Shake It Off and Try These Dance Inspired Fitness Classes 💃🎶🔥

Dance has multiple benefits for your body. Not only can it be a great workout, but it can also help increase strength and flexibility, reduce stress, and boost your mood. With International Dance Day taking place on 29th April, we thought there is no better time to find new ways to celebrate and have a boogie—whether you’re a seasoned pro or a beginner.

There are plenty of dance-inspired classes out there to try, catering to all abilities. From traditional dance classes where you can learn hip hop, contemporary, and ballet (the list goes on), to barre fitness workouts, there is something out there for everyone.

Unsure where to start? Don’t worry, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to attend, rate, and review our favourite dance-inspired fitness classes. Read on to see what we thought:

Barre Core Fitness – 3.5 / 5 Stars

Barre blends ballet, yoga, and pilates to create a challenging yet low-impact workout. You use equipment such as ballet barres, exercise balls, and small weights to perform small, repetitive, slow movements.

From hamstring and glute squeezes with a ball to stretches using the barre, during the 45-minute workout, we managed to complete a full-body session, targeting arms, legs, and abs.

Yes, the class is ‘low impact’, but don’t be fooled—it's a serious workout! We couldn’t believe just how challenging it was (we thought we might get off lightly, but boy, were we wrong). That being said, you can make each exercise more or less challenging depending on your ability, making barre a super inclusive option to consider.

The only downside was that we felt some exercises could have been just as effective without the use of certain equipment. We were also hoping to brush the cobwebs off our ballet pliés, but this particular class didn’t feature them.

Hip Hop Class – 3 / 5 Stars

Body rolls, popping, and krumping—executed with style and flair—that’s hip hop. Hip hop seems like the ‘cool person’s’ style of dance, which made it slightly intimidating to walk into. That being said, we showed up and had a great time. The music was fantastic, and everyone had fun while learning new moves and working up a sweat.

The class started with a quick warm-up and stretches. We then went through a few basic hip hop techniques, fantastically named, including the ‘Bart Simpson’ and the ‘Steve Martin’. We ended the hour-long class by stitching a few of the newly learned moves together into a simple routine, which we tried at varying speeds.

If you’re a complete beginner, we strongly recommend finding a course that goes into detail on basic techniques. Dance studios can feel a little intimidating, so this will help build your confidence and get you more familiar with the studio environment. If you’re not doing a course and are feeling a bit nervous, perhaps bring a buddy. That way, when you inevitably mess up a move, you can laugh about it together.

Dance HIIT Workout – 5 / 5 Stars

Described as a “high-energy, endorphin-packed class” that boosts fitness and stamina, the idea behind these classes is to get your body moving by following simple dance sequences and HIIT-inspired moves. Basically, it’s time to work up a sweat!

We arrived not knowing what to expect and left with a membership (and very sore glutes). The teacher wasted no time in turning the main lights off and cranking up the disco lights and music. We danced, jumped, stamped, and twerked to the likes of Lady Gaga, as well as reggaeton and afrobeats. Each dance had really simple moves that repeated time and again, much like Zumba, making it really easy to follow. Near the end of the class, the teacher put on an 8-minute-long track and made us work our glutes for the entire song—let’s just say we’re feeling it today!

This class oozed positivity and energy, making it unbelievably easy to let loose and feel comfortable getting super sweaty. We 100% recommend it!

Whether you're looking to try something new or deepen your dance practice, International Dance Day is the perfect excuse to get moving. From high-energy HIIT workouts to the graceful art of barre, there’s a dance style for everyone, so why not celebrate this day by finding your rhythm and joining in on the fun? Happy dancing!