Philomina Francis never expected to bring aqua dance workouts to Kochi. In fact, for nearly five to six years, dance had almost disappeared from her life.
“I had stopped dancing for a while because I worked as a Programmer for a company,” she says. It was a major shift personally.” Like many people working routine jobs, she slowly began feeling stuck in the same cycle every day. “It was boring. Same routine,” she says. Even people around me felt the same way.” But dance never fully left her.
A few years ago, though, she had written down a personal goal in her journal: Do something with dance. She forgot about it for a while, until she stumbled across the entry again this February. That tiny lil thought eventually became one of Kochi’s newest fitness trends, Beat & Burn – aqua dance workouts, pool-based dance fitness sessions designed to make working out feel less intimidating and more fun.
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Combining Dance and Fitness
Philomina proudly describes herself as a “kinesthetic person,” a term introduced to her by one of her closest friends, Shamil Francis. Ever since, she has strongly associated herself with it. The word means someone who enjoys physical activity and learns through movement. Even while travelling, she would naturally gravitate toward activities like trampoline parks, spin classes, dance workshops and long walks around cities. Over time, she realised she wanted to combine two things she personally enjoyed: working out and having fun
In a city where fitness activities often revolve around gyms and cafés, Philomina knew Kochi needed more recreational workout experiences. “I wanted people to have fun while working out,” she says.
The idea of aqua dance workouts came after she noticed similar sessions happening outside Kerala. At the same time, Kochi’s summer heat felt unbearable. “And I thought, why not bring something like that here?”, she says.
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Dancing Without Fear
For Philomina, the sessions are also about helping people feel less self-conscious. Unlike traditional gym workouts, the water-based sessions are more social and less intimidating for beginners. “A lot of people love dancing, but they’re scared people will judge them,” she says. “Water changes that dynamic. When you’re in water, no one is really watching you. People feel carefree.” That feeling of freedom is central to the sessions.
Each class runs for about an hour. It begins with warm-ups, slowly builds energy through different music styles, and ends with stretching. The playlists move across genres, from Tamil songs to kuthu tracks and slower melodies. Participants also get involved in shaping the sessions. “They choose songs sometimes, they even pick hook steps,” Philomina says.
There is also space for people to create content and enjoy the atmosphere casually. “People take their own reels during the session. Everyone just has fun.”
Aqua Dance Is Slowly Finding a Community in Kochi
Philomina officially started the sessions on April 10, just over a month ago. Since then, the response has surprised her. Her aqua dance workout sessions in Kochi are currently hosted at locations including Casino Hotel, Ginger Kalamassery and apartment pools like Purva Eternity. She is also open to collaborating with more venues across Kerala. The response so far has been deeply encouraging.
“A lot of people message saying, ‘Thank you for bringing this to Kochi,’” she says. She even credits communities like Girls for Girls by Navami for helping spread the word about aqua dance workouts during the early stages.
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Building Something Kochi Was Missing
The larger vision goes beyond aqua dance, though. She believes Kochi needs more recreational activities that bring people together. “People in Kochi should have activities,” she says. “When my friends come to the city, we never really have things to show them. But now the city is growing.”
Her long-term goal is to expand the sessions beyond Kochi. In fact, she is launching the workouts in Bangalore this June, with plans to eventually build multiple branches and travel to conduct workshops herself. Right now, the sessions start at ₹599, with combo offers available for repeat participants. Most registrations happen through Instagram DMs.
But at the centre of it all, it goes back to the vision she wrote down years ago in a journal: do something with dance. Only now, it happens inside a swimming pool.
