You Don’t Need Rhythm To Reap the Mood-Boosting and Heart-Healthy Benefits of These Beginner Dance Cardio Classes

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Dance may be the sweetest sweet spot of fitness: It's a super fun mood-booster mixed with a super solid workout! Dancing is a high-energy, cardio favorite that offers full-body fitness, from your legs and abs to your arms—and even your mind. A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that dancing can stave off dementia and help with cognitive function. Others have found that dancing's serotonin boost can help those struggling with anxiety and depression.

It doesn’t matter how much rhythm you have—or even if you have access to a nearby dance studio. Anyone can bust out a dance move to some fabulous tunes from their home, thanks to the emergence of more and more online platforms bringing dance studios to your devices anywhere, anytime. So, let’s shake, shake, shake! Shake it off. Shake it like a polaroid picture…you get it.

Here are our eight fav platforms for dance fitness classes online.

1. Well+Good YouTube Channel

Packed with sweat-inducing, heart-pumping sessions, Well+Good’s YouTube Channel has a variety of free, at-home dance workouts that will leave you hooked, from an 18-minute dance party with DanceBody's Katia Pryce to how-tos on Anna Kaiser’s “The Push” dance move. Try Trainer of the Month Club’s Beginner Dance Cardio session with Dancing with the Stars' Amanda Kloots. Here, Kloots starts you off with full-body dance cardio moves you can do on your own or tack on to your regular workout routine. “You’re going to get a great burn and have lots of fun,” she says.

Give it a spin:

2. The Sculpt Society

Empowering women through movement, The Sculpt Society combines “powerful sculpting and toning exercises that use bodyweight with easy-to-follow dance cardio for a fun and effective workout.” Founder Megan Roup's classes are available to stream from any device thanks to online and app options. Test it out with a seven-day free trial and choose from Beginner Sculpt ProgramQuickie Program, Advanced Program, pre and postnatal classes, and more.

3. OULA Fitness

With a mantra of, “It’s not how it looks, it’s about how it feels,” OULA Fitness combines high-intensity cardio with easy-to-follow choreography in a judgement-free space where dancers can move it however they feel like. The idea? Movement in your body creates movement in your life. OULA Fitness is as much about the mental health benefits of dance and community as it is the physicality—each class consists of 16 songs that are meant to inspire, evoke feelings, and get you moving! Stream online—a free trial is available—for a dance party in your living room.

4. Forward__Space

Founded by internationally-renowned choreographer Kristin Sudeikis, Forward__Space offers a virtual hub with both live and on-demand classes streamed from Sudeikis's New York City studio. Described as a "sanctuary-meets-club" environment, classes are designed to help you tap in to yourself both physically and spiritually, working in moments of both athletic conditioning and serious inspiration. A tree is planted for each membership purchased, but you can see whether you want to take the plunge with a seven-day free trial.

5. DanceBody

With 10-plus live classes streamed daily, DanceBody is an energy boosting, high-energy workout that infuses functional training with the playfulness of dance. Come as you are, and dive into an inclusive community that’s united in the love of movement. The Signature class blends 45 minutes of dance cardio with 15 minutes of sculpting moves all choreographed to upbeat music. The next step? The Full Out series that takes Signature up a notch. Try it out for free for two weeks.

6. Obé

Ready for some killer choreo with your cardio? Obé has it dialed. Hip hop dance cardio, bounce dance, dancing plus sculpting—Obé has thousands of on-demand workouts ready to stream for any and all skill levels. Choose between no equipment or dance-plus-weights. Short on time? They've got you covered with a quick sweat sesh or a full-on 60-minute burner. The easy-to-use filters make finding the ideal class a breeze. Even pick your style of music. And get dancing!

7. Daybreaker

Wake up and dance it out with Daybreaker's sober morning dance parties. The focus is less on a sweat sess, more on finding your joy (though be prepared for lots of sweat nonetheless!). New "joy practices" are added five times a week so you can start your day off with a major dopamine boost. Start with a two-week free trial.

8. Steezy

Ready to learn how to kill it on the dance floor? Steezy offers virtual dance classes in a range of styles, taught by insanely talented teachers, from Britney Spears' choreographer Brian Friedman to K-pop sensation Sienna Lalau. These routines will take you from the living room to the club (or TikTok), and they are a killer workout. Start with the beginner series if you're new to busting a groove and work your way through intermediate to advanced.

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