Dance Workout Classes for Everyone

Let’s talk dance workout classes! Movement is restorative for your mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. I’ve put together a list of organizations that are combining personal growth and positivity with fun workouts, free from social and societal restrictions. Basically, it’s reconnecting with your bod without the B.S.!

Life is energy in motion, so when we slow down (or shake it off, whatever your preference) and tap into our natural instincts, it can inevitably lead to a more open heart and a lighter, happier mind.

Read on and let it all go!

5Rhythms

Check it out HERE.

5Rhythms is a combination of dance and meditation. Each class is unique, but in a full Wave class, your certified instructor will take you through the 5Rhythms in sequence, each representing a unique state of being:  Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical, and Stillness®. You are encouraged to find your own interpretations of how to move your body as you transition through the different states, creating a unique, personal expression of your spirit and intuition.  

Watch a short little sample here.

While it can be a great form of exercise too, 5Rhythms is ultimately designed to be a celebration of our life force. Here is a powerful explanation of what the process seeks to inspire in you:

“In dancing 5Rhythms you can track perceptions and memories; seek out gestures and shapes; tune into instincts and intuitions. They reveal ways to creatively express aggressiveness and vulnerability, emotions and anxieties, edges and ecstasies. Reconnects us to cycles of birth, death and renewal and hook us up to the spirit in all living things. They initiate us back into the wisdom of our bodies and unleash movement’s dynamic healing power.”

No previous experience is necessary, and classes are at your own pace, so they are great for people at any level of fitness or if you are recovering from an injury.

5Rhythms is a global organization, and there are currently workshops on the schedule in U.S. 14 states. Click here to search for a class near you. 

Dance Dance Party Party L.A.

Learn more HERE.

Have you ever daydreamed you’re Courtney Cox, swaying on stage with a young Bruce Springsteen? Well, if you’re in the Los Angeles area, you can absolutely dance in the dark, with zero judgment, at this all-woman dance party workout!

DDPPLA, which stands for Dance Dance Party Party Los Angeles, hosts a women-only celebration every Sunday night. The 60-minute freestyle event is designed to provide a safe place to drop it like it’s hot and reconnect with the exuberance of jumping around your teenage bedroom to the radio. There are no instructors, just a DJ, and in fact, there are only 3 rules: “No Boys. No Lights. No Judgment.”  

Dance Dance Party Party is currently headquartered in Chicago, and now runs a small operation worldwide. Click here to search for a dance party near you, or start one of your own.

(P.S. They also have some awesome playlists available on their blog, in case you want to have a solo dance break in the comfort of your own home.) 

Fat Kid Dance Party

Check it out HERE.

Fat Kid Dance Party was created by Bevin Branlandingham to be a supportive environment for “ALL sizes to heal from body oppression.” Her classes are packed with people of all genders, shapes and sizes who want to celebrate their bodies and their wild and free spirits.

No more excuses that you’re “too this or that” to shake it off! As an AFAA certified group exercise instructor, Bevin leads participants through an energetic pop dance and aerobics class, and if you’re not able to come to a live event, you can access the weekly class online with a Patreon membership.

Find out when the next party is in your neighborhood here. 

DIY Options

These are just a few high-energy options, but if dance workout classes aren’t your thing, there are plenty of other ways you can refill your proverbial cup through movement. 

A brisk walk in nature is a simple, free and low-commitment way to start. 😉 

You can also try out a little T’ai chi. Before you laugh it off, know that this internal Chinese martial art “requires tremendous strength, endurance and flexibility, as well as demanding enormous concentration and focus.” It is designed to bring all aspects of your being into alignment, and it’s an excellent way to cleanse your body of toxins.  

Deep Belly Breathing is another method for reconnecting your mind with your muscle. It has been proven to lower overall stress levels and improve blood pressure. And obviously, you can do this anywhere, anytime, with no equipment (except a set of lungs). 😉 Here are some tips to get started. 

Do you already use gentle or instinctive movements to feel refreshed and restored? What are your favorite practices that I may have missed? Let me know any more dance workout classes, and maybe I will feature them in a future article!

LOVE + bliss,