Johannesburg

Get up and move with Secret Sunrise

05 Jan 2024
We think Secret Sunrise is the perfect way to start a day, giving you a fun early-morning workout without the weights and treadmill but trust us, you'll be sweating just the same. Secret Sunrise is a guided silent disco dance class that takes place in and around Johannesburg. What began in a Cape Town studio in 2016, Secret Sunrise has grown to be an institution among the busy bodies of Durban, Harare, Munich, Ibiza, London and Thailand, motivating Secret Sunrisers to reconnect with themselves amid the hustle of life. 

We attended their "Born To Rock" edition on Sun, Mar 26 (2023) at the Maslow Hotel in Sandton and it was one of those events that just makes you connect back to yourself and even to the strangers you're encouraged to converse, and end up smiling at. 
 
Secret Sunrise at The Maslow Hotel. 

Arriving at 8:00, the crowd gathered in the garden near the pool and outside the Lacuna Bistro restaurant dressed in their best rockstar-inspired fits, with colourful tutus and black fishnets. Try to arrive well before 8:30 so you have time to receive your silent headsets before the session begins, you'll also have enough time to find a spot, drink some water and put your belongings in a safe place. It would be best to bring along a bottle of water, sunblock and a towel (we did say it was a workout). 

Using headphone technology, facilitator Herkie Du Preez began our guided warmup of breath work and light movement while our bodies slowly woke up. "Shake out your frustrations," said Herkie while we enthusiastically shook our arms and legs. "You have it in you to shine, to be brave, to get out of your comfort zone," Herkie told the crowd. 

Secret Sunrise is a chance to rewind at the start of the day, giving you have a chance to centre yourself, be in the moment and move your body into a good mood for whatever your day holds. 
 
Secret Sunrise is a great start to your day. 

"You don't need a stage to be a rockstar. You're a rockstar to somebody," encouraged  Herkie while we jammed around in the garden to rock tunes, Don't Stop Believing and Thunderstruck. 

A 2020 IOL article highlighted Secret Sunrise as an excellently immersive experience for travellers of new cities. What better way to make friends and socialise with the locals than a dance class? Quoting Secret Sunrise's Grant Ross, he explained the aim is to bring people together. 

Another Secret Sunrise facilitator, Morgan-Fey Darnbrough, motivated us to "Be kind and share good vibes," while we walked around smiling at fellow Secret Sunrisers. The hour-long class was fun and heartwarming, seeing children dancing with friends they'd just made that day and adults frolicking barefoot in the mud without a care, it'll have you walking out with a shift in mindset and mood. 
 

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