Stuck at Home? CLI Studios Offers Online Dance Classes

Right about now, you’re probably feeling the late-summer blues. Your studio may be closed for a few weeks (how dare your dance teachers take a vacation!), or you may be feeling pretty nostalgic for those intense master classes at Nationals. But all is not lost.

Enter CLI Studios, a membership-based organization that offers online dance classes. New videos are uploaded to the site every week, and members can access them for as long as they like. CLI (short for create, lead, inspire) classes are all intermediate, and they include warm-up and across the floor phrases, conditioning exercises and full-out combinations in a variety of styles, from contemporary to jazz to hip-hop to modern. And get this: The classes are taught by choreographers like Allison Holker, Misha Gabriel, Shaun Evaristo and Brian Friedman, so even if you didn’t get to attend a big convention this year, you can still learn from some of your favorite pros.

Of course, there are pros and cons to this service. Learning a new combo from celebrity teachers is awesome, but there is more to taking class than cool choreo. When you’re in class with other students, you learn how to dance in a group, and you can really work on developing your musicality and artistry. Being in a studio with others forces you to stay present, and just watching how other people approach certain movements can be really beneficial—not to mention all you gain from real-life interactions with teachers.

CLI Studios also comes with a price: After a free 14-day trial, membership costs kick in at $19.99 per month. Still, it may be worth it while your studio’s on summer break. Check out a sneak peek of one of Misha Gabriel’s hip-hop classes: