Viva La Vega!

Alive on the worn wooden floors inside the new Vega Dance + Lab is Burlesque, Cabaret and strip tease dancing you thought you could only find in Las Vegas. The Industrial District of downtown Portland, Ore., where Vega is located, may not appear to resemble the bright lights and big city feel of Las Vegas, Nev., but charging through the doors of the dance lab is like getting hit head on by a flashing neon sign reading: "Welcome to Fabulous Vega."

Vega Dance + Lab is located in the raw, ever-evolving industrial area of Southeast Portland. The studio's neighborhood was chosen for its edgy "just-about-to-blossom" feel. The studio space itself represents this very idea. Once inside, the pounding beats and flurry of activity take over the body and soul. Standing still becomes impossible. With exposed brick walls, and red velvet curtains in the expansive 2,400 square foot space, this is a place that dancers will be proud to shimmy and shake.

One of Vega’s popular dance classes is “Burly Q.” This burlesque-style class teaches the sassy style Las Vegas showgirls are known for. Any level of dancer is welcome, from beginner to advanced. Entering a Burly Q class is like getting a backstage pass to a professional performance filled with flickering, flirty footwork that will leave you breathless. Vega may not offer the colorful costumes, flashy neon lights or big stage of a Las Vegas nightclub, but the earth quaking booty shaking of a Burly Q class could only be matched by a vivid Vegas show.

Hip Hop Cabaret is another popular, Las Vegas-inspired class taught at Vega Dance + Lab. Think Pussycat Dolls. It is the real Las Vegas deal. A Hip Hop Cabaret class is full of heart-pounding hip-hop beats matched with a flourish of fierce attitude, glamour and girliness. The females fluttering about in this class are chock-full of attitude and funk. Push all inhibitions aside for this 60-minute class and turn into a fierce, nightclub cabaret vixen.

“I want to inspire people to do something regularly that they might not otherwise have done if they hadn't found Vega and taken my class,” says Jill Dickman, Vega Dance + Lab instructor. “We want to provide a home for the serious dancer to hone their skills, as well as welcome brand new dancers and show them a safe and comfortable place to learn.”

This January marks a new year, filled with new classes for Vega Dance + Lab. Along with Burly Q and Hip Hop Cabaret, Vega offers Tease and Tone, Hip Hop (with levels

for everyone), Old School Funk, Street Jazz and Lyrical.

Vega is a drop-in studio, and dancers are encouraged to begin at any time. The

Dance + Lab does not run on a typical monthly schedule; the schedule is ongoing, allowing for routines to be taught “brand new” in each class session. Dancers don’t need to worry about missing a class and “falling behind” at Vega. There is no gamble, and you can’t lose or break-even; everyone wins at Vega Dance + Lab.

Kristina Eichorn is a former student at Vega Dance +Lab. She attends the University of Oregon and studies public relations and communications.

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