Red Hot & Ladylike Dance Studio

I have had some friends who have had their bachelorette events here and I hear nothing but good things from them. I got to personally know Melissa the owner and lead instructor and she is an incredible dancer with a ton of experience in the field. The facilities are great and the dance floor is beautiful. This location was actually used for a segment of Dancing with the Stars! Melissa not only knows how to run a studio but she knows how to put on a memorable event. If you want to do something fun and different, look them up!

What can I say about Red Hot & Ladylike? Actually, I’m going to say quite a lot, so hold onto your fishnets, boys and girls.
The studio is located on Forest Avenue, in a location you are unlikely to stumble across if you are not fortunate enough to be told where it is. It’s like a hidden gem, that calls to those in need of a confidence boost, some fun, or a little bit of craziness in their lives. And it is run by a fierce and sexy firecracker of a lady named Miss E.
The classes at RH&L are classic burlesque style, designed to teach even the most tentative of beginners (trust me, I’m one of them), and are provided almost every day of the week. If you are not familiar with burlesque, then you are in for a sexy treat. My first visit to the studio, I walked into a room with red walls, a huge mirror, and fun dance music playing. Women of all shapes and sizes (the curvier the better!) were there working on the latest moves. Some wore tights. Most wore fishnets with booty shorts. High heels were prevalent, as were small shirts, ripped tops, and glittery belts. Props could be anything, including whips, batons, chairs and handcuffs.
Some would say that Miss E came into our lives by chance. I’d like to say it was providence — or fate, if you will. You see, we were putting on a charity event at Port City Music Hall during Gay Pride. It’s the big event that raises money for AIDS awareness and the Frannie Peabody Center. My brother was in charge of putting together a performance that could knock some socks off, as attendance to the event had been dwindling in previous years.
Enter Miss E — by chance (or destiny), referred to us as a potential choreographer for our event. Who not only accepted the challenge, but ended up choreographing six songs, when she was initially asked for one. Who worked with us until 10:30 at night several nights a week for months — always with a smile on her face, a spring in her booty poppin’ step, and a sassy remark. Always exclaiming after a room full of belly laughs, «I love my job!».
She took our gaggle of gays (two drag queens, a pseudo drag queen impersonator, and 12 men) and turned us into a fully functioning, confident, dance team. She worked with each persons ability level and comfortability level («Do you want to take your clothes off? It’s up to you!»), asking no more than what each person could give, while silently getting us all to expand our boundaries with nothing more than her own infectious confidence.
In the end, she made us look like rock stars. The event was a huge success, the venue was packed, the performance was out of this world, and people are still talking about it and will for months to come. Our little group became as tight as family, with many post performance hugs ending in tears (the happy kind). And none of it would have been possible without the amazing talent of Miss E and her girls at Red Hot & Ladylike.
If you are looking to dance, if you are looking for a confidence boost, if you are looking for your next passion — you will NOT find it anywhere the same way you will find it here. So bust out your fishnets, put on your sexy face, and head on down to Red Hot and Ladylike!