Pre-work boogie: Why starting your day dancing could boost productivity

Forget early morning yoga or going for a jog – breakfast raves are the next big thing for workers wanting to feel refreshed before work.

Morning Gloryville, a pre-work dance party that was launched in London a year ago, is now coming to Melbourne. The first event will be held in early October at popular CBD café 1000£Bend, and will run monthly thereafter, according to Broadsheet. Morning Gloryville’s tagline is “rave your way into the day”, and is designed to leave participants feeling energised for the day ahead.

Eve Ash, psychologist and chief executive of Seven Dimensions, told SmartCompany she thinks morning dance parties before work are a brilliant idea.

“Doing a fun, innovative thing with other people who are going to work is a great idea because it brings out the fun,” says Ash.

“We know that humour and fun release really positive impacts on the body. Humour creates a kind of stress release and releases endorphins.”

Ash says the event is a “positive step” towards a healthier work-life balance and hopes fun, quirky activities like Morning Gloryville become more common.

“We really need to counteract what is happening in our workplaces – which is everyone crouched or bent awkwardly over computers and staying in chairs too much,” says Ash.

“Morning events are really, really good. It elevates your mood which then carries through [the rest of the day]. Also as the day unfolds stresses increase and people get very caught up in work.”

The fact the event is so different from traditional morning activities makes it even more appealing, says Ash.

“It gets people talking, buzzing, thinking differently,” she says. “Maybe this would be a good way to get people to think differently and innovate.”

While dancing in a large group when most people are drinking coffee or dropping the kids off to school is a good way to get a “natural high”, Ash acknowledges that a morning rave might not suit everyone. Her advice to those people is to find other ways to exercise and get away from their desk – for example stretching regularly or doing tai chi before work.

“Just walk around the block, especially as this is a beautiful time of year,” says Ash.

“It’s great to get outside and counteract things that keep us sitting in the one place in front of the computer. Stand up meetings for example are just one way.”