Deborah Messinger School of Dance

★Amber McD

I am so sad to write about this experience, but I'm hoping it helps others to save their money and time. Had such high hopes and excitement for our child's first dance classes back in November 2025. 1st class gets canceled due to Tara being sick. Okay, understandable and we were bummed but classes hadn't even started. Show up the next week, to find out parents have to sit outside in the cold and wind of Troutdale while children dance. Weird, but okay we make it work. There is a small “lobby” type area of the church building where classes are held. Although it would be a tad tight to have parents pull chairs out to watch and put away after, it definitely would've been more comfortable than sitting outside in 40 degree weather. We gave this studio a try for seven weeks, and after the 3rd cancellation with no make up class in sight (we were told make up classes would happen and they never happened) and/or any refunds of roughly $20 a class, we decided to go somewhere more reliable and consistent. Tara cancelled three out of the seven classes after we had committed and paid. I might have gotten to see my child dance about 15% total because of the requirement of sitting outside in the dark or in your car. Therefore, just be prepared to not see what your child learns or experiences in the class. My child was so stoked each week to go to dance, that when Tara would text and cancel hours prior to class starting....it was so disappointing to try and explain why. Tried reaching out to Tara four times about pricing vs services given(aka not given), make up classes, & moving on, but was completely ghosted. This part is directly for Deborah the owner...would love to make contact and hear your thoughts, but don’t come at me in the reply ha. I tried getting your contact info twice and nothing. Ghosted by Tara. So, talk to her first please. Anyway, I wanted to let Deborah in on everything before writing this review as I see on here with each negative review she responds with “I can’t do anything because you didn’t talk to me” specifically. Well, Deborah I told Tara twice that I wanted your number or email and continued to be ghosted. I was really confused on why Tara wasn't willing to credit me for the classes that were cancelled last minute and never made up. The final class, the week we decided that's enough, was the Monday before Christmas. She cancelled class because a few of the families being gone for break, therefore the remaining families got cancelled on and still had to pay. This was really confusing to us because as someone who works with children, it's common to have the ability to adapt on a dime. Especially when I find out a day later that we had a family friend in another class, which also got cancelled and we thought--wait! why didn't she just combine the classes that week?? This experience was from 11/10/25-12/22/2025.

★Geraldo Hernandez

We loved the trial class - it was fun and engaging for our daughter. Sadly, the experience since signing up has been disappointing. Classes are frequently rescheduled, often at the last minute, making it impossible to attend with our full-time work schedules. We're frustrated because we've missed more classes than we've paid for and now we’re out $150 for 2 months (plus registration). Unfortunately, contacting the owner about our concerns hasn't led to anything as she ignored my wife’s text. Bottom Line: The classes are great for kids, but the unpredictable schedule makes this studio impossible for busy families without a flexible schedule. EDIT: I made another solid attempt to reach out to the owner with 2 emails and a voicemail after her reply to my review but never got a response back so will leave my rating as-is..

★★★★★Amber Shaw

Absolutely the best dance studio! This is our daughter's 4th year here. We started with Mommy & Me, then Tiny Tots, then pre I and now pre 2. We also did 1yr of Rising Star Pre-school at age 4 to get her ready for kindergarten which she now is in. She learned so much at her preschool. Over the years she has made many friends and of course learned some fun dance moves! This is a family owned small business which I very much like becasue they know all the students well and it has that famliy atmosphere. On a side note. Miss Tara who is one of the instructors is wonderful with young children. She shows patience and guides the children in learning in a way that makes it fun which is not easy. Highly recommend.

★★★★★Jennifer Snyder

Since moving to Oregon my daughter has wanted to go to this studio. This is her second year at Deborah Messinger School of Dance. We spend four nights a week here and it is always clean with friendly staff. Ms. Deborah and Miss Tara have taught my daughter dance with so much love. They have given her so much confidence through their positive encouragement. The love and support my daughter gets from this studio is priceless. I have never met two people that were so dedicated to your child’s happiness. If you are looking for a family friendly studio than I would give this studio a call. You won’t be disappointed.

★★★★★Tams Dance

We love it here! They have wonderful teachers, great staff and are wonderful with the kids. My daughter has been going here for over 3 years. We switched her from another dance studio and glad we did because she has learned a lot more. My son is now involved here and loves it! He has been doing dance & the preschool. We took a little break from the preschool, but will be going back! Great atmosphere & a family oriented place!