Dim red lights flashed in my face as I stepped into the small dance studio. The bass of the upbeat music vibrated under the floor beneath my feet, and the sound of a large fan blasted in the distance. As I looked around at all of the other girls in the room stretching before class started, chills ran through my body. Finding my place in the back of the class, I too began stretching my muscles in preparation.
A 20-something-year-old girl wearing cute black shorts and a crop top, reading Madhouse, enters the room. She energetically runs to the front of the class and yells, “How are we f******* doing ladies?” Followed by a loud cheer from the rest of the girls, the words jumpstarted a rush of excitement throughout the room. I immediately knew I was in a comfortable space. I knew this would be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
Over the summer, my best friend Dani and I constantly rambled on Facetime about how lonely we felt and how we needed to work on boosting our mental health. While summer may be a time for people to relax, Dani and I were more stressed due to a lack of routine and schedule. Not having my closest friends near me was difficult, and being on my own for most days eventually took a toll on my well-being.
We impulsively signed up for a fun dance class, aiming to boost our self-confidence and hype each other up as badass women. Madhouse Dance Studio in San Diego sounded perfect for us, as it highlights inclusivity and pure love for dancing. They offer classes ranging from dance cardio, heels classes, choreography classes, and even twerking classes. Most classes feature a Redroom with a spicy, red ambiance, so women can dance with no pressure and feel comfortable in their own skin!
Although I am a lifelong dancer, I had never danced in non-traditional styles like this. My best friend Dani is also a beginner, so we were nervous to try something new. But our drive to do something different pushed us to sign up, so we booked the beginner deal of $30 for an unlimited week of classes, and chose our first day.
While Dani and I sat in the car, we chatted about our expectations for the class. Both nerves and excitement rushed through our veins, anticipating this new experience for us. We eyeballed women passing by, guessing if they were regulars or if it was their first time too, and pregamed the class by listening to songs by City Girls and Rico Nasty to get in the mood.
After checking in, we waited for the previous class to end so we could enter the room. I felt more tense and nervous as the minutes went by. This class was for beginner dancers, but I was worried I would be worse than everyone else.
Dani and I glared at each other while entering the room with pure excitement. The studio was exactly like the pictures we saw online; the Redroom was a vibrant, yet sultry atmosphere, and the bass drum of Megan The Stallion playing over the loud speakers vibrated through the room. The instructor skipped into the room with a microphone attached at the ear and immediately yelled at the group to get us excited for the class: “Let’s f****** do this ladies!”
We warmed up with cardio to Ariana Grande’s “Break Free” and then proceeded to do some ab exercises and stretching. Once we were warm, it was time to put the heels on and dance. I shoved on the most comfortable black wedge bootie heels I owned and stood up looking at myself in the mirror. I admired how cute I looked in my outfit and heels and was beyond excited to start learning choreography. For the rest of class, the instructor, Kira, taught us a fun and sexy combination to an upbeat J-Lo song. Although nervous to dance around others at first, the lights helped me get in my element and dance freely. Dani and I took videos of each other, cheering each other on, saying how amazing we looked.
Sitting in my car drenched in sweat after class, Dani and I watched the videos we took of one another. We couldn’t help but smile as we loved how we looked and were amazed at how much fun we had. We replayed the videos multiple times with grins on our faces. After a month of loneliness and poor mental health over the summer, this one hour class completely changed our self-confidence. We had so much fun dancing in a space of fellow Gen-Z women who encouraged one another and absolutely loved seeing ourselves in a more positive light. Dani joked, “I can’t believe we basically bought self-confidence for only $30!” We agreed: this was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made for ourselves.
Dani and I took advantage of our unlimited week of classes and signed up for two classes a day. We tested out each class and took classes from all of the instructors. Now, six months later, I still take classes whenever I am home from school. My particular favorites are heels with Kira and choreography with Marcie! As a dancer, it was so great to start moving again and to learn a different style of dance than I’m used to, one that makes me feel confident in my own skin. Dani is not a dancer like me, but still felt the same sense of confidence because the classes were easy to follow along with and easy to enjoy!
Madhouse Dance is one of many studios offering classes like this, where people can enjoy both the exercise and art of dance, but it’s not as common as I would hope! If you’re a San Diego native, I highly recommend taking a class at Madhouse, because every instructor gives off bright “girlboss” energy and loves hyping up every woman in the class. Although there are not many studios in Santa Barbara, check out The Dance Network for heels & burlesque classes and Seventh Dimension Dance for pole dancing, aerial, and burlesque classes. Strut Don’t Stress occasionally has heels and hip-hop classes in Oxnard and the LA area as well.
This experience pushed me out of my comfort zone, and it absolutely changed my life this summer. I encourage you to try doing something new too, even if it seems scary or wild at first. You never know, it can be one of the best things you do for yourself. Everyone needs to switch up their life from time to time, and for me, a dance class in high heels was the perfect way to do so.