Dance Rental Space at Lake Merritt in Oakland

Lake Merritt Dance Organizer's Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit that gives dance organizers and dancers a home for their communities in Oakland.
Our space located at 200 Grand Ave at the Veteran's Memorial Hall.

Our mission is to provide affordable, beautiful dance space to community-based dance groups in Oakland.

Lake Merritt Dance depends on community support to remain viable. Our fundraising goal is $10,000.

Please support our mission and operations by donating here: tinyurl.com/supportLakeMerrittDance

Our Dances

Mondays

Explore West Coast Swing with Riley Crozier (7pm-11pm)
Cuban Salsa classes with Rueda Con Ritmo (6:30pm-9:30pm)
Ilê Axé Capoeira with Nathanael Morais and Laura Bai (7pm-9pm)

Tuesdays

Closed

Wednesdays

Popular social dance classes with Oakland Queer Dance Studio (6:30pm-8:45pm)
Modern Western Square Dance with Oaktown 8s (7pm-9pm)
Ilê Axé Capoeira with Nathanael Morais and Laura Bai (7pm-9pm)

Thursdays

Lindy Hop with The Breakaway (6:30pm-10:30pm)

Friday

Closed

Saturdays

Cuban Salsa with Rueda Con Ritmo (First Saturdays, 6pm-11:30pm)
Contra Dance with Circle Left (First Saturdays, 7pm-10pm)
West Coast Swing with Lakeside Swing (Second Saturdays, 7pm-11:00pm)
West Coast Swing - LGBT and friends with SwingOut (Third Saturdays, 7pm-11pm)
Blues Dancing with Breakaway Blues (Third Saturdays 6:30pm-11pm)
Queer country-western dance for women, non-binary people, and trans people. Starlight Strut (Fourth Saturdays, 6:30pm-10:30pm)

Upcoming Events:

Join the Golden Gate Lindy Exchange on Saturday, October 10th for a night of live music, a showcase of creativity, musicality, and personality through friendly inter-scene competition, and more!

Live Music
Andrew Stephens’ Savoy 7—from New York City!

Competition Information:
2026 Competition Guide.
2026 Competition Prelims Registration Form

Schedule and Location
Lake Merritt Dance (Veteran’s Memorial Building) - 200 Grand Ave, Oakland, CA
8:00-9:00pm — DJed music
9:00-11:30pm — Live music feat. Andrew Stephens’ Savoy 7

Visit The Breakaway Swing for more info & tickets

5Rhythms with Cecilia

Facilitated by Cecilia Lam
5Rhythms Teacher-in-Training
Mentored by Ray Diaz and Stuart Phillips

5Rhythms is a movement meditation rooted in Gabrielle Roth’s work, inviting dancers to explore presence and healing through motion. Open to every body and experience level, it offers a creative, embodied way to meet yourself with honesty and curiosity. Each session builds a supportive community that moves and grows together.

When: September 9 & 23, October 21 and November 4
Time: 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Tickets: $25

Dance Spotlight:

LIVE! "Texas Time"
by the
Camp Starlight Country Band

Dancers at Starlight Strut put together a band for their summer camp themed dance in August!

They played "Texas Time" by Keith Urban on the stage while the rest did the line dance, "Back on Texas Time."

Join the fantastic community at Starlight Strut on 4th Saturdays!

Visit Starlight Strut to learn more.

Interested in Renting Space?

We have 6 different rooms available at Lake Merritt Dance on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays with a varying amount of availability. You will need to inquire for rates and room availability below.

We have other times and locations available, but here are the priority times we are looking for long term renters for right now.