Entry No. 6 — the Des Moines file — filed under: ecstatic dance

Ecstatic Dance Des Moines

A substance-free, no-talking dance gathering held in a real ballroom studio tucked behind Gateway Market, where dancers stash their phones and move however the music takes them, no choreography, no judgment. Held in the studio right off the back parking lot by the accessible ramp.

The move: Go in with zero dance experience and surrender to it together: no phones, no talking, just freeform movement for a couple hours, then debrief over groceries-turned-snacks at Gateway Market next door.

📍 Before you go The dance lives inside the Des Moines Ballroom, the studio building tucked behind Gateway Market in the River Bend area just off High Street. Skip hunting for a grand front door: the gathering uses the studio off the back parking lot by the accessible ramp. That lot is shared with Gateway and marked "Parking for 1925 High St. only," with only a handful of spaces, so leave a little buffer. It is a recurring Sunday session that runs indoors year-round, so weather is never the issue. Come ready for a phone-free, no-talking, substance-free room, and no dance experience is needed. Gateway Market next door is the natural before-or-after stop.

• 📍 River Bend / Downtown (behind Gateway Market)
• 💸 $
• ⚡ Big night
• 🌗 Indoors

Where: Des Moines Ballroom, 1925 High St, Des Moines, IA 50309

Hours: Recurring Sunday session; phones/cameras must be stashed during the dance. Verify date/time on the listing before going.

⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: Official site · Facebook

last checked: 2026-06-06