Dancing Through Life

On a November morning, Alana Watters O’Connell ’92 arrives at the office, flips on the lights, hits play on “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan, and gets ready for another day of work. Only this isn’t a typical office—this is Dallas Dance Fitness, owned and operated by O’Connell, and she’s busy choreographing a dance fitness routine to the popular song.

Founded in 2014 by O’Connell and her friend Michelle Mann, Dallas Dance Fitness was born out of their mutual passion for dance, choreography, and creating a judgment-free space for dancers to reconnect with their favorite art form.

“We wanted to create choreography that makes you feel like a real dancer and that continues to challenge you as a dancer, as opposed to more of a calisthenics focus,” O’Connell explains.

Prior to opening Dallas Dance Fitness, O’Connell and Mann were students at Cooper Fitness Center in Dallas and were regulars in all of the various dance classes they offered. They had no aspirations of teaching, but when one of their favorite instructors announced that she was moving, their classmates asked them to take over leading the class. A little over a year after O’Connell and Mann started teaching classes and with growing attendance and official group exercise certifications in hand, O’Connell and Mann started their own concept in Dallas Dance Fitness.

O’Connell’s love of dance began at an early age. By the time she was 4 or 5 years old, the Rochester, New York, native was splitting her time between the dance studio and the ski slopes. Around fourth grade, she enrolled in an elite ballet school, but when she felt like the fun had been sucked out of dance, she quit and focused on skiing instead. A move to Dallas when she was in eighth grade, however, effectively ended her ability to continue to ski competitively.

O’Connell slowly got back into dance in Dallas. At first, it was purely social because it was what many other girls were doing, but then a friend took her to a high school football game, where she saw the drill team in action and was blown away.

“We didn’t have anything like that in New York. I thought it was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. They were so good, so in sync, and I knew that’s what I wanted to do,” O’Connell recalls.

O’Connell made the high school drill team and became an officer her senior year.
“I enjoyed everything about it. I made some great friends, and it was fun to be part of a team,” O’Connell says. “Skiing is more of an individual sport, but with the drill team, you are relying on each other to deliver the best possible performance.”

When O’Connell toured Trinity University, she felt right at home. She liked that the classes were smaller and that professors would know students’ names. She helped pave an avenue for her to continue enjoying the team aspect of dance when two of her Gamma sorority sisters, Shobie Partos ’91 and Amy Carr Supak ’91, started the Trinity University Dance Team, now known as the Prowlers, and elected her to be the team’s captain.

“This gave me an opportunity to start doing some choreography, which I didn’t get a chance to do in high school, so that opened up a whole new sort of creative pathway,” O’Connell says.

The Dance Team was completely student-run and performed at football and basketball games as well as shows in Laurie Auditorium.

When she wasn’t dancing, O’Connell was discovering what she was passionate about inside the classroom. She started out majoring in physics and engineering science. Although she enjoyed the subject matter, the work didn’t come as naturally to her as it did for other students. Her father encouraged her to take an accounting course, and everything clicked.

O’Connell went on to work in public accounting for Price Waterhouse Coopers and was corporate controller of Blockbuster, Inc. and Michaels Stores. When Michaels went private, O’Connell retired from corporate America. She’s now all in on Dallas Dance Fitness.

“Within the last year or so, we started adding full body strength training or sculpt classes to our schedule. We use resistance bands and gliding discs, and we just invested in 50 pairs of dumbbells, which gives us a lot of flexibility in the routines that we can do. As of this January, we offer sculpt classes every day of the week, so our dancers can combine their cardio with strength training to get a comprehensive workout,” O’Connell shares.

O’Connell is supported by a team of 14 instructors. She says, “Dallas Dance Fitness simply wouldn’t exist without our exceptional team. I feel very lucky to work with such a talented group of instructors who are dedicated, professional, and committed to continually improving the program.”

Together, they are building not only new routines but also strong friendships.

“Walking in that studio is the hardest thing for newcomers, so I love to hear that people feel welcome and comfortable. Our community really supports each other, whether it’s in class or outside. We enjoy socializing together, and so many amazing friendships have been formed as a direct result of people meeting in class,” O’Connell says. “I just love that. It makes me happy and excited every morning when I wake up to go to class.”

In addition to fostering a supportive community, O’Connell points to other beneficial aspects dance fitness offers.

“Dance is a wonderful way to express yourself. It’s a great combination of athleticism and art, so there are physical and emotional benefits. Plus, learning and remembering choreography is absolutely phenomenal for your brain’s health,” O’Connell says.

As Dallas Dance Fitness looks ahead to this new year, O’Connell plans to offer more classes, social gatherings, and opportunities to perform following successful flash mobs across Dallas in December 2024.

“Originally, I had no plans to take the choreography we learned in class and perform it out in public, but so many women signed up for the flash mob and were really excited to do it. They had the best time, and they did such a great job. Many of these women had never performed in front of other people, and they just had a look of pure joy on their faces as they spread some cheer during the holidays through dance,” O’Connell says.

When asked what advice she would give to aspiring entrepreneurs, O’Connell recommended taking time to figure out if the concept is strong enough to support a business or if it’s more of a hobby for the entrepreneur.

For O’Connell, Dallas Dance Fitness has reignited her passion for dance that she had as part of a team in high school and college, and now she is sharing that passion with a community of dancers that brings together people of all ages and stages of life looking to work up a sweat, shake off their stress, and build connections.

To learn more about Dallas Dance Fitness, visit dallasdancefitness.com. Follow the Trinity University Prowlers Dance Team on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.