PURIST: What inspired you to pursue dance?
Katia Pryce: I come from a family of creative artists and teachers, so for me it felt very natural to pursue dance as a career. From a young age I loved the structure and seriousness of my ballet classes; it takes every ounce of your focus and physical effort. It’s the foundation for every kind of dance. If you can do ballet, you can pretty much do any form of dancing better. This is why we consistently weave ballet movements into our DanceBody dances. I started performing professionally right after graduating college.
PURIST: How do DanceBody workouts target key areas of fitness?
Katia Pryce: Every DanceBody class delivers elements of both cardio and strength, so that in one hour your body is getting everything it needs. Your heart rate is up and each muscle group is getting focused attention. The dance workout is methodically planned out by me, so it’s going to twist, tone and reshape your body and your mind. We ask clients to consciously activate their muscles as they move through space. It’s more of a holistic experience because you truly can’t think about anything else when you’re in class; you have to stay focused. There’s almost a meditative quality there.
PURIST: How are dance and wellness related?
Katia Pryce: Dance functions as a wellness tool on every level: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Music and movement light up the primal reward centers in the brain to produce that “feel good” rush of serotonin and dopamine, which reduces anxiety and boosts your mood. The physical benefits are increased agility, muscle tone, strength, flexibility, bone density and better posture, plus aesthetic benefits like a lifted tush and streamlined arms. Dance reshapes your body without overemphasizing one area too much.
Group classes hosted outside The Clubhouse in East Hampton; @katia_dancebody | @dancebody | dancebody.com
