Global fitness leader Les Mills unveiled Les Mills XR Dance – the world's first VR fitness game to bring professional dancers into your living room as personal coaches and partners in partying.
Taking dance fitness gaming to a whole new level of 'exertainment', the app brings the dynamic and vibrant atmosphere of a Les Mills Dance class from the gym studio, straight into your Meta Quest 3 headset. Whereas previous dance fitness games only offer animated avatars as instructors, Les Mills XR Dance players receive truly immersive one-on-one coaching from a star-studded cast of dance professionals in full hologram.
These include Les Mills legend Gandalf Archer Mills and Bianca Ikinofo – who trained with superstar choreographer Parris Goebel and has worked with the likes of Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez.
Spanning modern dance styles from Pop to Techno, the app fuses fitness with the fundamentals of dance as participants progress through three levels of difficulty across more than 25 different routines.
The experience is soundtracked by cutting-edge artists from acclaimed Canadian record label Monstercat, popular in gaming circles for its collaborations with the likes of Fortnite, Rocket League, Roblox and Beat Saber. Les Mills XR Dance is the latest collaboration between the Kiwi fitness brand and XR gaming specialist Odders. It follows in the footsteps of Les Mills XR Bodycombat – the world's best-selling VR fitness title, which was crowned Meta Quest's Best App of 2022.
"This game is for anyone who's interested in dance and loves to have a great time," says Gandalf. "Whether you're a complete beginner or a seasoned pro, you'll get a great cardio workout and an authentic dance experience. There's a great legacy of dance gaming and many of us have fond memories of growing up playing things like the dance mat and Nintendo Wii.
“We wanted to build on that but completely reinvent it, so we've combined cutting-edge tech with killer choreography to take dance gaming into a different dimension." Jaime Pichardo Garcia, Odders Lab Business Director added: "Dancing is FUN, and that's the main focus we had when developing the XR version together with Les Mills. It's been a blast, and I can't wait to see players moving with their favourite dance presenters!
“I myself have picked up plenty of dancing skills during the process! Gavin Johnson, Monstercat Sync & Partnerships Director, comments: "Dance is a powerful medium when it's paired with music.
“It's an honour for Monstercat music to power that connection within a game that is a staple for Dance in XR. We're thrilled to continue our longstanding partnership with Les Mills through Dance XR and look forward to bringing energetic, feel-good music to fitness enthusiasts everywhere."
