Want to take classes again?
We got you.
View classesAbout our community
About our community
We see you and support you - we do not compete with you.
Here at Dance Again, every dancer is unique and deserves the chance to share their expression with the world in whatever way feels most aligned and authentic.
Rusty dancers welcomeNewbies welcomeNo competition
Welcome home
The structure, guidance, and room to make your dance desire real.
Through classes, virtual programs, live retreats, the book, and online community, Dance Again provides support for the dance life that has been quietly calling you back.
Want to teach your own classes?
Sure thing.
Explore trainingWant to feel less isolated and more embodied?
Yes. Confidence and community both belong here.
Explore membershipAll of the above?
Welcome home.
Stay connectedJoin the movement.
And our mailing list.
Get on the mailing list and stay looped in with bonus content designed to keep you moving.
Our mission
Dance is a way back to the self and toward each other.
Dance Again is built on a few living beliefs: dance is for everyone, expression matters, healing is communal, and it is never too late to return.
01
Dance is for everyone
Dance is medicine for personal and collective healing, not a prize reserved for one kind of body, age, background, or resume.
02
Dance is human language
It is an innate language we can tap into, rather than something we only access through formal training or permission.
03
Expression over perfection
Self-expression, creativity, and healing lead the way here, while still honoring movement technique and the craft of dance.
04
Your life can hold dance
Dance can be integrated into your life in your own meaningful way, no matter what your full-time profession happens to be.
05
It is never too late
No matter how long it has been since you moved, performed, trained, or stepped into a room, you can dance again.
06
Freedom through dance
Dance can be a vehicle for personal and collective liberation, accessible anywhere, in any moment, by anyone who has a body.
Equity + inclusion
Community is part of the practice.
By being here, you actively support the mission of creating a community that practices equity and inclusion.
Dance Again is sensitive to the ways BIPOC, LGBTQ+, women, and differently abled bodies have historically been disenfranchised and marginalized in the world and in the dance world. The community is dedicated to being inclusive and equitable, and members are invited to share views and opportunities that help uphold this commitment.
Team + teachers
About our team + teachers
Meet the teachers, choreographers, facilitators, and community guides who help make Dance Again welcoming, expressive, and alive.
01
she/her
Jess Grippo
Founder of Dance Again and creator/facilitator of Dance Again Teacher Training
FounderTeacher Training
Jess founded Dance Again after returning to dance through homemade videos alone in her room.
DR
02
she/her
Dana Rose DeFrancesco
Teaches Contemporary-ish
Contemporary-ish
Dana brings dance, yoga, healing work, bodywork, and a warm injury-prevention lens to Contemporary-ish.
YO
03
she/her
Yxia Olivares
Teaches Hip-Hop
Hip-Hop
Yxia teaches high-energy Hip-Hop classes that help students feel welcomed, inspired, and ready to have fun.
TM
04
she/her
Tiffany Mangulabnan
Teaches Rusty Ballet
Rusty Ballet
Tiffany teaches Rusty Ballet with a highly skilled, highly compassionate approach.
IN
05
he/they
Isaiah Newby
Teaches Rusty Ballet
Rusty Ballet
Isaiah is a performing artist whose movement practice spans ballet, contemporary dance, opera, modeling, and collaboration.
KK
06
she/her
Kanami Kusajima
Teaches Contemporary-ish and Improv
Contemporary-ishImprov
Kanami brings performance, choreography, live painting, and improvisational movement into the Dance Again world.
MC
07
she/her
Marisa Catena
Teaches Contemporary-ish and Jazz
Contemporary-ishJazz
Marisa is a dancer, choreographer, and dance educator with years of Dance Again community roots.
MM
08
she/her
Michelle Maso
Original Dance Again member and choreographer
Choreographer
Michelle is an original Dance Again member who rediscovered her dancer self and has kept creating ever since.
CP
09
she/her
Cate Prefontaine Hausmann
Original Dance Again member and choreographer
Choreographer
Cate reconnects with creativity through writing, painting, dance, choreography, facilitation, and community.
TS
10
she/her
Taryn Smith
Resident somatic expressive arts therapist in Dance Again Teacher Training
Somatic expressive arts
Taryn supports creatives, artists, innovators, and activists through body-centered expressive arts work.
AC
11
she/her
April Cantor
Teaches expressive classes
Expressive classes
April teaches from a multicultural, interdisciplinary perspective across yoga, movement, and interactive art.
How it started
A lonely dance story.
The origin of Dance Again was not polished, public, or perfect. It started with a private ache, a tiny room, and the decision to move anyway.
01
The room
One lonely night in Brooklyn, a girl in her studio apartment wanted to dance.
It had been years since she stepped into a studio or the stage. Her body felt foreign, and the old internal voices had plenty to say.
02
The voices
"You missed your chance. You gave up dancing. You are out of shape. Who are you to think you can start again? You will just embarrass yourself."
Yet there was a feeling in her gut, in her heart, in her soul. She knew she was still a dancer.
03
The first dance back
Despite the years away, despite the distance she felt from her body, and despite the voices telling her not to do it, she was ready to dance again.
It started in that lonely bedroom with music, a teddy bear partner, a carpeted dance floor, and a poor-quality camera because the artist in her wanted an audience.
04
The outlet
Making those dance videos became her outlet. They helped her see herself as a dancer and artist again, connect with other people from a truthful place, and reconnect to the truth inside herself.
05
The movement
That lonely dance video became the seed of the larger movement now known as Dance Again.
She realized she was not the only one craving a return to dance without all the competition and pressure the traditional dance world can bring. So she started making spaces where more people could join her and co-create a more accessible, inclusive dance world.
Origin video
Living alone does not have to be so lonely.
A designed video feature for the early Dance Again story - the tender place where solitary movement became community.
If you feel that calling...
Your dance is still in there.
Our virtual programs and growing roster of classes are designed to help you dance again from the inside out.
Discover your own authentic movement and get comfortable dancing in any setting.
Access your freedom and confidence both on and off the dancefloor.
Create the dance life you always wanted but never knew was possible.
Community
Confidence
Connection