Every Saturday night, for just over an hour, No Lights No Lycra commandeers the upstairs studio at 17 Taupo Quay.
For any unsuspecting passer-by, the dimly-lit entrance and funky bassline emanating from the blacked-out upper floor could seem ominous, but for those inside it is a completely different story.
No Lights No Lycra (NLNL) is about dancing in the dark - although with light leaking under the door, the sound gear and a child's flashing LED sneakers, you're unlikely to bump into anyone. It is a bit like a nightclub, except there is no alcohol, no drugs and, importantly, no lights.
NLNL provides an inclusive space for people of all ages and all fitness levels to dance as freely as they do in their living rooms - free from judgment and inhibitions.
The minimal $5 door charge covers costs such as rent and insurance, and any profits are donated to the Sarjeant Gallery redevelopment project.
Playlists, curated by volunteers each week, reflect the diversity of the participants - you'll hear anything and everything from disco, 80s pop, R&B, funk, alternative swing, all the way to tribal drumming and everything in between.
The aim is to build variety into each playlist so if one track doesn't get you grooving, the next one probably will.
The NLNL dance community started in Melbourne in 2009. What began as an experiment with friends is now a global dance community.
One of 10 groups operating in New Zealand, NLNL Whanganui was established by Vivien Lindsay and Jack Mitchell-Anyon.
They felt there was a need to create an opportunity for people to get together to dance freely to great music without all the "baggage" that comes with clubs, bars or formal dance classes.
Each Saturday, Vicky Duncan drives from Otairi in the upper Turakina Valley to dance. She has barely missed a week since regular sessions started in May.
"For me, it is about the joy of dance ... NLNL is for anyone from age 7 through to 70 to let go and move the body any which way they choose - all in a fun, safe and non-threatening, non-judgmental environment.
"I am having such a ball, while helping to save such a deserving community asset as our Sarjeant."
Another regular, Karen Ellett, says: "I often come with friends as a prelude for a gig later in the evening. It's a whole lot of fun, and gets the serotonin pumping.
"Since coming along to NLNL, I am much more comfortable dancing in general. It is liberating!"
Clemency Boyce takes her whole family along. "When I first heard about No Lights No Lycra, I was all in - I've always been a dancing fool.
"What I didn't anticipate was that the whole family would enjoy it so much."