This month, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Emily Diers, the owner and founder of Bodycraft, a vibrant fitness, dance, and movement studio. Emily, originally from Rolling Meadows, Illinois, has always had a deep connection to movement and dance. From the age of five, dance became a joyful and expressive outlet for her, a passion she carried all the way to New York City, where she danced professionally for a decade.
Emily’s journey to opening Bodycraft wasn’t a straightforward one. After her retirement from professional dancing, she noticed that many people had a strained relationship with movement, often viewing it as a form of punishment rather than a source of joy.
“I started to notice that people had a more fraught relationship with movement than I did. There was sometimes this feeling of torturing themselves or punishing themselves with movement, and I wanted to bring that joy and playfulness to others.” Emily explains. After working in dance fitness under a celebrity trainer for five years, Emily was ready to start her own dance business. Initially, she taught classes outdoors, made house calls, and rented spaces to bring her unique approach to movement to others.
After the pandemic, Emily felt it was time to find a permanent home for Bodycraft. That’s when she discovered the perfect space at 103 Atlantic Avenue. “It was the first and only space I looked at, and I saw it, and I was like, it was perfect,” she recalls.
Choosing Atlantic Avenue for her studio wasn’t part of Emily’s original plan, but she quickly realized it was the ideal location. “I think it was a little bit fate. I wasn’t trying to find a space in this neighborhood, but this was what was available. I noticed it was a busy street, a storefront location, lots of foot traffic, and there wasn’t a lot of fitness in the area.” Since opening, Bodycraft has flourished, drawing in a community of locals who live just a short walk away.
Bodycraft offers a dynamic approach to fitness through what Emily calls “the Bodycraft Method.” This method blends dance cardio with innovative strength training exercises, creating a flow of movement that is both energizing and grounding. “The Bodycraft original class combines dance cardio follow-along, dance cardio with really creative, innovative strength training exercises that we do on the mat,” Emily explains. The classes are designed to be accessible to all levels, with modifications available for beginners and more advanced options for experienced participants.
Beyond the signature Bodycraft classes, the studio offers a variety of other fitness and wellness options, including Pilates, yoga, restorative yoga, and strength training. Bodycraft also emphasizes mindfulness, offering Monday meditation sessions and quarterly breathwork ceremonies. One of the standout classes at Bodycraft is the live DJ classes. Emily says, “The joy that comes out of this space is just like radiating through the walls. It feels like a party at the club at 10 o’clock in the morning.”
Emily is also deeply committed to fostering a sense of community within her studio. “Seeing how breaking down the barriers of strangers coming together and becoming friends or building relationships has been so beautiful and unexpected,” she reflects. Bodycraft has become more than just a place to work out; it’s a space where people connect, support one another, and form lasting friendships.
You can visit Emily and experience the joy of movement at Bodycraft, located at 103 Atlantic Avenue. With a range of classes and events designed to make fitness fun and accessible for everyone, Bodycraft is a must-visit destination on Atlantic Avenue.
