BodyVox

Beautiful studio space and variety with classes.
The dance company is creatively led by Jamey Hampton and Ashley Roland. It makes me so happy to see such creative, humor and wit in a dance company in my home town. I highly recommend trying out a dance class for any level/​any style, or enjoying the treasure of having this inspiring, imaginative company to interact with and open your mind to beauty and imagination. Must see!

We just recently went to a show here for the first time and were most impressed with the layout of the theater, the seating arrangements and comfort level. The performance was very well executed and well worth the tickets. I will say too they have real air conditioning and air flow as well as seats with actual room — I have paid twice the price to sit in a theater where I cannot breathe and am sitting in the lap of the person next to me so this is important to mention.

BodyVox is always terrific! Sexy, romantic, athletic, funny and theatrical. The most creative and inspiring dance in the city. And the theater is cozy – every seat is good. This is the place to take a date, a guest, a child, or a Mom for a great time.

Love their shows and love their classes. A very relaxed company that enjoys sharing dance!

The Huzz and I are always talking about how we need to get out and get more culture so when we won tickets to Bodyvox at a school auction, I was pretty excited. We procrastinated, as we are apt to do, and ended up going to the last performance of the season out in the NW industrial area.
When we arrived we were escorted into a huge warehouse that is used to store float parts for the Rose Parade. Weird. The space was old, run down, the insulation was falling off the ceiling (I’m pretty sure that spray stuff was asbestos) and it was uncomfortably cold. Now I do not profess to understand the artistic process but when other patrons were commenting on the «beautiful space» I was thinking «WTF»?!
The show started with the audience standing in a semi-​circle watching old home movies as the dancers and musicians made their entry. Then the procession moved to the actual seating area and the show began. That’s when I forgot we were sitting in a freezing, asbestos contaminated warehouse. The acoustics, music and singers were excellent. The dances were creative and told the story of the songs. It turned out to be a really great show and l will definitely go to at least one show next season (with down coats and respirators in hand).

LONG Time FAN!!! This is a must if you appreciate the arts, makeup, engineering, imagination and more. If you enjoy a unique experience designed to stimulate your senses this is it.
We’ve thoughrougly enjoyed every event we’ve attended.
Talent, beauty, excellent entertainment.

We’ve been fans of BodyVox for some years now, and love being season ticket holders now.
The creativity and pure emotion encompassed in Rowland and Hampton’s choreography is astounding. It sounds cheesy, but we have laughed, cried, and gotten chills in one night’s performances.
The dancers are at the top of their game, and the relationship with the audience is palpable. Mutual adoration and appreciation; very Portland, and great to be a part of.
The other great thing about BodyVox is that they offer classes for all levels, and hold kids’ classes to nurture this beautiful art among our youngest. Good thing, as we hope BodyVox and its relationship with Portland last a good, long time.

STACKROBATS A BUST!
This is a doozie. I really only like to Unilocal good things, but this is just such a disappointment, that I’m hoping this will change how things are structured for the kids classes at Bodyvox.
The other day I called Bodyvox to sign my child up for a kids class. I was concerned she would be tired because the class was at 4 on a Tuesday and she is a young kindergartener and I didn’t want it to be too tiring for her.
So I asked if she could try a class at a drop in rate so we could do a test run. The answer was, «Sure, it’s $ 15.00 to drop in.» Great.
We showed up, ready to go, super excited, etc. I handed the person at the front desk my cash and she returned it saying, «See if she likes the class, then we’ll just sign her up.» OK, perfect.
The class started out pretty neat, the kids were playing a warm-​up game of sorts where the teacher was shouting out words and the kids were moving based on what she said. Everyone was having fun, and my daughter was really enjoying herself. Then she lined up the kids at the end of a long mat and they took turns rolling, cartwheeling and crab-​walking. I thought they all looked bored, antzy and ready to move around some more waiting in line. To me, it might’ve been better to have the kids work in a circuit such as: «OK roll down the mat to the mirrors and do ten jumping jacks and then crab walk all the way back to the line… etc.» At least the kids would break a sweat and have less time to pick their noses and wipe it on the kid in front of them.
A half hour went by and honestly, I was just waiting for the excitement to begin. And then, they all sat down in the corner and started COLORING!!! I noticed my child drew a picture and then asked if she could go to the mats to roll around while the other kids were still drawing. The teacher said, «No, you have to wait for everyone to be finished.» OK with me, but – my kid has been in kindergarten all day –the last thing she wants to do is color another dang picture – she wants to move! Whats more is that they want $ 100 a session to do 5 cartwheels on a mat and then color for half the class? I pulled my child, said thanks to the teacher and we left.
I stopped by the desk on my way out and told the person at the front I was disappointed in the class. I said I wasn’t expecting the kids would be coloring and I was hoping for something more energetic for my child. The gal at the front desk said: «Did you not read what the class was about prior to registration?» I told her I did and that was why I was concerned it would be tiring – that and I didn’t read anything about coloring. (*By the way, their site says this: Stackrobats is unique class developed by BodyVox Artistic Director, Ashley Roland. Combining basic gymnastics and tumbling with dance movement and balance; Stackrobats develops strength, agility, imagination and a fearless approach to movement.)
I went to pay her anyway and she had the gall to tell me that the drop in fee was now $ 20, not $ 15. In my mind, she should’ve said, «I’m sorry the class isn’t a good fit for your child, what other classes can we look at that might work?» or «It’s $ 20 for the drop-​in fee, I’m sorry you were misinformed, but I’ll take the $ 15 you were told” – not, «When you get home, call us to make your $ 20 payment – we take credit cards over the phone!» After that, I said, «You have my contact info on your waiver. Go ahead and tell the manager to call me to discuss payment.» Read: Shove it.
I’m just blown away – for an organization that seemed so world class and elegant on paper – they sure did fall on their face with this «Unique class». Developed by the companies artistic director?!? Hoax, much? According to some of these other posts, it seems the creative directors should just stick to their flailing and refrain from charging for a tumble and a box of crayons.

A little slow on posting this… but we decided to have our five year old daughter’s birthday party at Bodyvox in August and it was wonderful especially working with Mia and James… We’ve since moved from the area but it’s a nice memory for us for our last weekend in Portland.
Mia was organized and had a craft ready for the little ones when we arrived (making little hats) while James was so patient with trying to get the children to follow him. They were so sweet at the studio to help with clean up and set up… Truly a great unique place to have a little one’s b-​day.

Saw their Halloween show Bloodyvox yesterday. It was creative, entertaining and surprising. Loved it and I plan to go again and see their regular shows. Great entertainment in a small, intimate setting that is perfect for dance.

Saw a performance by them today. I alternated between feeling embarrassed and laughing, but not in a good way. It looked like more random flailing than anything. Might have been an off day for them, they might have been pressed for time in making this, or they just have a style I do not appreciate whatsoever.
My guess is the latter. The guy they were putting forth as their front man was the worst. My friend there with me looked it up and apparently the guy claims ~40 years of dance experience, so I’m hoping he actually means to dance the way he does. Some other people were cheering and even gave a standing ovation, and I see 5-​star reviews here, so maybe you’ll like them.

Entertaining, Amazing, Beautiful, Talented…
These are a few words that explain the Body Vox 2 show that we saw last night
This was my first show, and definitely not my last. This is a very talented group of dancers! The music, the story they tell through dance, is just amazing. We had seats in the middle section, and I will say, I don’t think there is a bad seat in the house! The place is small, which makes for an intimate setting.
I highly recommend everyone to come and experience one of there shows! I can’t wait to see another show here! They also have classes here for everyone, from little tykes to teens to adults. I can only imagine that would be one fun class!

Saw Smoke Soup last night. Beautiful show, amazing performers, LOVED the music. Looking forward to seeing future shows!

S.U. and I saw Smoke Soup a few days ago at Bodyvox in Slabtown. It’s a collaboration between a dozen dancers, several musicians, a couple of choreographers and an amazing performance space. I’ve accompanied S.U. to many dance performances. I’m sometimes reluctant and usually won over. This one was special because of the live band/​dancers interplay. Sometimes modern dance can be fussy, sometimes too goofy but this was fun, creative and beautifully performed. Good, tight band with great singers too!
These small theater/​dance venues are the creative engine driving performing arts in Portland. Audiences are the fuel. Get out there and support live theater!

I saw Horizontal Leanings and it was so entertaining! Some of the dances were amusing, some deeply thought provoking, some just beautiful to watch.
One of the most fun and original pieces was a jazz number called… well, I don’t know what it was called, but it should be «The Bunny.» It was quirky and abstract and very memorable… so much so that I now use that term in my every day vocabulary. When something random or unexplainable happens, I sing-​speak «The Bunny.»

Languid. Aggressive. Funny. Beautiful. Romantic. Flying.
All these adjectives describe the latest offering of Bodyvox, «Horizontal Leanings.» I thoroughly enjoyed the show. Each piece was strong and captivating. Sometimes during shows my mind will wander and I’ll start thinking about what I have to do the next day, or will start clock watching, and neither happened during this performance. The music was amazing; the arrangements are powerful and varied, and range from soft and muted to hip hop to jazz noir. Costuming was great; look for the use of plastic bags as tulle and neckties as dresses.
Tonight was the first performance and there were some glitches. The music didn’t start right away and they had to fix it and restart the show. The projection was too big for the screen. However, none of that mattered. The show is incredible.
The theater wasn’t full, and the seats aren’t that expensive. Buy a ticket and see a great show. Support Portland art, and support a dance troupe that makes dancing look fun, powerful, raucous and joyous.