The Origin in Emilia’s words!

I taught the first Pony Sweat to a group of friends in the summer of 2014. At that time, I was deep into a chapter of my life when I was really struggling with my mental health! Dancing to loud music always soothed me though, and reminded me of who I was, and that I had a body that loved to move even if my brain made it difficult to do so. My friends encouraged me to teach a dance aerobics class-- something they knew I had always dreamed of doing, but that I always avoided out of of fear because I believed I wasn’t “athletic enough” or “not a good enough dancer” or “no one would want to come” and a bunch of other self-limiting and fear-driven thoughts. And then one day, my friend, Noah, surprised me by renting time at a dance studio in our neighborhood.  They told me to put together a dance aerobics routine, invite our friends and teach it to them!  We came up with a name for it together making sandwiches at our restaurant job, and just like that, Pony Sweat was born!  From its inception, Pony Sweat has been a practice in showing up however we are and “Fucking The Moves,” and in taking care of ourselves and supporting each other. Pony Sweat is not about looking cool or put-together or doing anything perfectly. It’s about learning to trust in our bodies curiosities and desires, and practicing radical self-love one grapevine at a time. It’s about expanding a circle of friends, growing community, and knowing that whoever or wherever you are, you are not alone!! 

Pony Sweat has grown since its origins!  We have fostered a strong and powerful community of Ponies, and have brought on more staff and collaborators.  Pony Sweat has been taught in NYC, Portland OR, Joshua Tree CA, Tucson AZ, San Francisco CA, Seattle WA, Philadelphia PA, Washington DC, Littleton NH, and Boston MA. We have collaborated with bands and artists like Alice Bag and Hayley Williams on music videos and live performances. Pony Sweat has performed at events ranging from neighborhood punk shows to Coachella Music Festival. Pony Sweat’s mission has crystalized in its Core Values, and is further realized in its community actions like the P.A.F. (Ponies Against Fascists) events. In 2020 we pivoted from in-person to online-only and continue to evolve and humxnifest the class format, playlists and routines, and offer artful aerobics videos to do at-home in our subscription Across Time + Space!

There will always be a need for spaces that cultivate bravery and courage-to-try, and spaces to explore expression in movement, spaces to get messy, and spaces to practice using our bodies and our voices without judgement.   Pony Sweat is so proud to offer this space to the thousands of Ponies that have connected to it over the years. Pony Sweat is a meaningful influence to the mainstream fitness industry’s shift toward centering mental health and body-neutrality, and Pony Sweat has and always will be committed to the fringes of that industry. We makes its work dedicated to freaks and weirdos always and forever <3.