We take the name of our business from the legendary Cloudland Ballroom in Brisbane, Australia. Owners Lauren Smith and Peter Flahiff have worked in Australia many times over the past ten years, and on one occasion when on tour in Brisbane, they happened across a street mural depicting the arts and entertainment of the city over the years. The mural named Cloudland Ballroom as a key spot for dancing and bands for over 40 years. It held the largest dance floor in Australia at 34,000 square feet, capable of hosting up to 4,000 dancers! During its existence, the venue hosted loads of regional big bands, and stayed up-to-date with the new sounds of pop music: Buddy Holly, AC/DC, INXS, The Stray Cats, Madness, and The Clash all entertained massive crowds over the years.

Sadly, unscrupulous land developers wanted the hilltop location for apartments. Despite having a National Trust listing (Historical Landmark), and huge public support to preserve it, the building was completely demolished in the dead of night on November 7, 1982.

When Lauren and Peter started thinking about opening a dance school of their own after moving from Southern California to Seattle, Cloudland seemed to be the perfect name, combining an homage to a great ballroom in one of their favorite cities, with the clear connection to the Pacific Northwest’s reputation for beautiful clouds.