Class review: Disco Barre at The Factory

Feel the noise and boost your fitness  
Barre to beats: a laid-back class for those who want to work hard
Disco Barre
8 July 2019

When and where?

The Thursday evening Disco Barre class in the newly opened Dalston space

What’s the drill?

This hour-long class will see your body shake and move muscles you didn’t know you had. What starts as stretching to house music becomes a bar- and mat-based workout so all-consuming that novices can forget to notice the great tunes. The class draws on traditional balletic “barre” movements — pliés, relevés and sautés — and contemporary dance moves, strengthening your legs and glutes. Many positions look and feel tiny to start with but ensure you quickly feel the burn.

The whole class has a laid-back, welcoming feel (unlike many dance studios), allowing beginners to feel at home. With a maximum of 10 people at a time in the new studio, no attendee is ignored. Moves are safe for those with knee and hip injuries, as they strengthen muscles around the joints, without applying too much pressure.

Sweat count

The class is an efficient, intense, muscular workout, with impacts one would normally only expect after spending hours lifting weights in the gym. It leaves participants sweating, with an added bonus: focus on the pelvic floor and hip flexibility. Some Disco Barre moves are based on sequences designed by “original” Barre teacher Lotte Berk, who believes that practising the movements makes devotees better lovers. Moves include repeated pelvic thrusts and salsa-style twists, and one fellow class member swore it has improved her love life.

The social network

Young, fun (lots of great gym outfits) and friendly. There is a varying ability level.

Instructor appeal

Teacher Sophie Ritchie, who patented the term Disco Barre just over five years ago after coming up with the idea while teaching traditional barre classes in Hackney, calls her class the “badass little sister” of barre. Her frequent clear instructions and hands-on help ensure every class member gets positions right. She smiles when the moves get tough, but her claim that she is “going easy on you guys today” seems untrue.

Disco Barre

What to pack

Your usual gym kit and water. Mats and equipment are included, and bags can be left at the side of the room. The workout is done wearing socks, so take grip-based ones.

The sounds

Everything from underground disco to house, funk, pop, Balearic, Italo and acid. Vibesy.

Locker-room chat

People are friendly but The Factory is still getting up and running, so participants need to head elsewhere for a smoothie.

Tips for first-timers

Try everything, laugh, don’t worry about looking stupid and hold the positions for as long as you can — the after-effects will be worth it.

The afterburn

Although Sophie claims the class is “not about getting abs” but “having fun”, my glutes hurt the next day like I’ve never felt after a single class.

£18 per class (discobarre.com)

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in