Country Dancing in Portland, OR

Last month I made my first trip to Portland, Oregon in years. With more time and mobility on this trip, I found the time to go country dancing at a couple of interesting clubs and along the way, I unexpectedly ran into an old friend.


The Clubs
In researching country dance clubs on the Internet prior to my trip, I found four clubs listed, all within a half hour of central Portland:

• Bushwhackers (8200 SW Tonka St, Tualatin, OR 97062, 503-692-3982)
• Duke's Country Bar & Grill (14601 SE Division St, Portland, OR, 503-760-1400)
• Ponderosa Inn & Cascade Grill (10210 N Vancouver Way, Portland, OR 97211, 503-345-0300 Ext. 4459)
• Outlaws Bar and Grill (722 E Burnside St, Portland, OR) - closed

However, Outlaws Bar and Grill has apparently closed and reopened as Bossanova and I was told that Ponderosa is really just a truck stop, so I tried Bushwhacker's and Duke's Country Bar & Grill. Bushwhacker's is just west of the city while Duke's is on Portland's east side. The atmosphere at Duke's is much more lively, but the level of dancing is a lot higher at Bushwhacker's.

Bushwhackers in Tualatin, OR
I first went to Bushwhackers on a Wednesday night, where they were teaching intermediate level two-step lessons. There was a pretty good-sized crowd there when I walked in at 7:30 pm, but virtually everyone was in their 40's or older. This may have been because it was an intermediate (not beginner) level class.


The dancers were solid but with a sedate style, and after the two-step lesson the open dancing was a mix of two-steps, waltzes, and swing (both east coast and west coast). No one came in after the lessons were done and I left about 9:30.

The floor is fairly large (I'd estimate about 50' x 70' or 3500 sq. ft.) and has a perfect surface -- silky smooth without being slippery. A railing runs around most of the edge.


The instructor, Randy Shott, was very good, and though I was originally going to sit out the lessons I jumped in when they rotated partners and a lady needed a partner. Although in a sense the moves he was teaching were simple, I had trouble with them because I'm not used to turning to my left, and I didn't have a strong sense of the lead.

At several points he discussed proper footwork; how to maintain frame; and how the lady should "spot" during a turn (look at a point down line of dance, or reverse line of dance, and only whip her head around when forced to by the turn).

He taught us how to:

• take the lady through a full outside turn (to the right) from the closed position;
• wrap the lady to the left with three half turns;
• unwrap the lady to her left;
• perform a hand change and using the man's right hand turn the lady to her left, ending facing reverse line of dance in a cape or sweetheart position;
• and finally, wheel as a couple to the left and get back to closed dance position with a free spin of the lady to her left (with a small prep move in front of the free spin).

(When I looked him up I found that Randy is a former Masters Division competitor -- the highest level in C&W competition, comprised of people who've been national champions multiple times -- who used to teach full time in California, and who helps sponsor the Portland Dance Festival.)

The big surprise was when a lady came up to me and said, "You look like..."

As soon as I heard her voice I said, "Barbara!"

I had met Barbara years ago in Germany, and she credits me with really launching her into country dancing. She's a German who had moved back to Germany for a while after living in the US, then moved back to Seattle and then Portland.

Duke's Country Bar & Grill in Portland, OR
Although Barbara had warned me that the floor is small at Duke's and there aren't too many serious dancers there, I went to Duke's on the east side of Portland after work on Friday. The floor was smaller but still reasonably large by East Coast standards, probably about 25' x 35'. There was a mechanical bull in the corner that several people rode.


As I'd been told, the level of dancing was pretty low, but it was pretty fun (though quite loud). The crowd was very young and mostly female, and they danced almost exclusively line dances. One youthful couple though stood out from the crowd, as they danced some fairly advanced west coast swing and couples dances with competition styling.

It was a lively atmosphere and I would have stayed a little longer if I hadn't been with some non-dancers. (I felt guilty about dragging them out there even though they were pretty laid back about the whole thing.)


I danced some line dances, trying to pick up a few of their dances there (including one peculiar one where they virtually walk in a semi-circle). They also danced some familiar line dances (Swamp Thang, though I'm not used to doing it in contra lines; Slappin' Leather; Tush Push; Watermelon Crawl; and Cotton-Eyed Joe).



The Bottom Line
I may try Bushwhackers again if I get the opportunity. I know pretty well that a club can change dramatically from night to night and Barbara told me that Thursdays would be ideal for me (lots of line dances and lots of good couples dancers), but I was committed to some other events that night.

Duke's has a very young, attractive crowd and is very line dance-oriented. If the Friday night that I went is typical it's probably best-suited if you're in the mood for a really loud, energetic environment and either want to line dance or else come with a good partner for two-stepping and swing. I had fun there because of the atmosphere.

Getting There
The two clubs are about half an hour apart if traffic is light. From Portland's airport (PDX):

• Bushwhackers (less than a mile west of Exit 289 of I-5 S): Take I-205 South to I-84 West, and then to I-5 South for about 12 miles to Exit 289 (Sherwood/Tualatin). Turn right at SW Nyberg St. to go west a short distance, then do a quick jog by turning left onto SW Martinazzi Ave., right onto SW Warm Springs St., and then a right onto SW Tonka St.

• Duke's (about 10 miles southeast of the airport): Take I-205 South to Exit 19 (Division Street). Turn left to go east on SW Division Street. The club is about 2.5 miles on the left, between SE 145th Ave and SE 148th Ave.

Related:

• A Quick Trip To Portland, OR (6/5/09)
• My First Video: Multnomah Falls, Oregon (6/6/09)
  
• Country Dancing in Portland, OR (6/7/09)
• Dining in Portland, Oregon (6/9/09)
• Waterfalls: Columbia River Gorge, OR