Turn Up the Volume: Moving Mental Mindfulness Across Rogers Park

Run by Rogers Park local Sarah Ratcliffe, TurnUp the Volume is a vivacious dance group shaking up Jarvis Square Sunday mornings — weather permitting. 

Since August 2020, TurnUp The Volume has traveled across Rogers Park, bringing their classes and attentiveness to mindfulness through movement to different parts of the neighborhood. Most frequently, classes take place in the Alfresco area by R Public House and Charmer’s Cafe, located at the intersection between West Jarvis and North Greenview avenues. 

The group aims to “mix folks with music for heart and mind,” according to their website.

“At a time where there’s so much hurt and heartache — so much insecurity, instability, worry, stress and depression — there’s this moment where we get together and listen to ridiculously positive songs, beautiful music from other parts of the world and dance steps that honor those cultures,” Ratcliffe said. “There’s something really special about that happening in Rogers Park that I will always cherish.” 

As a certified Zumba and Kukuwa dance instructor and diversity, equity and inclusion leader at TurnUp the Volume, Ratcliffe said she/they found an outlet in teaching dance and yoga classes at her community gym. She said classes brought in 50 to 60 people back-to-back until the COVID-19 pandemic brought their teaching streak to a pause, prompting Ratcliffe to pursue classes through Zoom. 

“People were coming to classes because they were missing each other and the moments of sharing space with each other, more than they were missing the movement,” Ratcliffe said. “But the movement, for a lot of us, was therapeutic.” 

However, the shift to online classes curated a pivot in Ratcliffe’s approach to her classes. Now, Ratcliffe strives to reclaim movement to fit what she believes is its true function — “a way for us to celebrate, a way for us to grieve, a way for us to emote.” 

Ratcliffe said fitness marketing emphasizes high intensity cardio and a heart rate over 140 beats per minute, which are exemplified through shows like “So You Think You Can Dance?”

Challenging this rigid approach to movement, TurnUp the Volume operates under a different philosophy. Ratcliffe said the vision centers around keeping the endocrine system — the body’s network of controlling metabolism, energy levels and moods — engaged, preserving the connection between movement, exercise and mental health. The goals of TurnUp the Volume were largely inspired by Dr. John J. Ratey’s book “Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain,” Ratcliffe said.

“It’s less about following steps and moving all the parts of your body and focusing on calorie burn,” Ratcliffe said. “It’s more about spending time next to a person with music or moving together. What you do is less important than just being there.” 

Louella Ward passed by TurnUp the Volume mid-class August 2022. With back issues and no dance experience, Ward said she doubted her ability to participate — but Ratcliffe and their partner welcomed Ward to a dance.

After the death of her husband in May 2022, Ward said she was on the lookout for opportunities to connect with younger community members as a 73-year-old. Ward described a TurnUp the Volume sticker she keeps in her bathroom mirror as fitting her state of being at the time — “To get rid of shit, one has to shake more.” 

Ward said she finds community in the group and its diversity in age, gender and sexual orientation. She said TurnUp the Volume has been a welcoming group highly accepting of all abilities. 

To foster community and honor Rogers Park’s diversity, TurnUp the Volume’s dance sessions feature various cultural rhythms, guided recitation and gentle reminders. For guided recitation, Ratcliffe said she “reminds folks what community means, how easy it is to unguard emotions and rely on people.” 

Ratcliffe said the gentle reminders throughout the class include defining dance as “an ancestral connection to using movement for celebration, for grief and for connection.”

This style of class structure brings participants back to their bodies and the space, minimizing feelings of awkwardness and intimidation, according to Ratcliffe.    

As a “queer-friendly, body-positive” environment, TurnUp The Volume welcomes dancers of all backgrounds and experiences, Ratcliffe said. 

To begin each session, Ratcliffe explains the group’s purpose, likely feelings throughout the session and the first steps of the dance. She explains there’s no inequality between movements — each participant is encouraged to move as much or little as they want, equating the class to a wedding dance reception. 

Movements begin with simple, guided steps. As the hour grooves along, group movements become less choreographed with more room for personal improvisation. Ratcliffe said the groups’ free movement moments are when most passersby are drawn to join or watch the group. 

“We once had an older couple join us and the gentleman placed his cane up against a tree,” Ratcliffe said. “He came over with his wife, danced with us for a song and then picked up his cane and left.”

Along with finding community in the group, Ward said she’s found a feeling of “being known” by Ratcliffe, their partner Jill and the rest of the participants. Most days after dance sessions, Ward and other dancers can be found getting coffee together. 

Moments with older couples, dancing through the rain and watching Rogers Park residents even dance from their apartment balconies are what keep Ratcliffe and TurnUp the Volume going — aside from genuine passion. 

“There have been so many unexpected smiles, like what you get with any surprise, delight or wonder that this group creates,” Ratcliffe said. “I’m just so grateful to be a part of it.”

Featured image by Holden Green / The Phoenix

This article has been updated to correct a misheard quote.