Teacher’s students dance in the dark in the GROOVE

When the lights go down at the Finger Lights GROOVE dance class at the Still & Moving Center, participants light up the room with the help of colorful lights worn around their fingers.

As they write their names in the air and make simple movements, dots of mesmerizing light move on the dance floor. GROOVE facilitator Lisa-Maria Priester provides guided instructions, but participants are encouraged to make their own routines, adding steps and increasing or decreasing intensity levels while creating art forms with their bodies.

It’s exercise and something more.

"It’s all about having fun and letting go," said Priester, who encourages participants to wear as many lights as they want.

GROOVE is one of the few all-ages exercises available, accessible to anyone, including couch potatoes trying to become active for the first time in years. It requires no background training and no special ability.

The best part is that because it takes place in a darkened room, no one can see you. So don’t let a fear of making a fool of yourself stop you from trying it.

"It’s not like Zumba where you follow specific steps, and it’s not free-flowing like ecstatic dance. It’s somewhere in between," Priester said. "The dark takes away inhibitions and it’s freeing."

Priester doesn’t have formal dance training, but said she’s spent lots of time on a dance floor.

Finger Lights GROOVE, she said, brings out her inner raver.

The World GROOVE Movement, an organization that encourages folks to explore their creativity through dance, has encouraged classes around the world, she explained, and bases them around positive and encouraging thoughts like, "No one cares what you look like, and if they do it’s their problem" and "Your way is the right way. You are creative, and your way is the perfect way for you."

SETTING

Classes are done in the dark, barefoot on the mango wood floors at the Still & Moving Center in Kakaako. Amazingly, no one bumps into each other. They just gracefully swirl around the room.

BENEFITS

It’s easy to set aside any feelings of self-consciousness because no one can see you in the dark. It’s a perfect fit for someone who hasn’t exercised in years and who wants to get moving again.

THE WORKOUT

You definitely work up a sweat moving around the dance floor. It’s like having your own dance party, being with your friends and rocking out. Incorporating your own style is encouraged, so the intensity of the workout comes from each individual. You can push yourself or take it easy. There’s no choreography or fancy dance steps to learn, which is one of the things that I liked best. Guidance is provided if that’s what works best for you.

The music is lively and creates a funky environment to play with the lights.

USER REVIEW

Paige Lee, a 33-year-old Honolulu resident, has been taking classes since October. "Everyone is doing the general moves but adding their own flair," she said. "I forget that I’m working out. My muscles are pumping and the endorphins keep you going. You’re creating light, movement and flow with your body."

Lee said that the freedom the class allows is what is most beneficial.

"It’s almost like a spiritual freedom, a releasing of the day," she said.

TRY IT OUT?

I’d go again. It’s fun and energizing, and you can work out at your own pace. The class is suitable for all ages and fitness levels. And being in the dark allows the freedom to express yourself.

After all, one of the movement’s slogans is, "Nobody’s watching."

"Tryouts" features exercise and wellness classes and other fitness activities. Reach Nancy Arcayna at narcayna@staradvertiser.com or call 529-4808.