I’m Samantha Varghese. I grew up dancing, not just in dance classes but also in my room. I guess it runs in the family since I’m the smarter and better looking sister of Groove Therapy’s founder Vanessa Marian. I think it’s safe to say that I know all about Groove Therapy and why Vanessa started it. Here’s my perspective on my sister’s rad company.
No mirrors. Dim lights. We could be talking about the start of a horror scene or a Groove Therapy dance class. To some beginner dancers both scenarios seem pretty similar. I get it, that internal monologue – vibing a song and letting it take over your body, one limb at a time as you obliviously smile…until you open your eyes to a crowd of people pointing and laughing at you. Okay, I’ll stop.
The truth is, we’re all guided by this torturing self-consciousness. The kind that makes you want to throw your phone to the other side of the room after posting a selfie. The thought of putting yourself out there, on display for all to see and judge, is enough to get your palms sweaty, knees weak, arms heavy (self-five for Eminem reference). That’s where no mirrors and dim lights come in. It’s essentially a security blanket so you can think less and feel more. It’s oddly comforting, and as I try to convince my beginner dance friends to come to class with me, I find myself constantly repeating it-
“There’s no mirrors, you can’t even see yourself!”
“The lights are so dark trust me, no one will notice if you screw up.”
It’s basically setting you up to embrace your inner professional bedroom dancer, minus the hairbrush in hand. The pointed difference is that bedroom dancing is typically done in a bedroom. But let me ask you to imagine having another space to show off that time you almost did the splits in your room. Yes you pulled something in your leg, but you still felt pretty cool about it. Enter Groove Therapy- the dance class for people who are scared of dance class, a safe space for the bedroom groover whose confidence instantly plummets the second they step outside the confines of their bedroom.
When my friends shriek in an excited horror at the thought of trying class, I get it, I truly do understand. But I also want to tell them respectfully that this class isn’t really about them, that if they choose to be fixated on whether they can nail some flashy choreography then they’ve missed the whole point of why my sister started Groove Therapy.
Here’s the thing. Dancing is something that comes naturally to us. It’s a global language that’s communicated a little differently from person to person, but fundamentally, it just feels good. Whether it be in our bedrooms or after the third round of drinks all we really want to do is dance, move and bathe in all that glory, irrespective of whether it looks awkward or not.
I’ve done it guys. I spent my entire childhood dancing in my bedroom with my sister Vanessa Marian, and when she started Groove Therapy it made sense. She’s a pro at it, and she’s really uncool, so you don’t have to be intimidated by her. I’m calling all closeted bedroom dancers to cut yourself some slack, step outside your comfort zone, and dish out those moves you’ve been depriving the world of.
Groove Therapy is ready when you are.
You can practise your own bedroom grooves by coming to class too. Check our schedule.
*Groove Therapy is debuting their performance work ‘Bedroom Grooves at the ‘We’re All Going To Die Festival’ on November 17.