This Fitness Platform Is Bringing Luminary Choreographers to Your Living Room

The curtain lifts. A piano is playing. Two dancers meet at center stage, gaze into each other’s eyes, then begin to sweep each other off of their feet in the most lithe, agile ballet movements you’ve ever seen. But you’re not at the theater—you’re in your living room, and it’s all made possible by the new L.A. Dance Project (aka LADP) digital platform.

LADP is a dance organization led by Benjamin Millepied (choreographer to Black Swan), and it has just introduced LADP Digital ($9.99 a month or $69.99 annually), which brings renowned dancers and choreographers to your home. “I wanted to have this digital stage where we could have a global reach and start to create an extension of what we do,” says Millepied. Through the platform, users have access to virtual, one-on-one workout classes that range from ballet, barre, and contemporary dance, all taught by prominent dancers.

Beyond offering dance and ballet workouts, LADP Digital will be streaming live musical performances and interviews with big-time dancers. We’re talking Misty Copeland, Nico Muhly, and plenty more, and you can watch from the comfort of your couch, which is a nice way to fill the arts void people are feeling during quarantine. The app also brings viewers cooking classes, masterclasses, and workouts from guest instructors, all of which are accessible straight from your phone or computer.

“Joining the app is more than just taking fitness classes—we’re giving people the sensation of movement and music and your body.”

“We hope to give people a better of understanding of the culture of dances,” says Millepied. “Joining the app is more than just taking fitness classes—we’re giving people the sensation of movement and music and your body. Dance gives you a sense of joy, and you are able to dance in your own home.”

If you look at these balletic dancers and think that you could never move like that, you’re not alone. Through the LADP platform, Millepied is offering dances and workouts for people at all levels, as he aims to make the aspirational lifestyle of top dancers accessible to everyone. “We want all people to be drawn in by the amazing feeling that dancing gives you,” he says. So whether you’re a ballet newbie or have been moving to music for years, hitting play on one of LADP’s video will allow you the opportunity to attempt a Swan Lake-like performance from home.

If you want to brush up on your dancing chops before you start, try this beginner-level dance cardio workout, courtesy of Amanda Kloots: