends on the night, but I have found all of them very good. The venue itself is more of a warehouse and is cozy and open. I really enjoy that Holocene has so many different kind of nights to go to because the people really vary in that way. You see the usual hipsters who come to most events but, than you get to see the people who really only came for that event. This place is one of my favorites and besides the gay club it is one of the less douchey places to go in Portland. The plus though is you will not be critized as a guy to go there and not be gay. I really recommend this place especially if you are looking for a certain type of music to dance to.