Why Dance Church in the New Year 🎉
As 2025 wildly and unabashedly spills over into 2026, many of us are looking around for inspiration and rejuvenation. If it hasn’t already happened, your barista, your mom, your partner, your librarian or your parent are surely gearing up to utter the eternally hopeful (and sometimes abrasive) question: “got any goals or resolutions for the New Year?”
Let us make a quick play for Dance Church in your New Year dreamscape lineup. There are endless places to discover community, imagination, exertion, novelty, new music, local artists, endorphin catharsis, or your next activewear fit inspo (hint: dancers are gritty af… we definitely started the cutoff track pants trend, and we’ve got more layer fantasy than you knew you needed).
But trust us, Dance Church is a pretty great option. Across the US, we’re ready to move with you from now until 2026 fades into its own dark winter solstice (aka: all year, or forever).
10 Reasons to Try Dance Church in 2026:
#1 Science says so
For decades, scientific studies all over the world have proven that dance is good for you. No matter your skill level, dancing helps fight depression, isolation, neurodegeneration, posture imbalance, musculoskeletal decline, heart and geriatric diseases, cognitive atrophy, oncologic conditions and more. Dancing saves lives!
(We would cite our sources here, but there are literally too many of them. Check out Harvard Medical School, Frontiers in Psychology, the Journal of Dance Medicine and Science, The New York Times, Public Library of Science, TED, the European Journal of Neuroscience…. the list goes on!)
#2 Joy, Fun, Aliveness
Take it from class takers all across the country…
“Loved it. Felt free and alive.”
– Atlanta, GA
“this was the most fun i have ever had working out.”
– Portland, OR
“INCREDIBLE ✨✨✨”
– Austin, TX
“Was exactly what I needed to feed the body and spirit.”
– New York, NY
“This class is just so much fun, and I can’t stop talking about it to all of my friends! I thought I would be so self-conscious, but it’s actually one of the most freeing things I’ve ever done.”
– Seattle, WA
“So fun, playful, non-judgmental and freeing!”
– Boston, MA
“the most fun somatic therapy.”
– Los Angeles, CA
#3 Accessible & Inclusive
“Being neurodivergent means I often move a few seconds behind the room—but in Dance Church, that lag isn’t a problem. It becomes a tool. I get to feel, respond, and build connections on my own timeline… The movement language is intentionally simple: punching the air, circling the hips, rolling the spine. This simplicity is not about dumbing down the material, but about opening a door—a way to practice coordination without the panic of getting lost.”
– Brian Golden
neurodivergent dancer and choreographer (LA, NYC)
Dance Church participant
“What was nice is that no one judges you for your lack of skill or ability. I would highly recommend for anyone who’s divergent in any sense of the word who struggles with getting into exercise and just needs help starting to move!”
– anonymous review from a first-time Dance Church taker (LA)
#4 Imagination
Do you remember the last time you changed the density of the air around your body with just your mind? The last time you got to pop a bubble big enough to stand in? The last time you seriously, ironically made dove wings with your hands and flew off into the stars? We’ve got you covered…
#5 Catharsis
Scream with radical joy. Or join a room full of adults, all pounding on the floor with sweaty, wild, open palms. Or sing-shriek your favorite song chorus at the top of your lungs in a room loud enough to absorb your cracking voice. (Happens every class).
“I laughed. I cried. I didn’t know how much I needed this and I can’t believe it took me so long to find it. I will be back again 100 more times!!!”
– anonymous Dance Church taker (SEA)
#6 Great music, new and gold
Class playlists are made fresh: every class, every time. Since our teachers are artists and culture nerds, we pull tracks from your favorite new hot releases and also from underground, local, international, emerging and obscure artists.
Lost your local independent radio station? Come to Dance Church for new music discovery.
#7 - Connection, above and beyond language
“The moment when a room full of strangers begins to groove in the same rhythm…it is honestly the most riveting sensation I have come to know, to feel connected to that many people at the same time.”
– Mar Lueres-Keller
dancer and artist (NYC)
former Dance Church teacher
#8 Get closer to art in your city
Every Dance Church Teacher is a practicing dance artist. If you’re looking for a recommendation for cutting edge dance and performance art in your city, come to class and get to know us. We love to tell you about our best friend’s next show, the touring program coming through your local theater, the next dance-party-meets-performance in your scene, or an upcoming workshop with unbeatable international guest artists. Plus, sweating on the floor next to our teachers kinda feels like training with local art celebrities.
#9 Simple structure, endless possibilities
Every Dance Church class looks and feels similar, so you know what to expect. It goes like this:
- Walk through the door into a music-filled dance space
- Set your stuff to the side (put your phone in your shoe or tote, and blissfully forget about it for an hour)
- Find a spot on the floor + enjoy the ride of class!
- Follow the instructor, just like a pop-music dance fitness version of Simon Says
- Class activates the whole body, starting soft and working towards increasing challenge, stamina, muscularity and coordination
- Throughout class, alternate between free dance and guided action
- Sweat, groove, play, sing (if you want to), and just keep dancing! No breaks, no overthinking, no limits
#10 Lots of ways to access class!
- Single class - $23
- Apply for a Subsidized Membership & pay just $10 for class
- Get discounts on classes via Monthly Membership Passes
- Try a 10-class pack for just $189* *discounted to $179 through January 9, 2026
- Industry rates - Dance Artists get class for just $5 (or FREE, for BIPOC dancers) - Apply here