Mariah TaugerLos Angeles Times
DANCE CHURCH, here led by Joe Davis at Sweat Spot, offers a robust dancing workout. More photos at latimes.com/healthThere are times when a hard-
core workout is great. When you
need to be pushed to your limits
with weights, cardio and the
amount of time you can stand an
instructor yelling at you to “Reach
your full potential!” by doing just
one more set of squats.
Other times you need to just
dance things out in a dark room,
where the yelling is done by Kelly
Clarkson hitting a high note in a
“Love So Soft” remix.
For those moments, there is
Dance Church, a “movement-
focused workout” that takes place
Sunday mornings in Silver Lake.
But fair warning. Starting
your morning with Dance
Church means at some point you
will be hugging a bunch of sweaty
strangers in a dark studio. You
will stand in a tight circle of heavy
breathing and moist performance
tops while Robyn’s “Dancing on
My Own” thumps in your ears.
But you will inevitably be smiling,
having survived 90 minutes
straight of pure, tension-re-
leasing, “OMG hold my drink, this
song is my jam” dancing com-
bined with light aerobic move-
ments. You will feel the urge to
sing along as the chorus, “I’m
right over here, why can’t you see
me,” comes on, and it will be en-
couraged.
Described as “the dance party
you wish you had last night,”
Dance Church is neither religious
nor specifically a dance class, but
more a chance to move and swing
and twirl like no one is watching
with a group of like-minded peo-
ple.
Started in Seattle by dancer
and choreographer Kate Wallich
while she was trying to figure out
how to make a living as a profes-
sional dancer, Dance Church
began as a weekly gathering of
Wallich’s colleagues, who met up
to just explore movement and
experience a release from the
rigors of training.
That release meant jumping
around a room to music by
Cher, Katy Perry, Rihanna and
Beyoncé.
Wallich opened up this casual
“Sunday morning movement
class” to nondancer friends. Not
surprisingly, a free-form dance
class set to a Top 40 backdrop
soon caught on.
Today, there are classes in
typical outposts like Portland, San
Francisco and New York City, but
also Indianapolis and soon Salt
Lake City. We tried it, and here’s
what you can expect:Aura
Dance Church L.A. takes place
in the back room of the Sweat
Spot, a studio space in Silver Lake
that prides itself on being a hub for
the Eastside arts community,
hosting dance classes of all genres
and skill levels. Enter through the
back parking lot and you find
yourself in a large, darkened room
with hard rubber flooring and
thick curtains pulled over a floor-
to-ceiling mirror at the front of the
room. Clusters of eager attendees
mill around waiting for the class to
start, stretching and welcoming
each other under a small disco ball
that hangs from the ceiling.
The crowd is your typical mot-
ley crew of Silver Lake regulars,
ranging from girls in their Lulu-
lemon finest to guys in basketballshorts and messy man buns. The
skill levels range from “just
stepped off the stage at the Panta-
ges” to “no clue what I’m doing.”Effort
There’s a simple instruction for
a Dance Church session: “Say yes
to your choices.” As soon as the
instructor hits play, the workout
begins, and for 90 minutes you are
left to your own whims, to move
and groove and find your rhythm,
just as long as you keep moving.
An aerobic move is thrown in here
and there to work out specific
parts of your body, a Richard
Simmons-style command of “Arm
up! Arm up! Now squat! Squat!
Squat!” timed to the beat of
Kendrick Lamar.
Toward the end of the session,
everyone forms a giant dancecircle around the edges of the
studio and anyone who feels the
impulse is encouraged to step
forward and show off their moves.
Finally, the instructor gathers
everyone around in the center of
the floor for a final, joyful release of
singing, jumping and throwing
hands up into the air before lying
flat on the floor for a daydreaming
session that officially ends the
class.Style
“It’s a sweaty, dance fitness
party. That’s what makes it ap-
proachable,” Wallich says when
asked if the idea of a dance class
ever turns people away or intimi-
dates nondancers. “It’s not about
learning how to dance; it’s just
about ... dancing. I think that’s
why people love it.”GYM RAT
By Raef Harrison
Dance like no one is watching you
LATIMES.COM WSCE F5
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMIND & BODY
Dance Church
Where:The Sweat Spot, 3327
Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles
When:10-11:30 a.m. most
Sundays. Check for any schedule
changes before you go.
Cost:$15 for drop-in.
Info: thesweatspotla.comAtmosphere
Interiors
2221 S Sepulveda Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
10% off until Sept. 18th
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