The original Paradise Place Studio was created by Hugo Chang, an avid lifetime dancer and philanthropic supporter of various dance communities in Seattle and Portland.  When he moved his business office to Portland, he began looking for a space to build a ballroom to replace the one he had owned in Seattle.  In 2004 he opened Paradise Place Studio which was designed as a place for classes and small dance gatherings.  One year later he located the present space and within 27 days had created Paradise Ballroom.  Hugo and a few friends installed the beautiful 1440 sq ft, cushioned maple dance floor, sound system, and seating. 

During the following three and a half years, Hugo continued improving the ballroom and its attendance continued to grow.  He included his gourmet catering in many of the events and during the Chinese New Year and Two Year Anniversary celebrations, and several other events over 100 were present. 

In August of 2008 he decided to expand his mushroom sales and distribution business, and entered an agreement with the current management team, Greg, Astrid, Jenica and Polly, to take responsibility of the ballroom.  However, he will remain very active in assisting us with many aspects of operating the venue. 

Hugo moved his warehouse equipment and supplies to his former location in SE Portland and his former space is now part of Paradise Studio.  A beautiful 1800 sq ft bamboo dance floor has been installed there and various remodeling projects throughout the studio are in progress.

Hugo's contributions to the Portland Dance Community reach far beyond the ballroom/studio and those who know him are familiar with his excellent dancing, enthusiastic approach to anything dance related, and his sense of community spirit. Our goal is to continue building on the foundation he built.