PURPOSE: Physical activity has profound acute effects on the body and brain, causing a cascade of beneficial physiological and psychological processes to occur. Dance, a multidimensional form of physical activity, which includes sensory, motor, cognitive, rhythmic, creative, and social elements, has shown similar positive effects in long-term studies, but acute effects have not been examined as extensively. In March of 2020, the quarantine that took place due to COVID-19 caused a sense of social isolation, lack of physical connection, and increased mental health issues. During this time, dance instruction shifted to an almost exclusively digital format, raising concerns about its effectiveness compared to in-person dancing. In this study, we explore the hypothesis that online dance can acutely improve mental health and enhance social connectivity during a time of isolation. METHODS: N = 47 healthy adults completed a single session of 60 minutes of self-selected online dance (ballet, jazz, or modern technique). Before and after class, participants completed a series of self-reported questionnaires using Qualtrics. Data were analyzed using paired-samples t-tests and Pearson's correlations. RESULTS: Our findings show that online dance acutely improves mental health as measured by increased positive affect (t(46) = 25.704, p < 0.001) and self-esteem (t(46) = -4.262, p < 0.001) as well as decreased negative affect (t(46) = 9.166, p < 0.001) and depression (t(46) = 3.808, <0.001). Additionally, online dance acutely enhanced social (t(46) = -3.069, p = 0.004) and community connectedness (t(46) = -2.183, p = 0.034). Further, we found that those who experienced the largest decreases in negative affect demonstrated the largest gains in social connectivity (r = -.317, p = .030). CONCLUSIONS: Although in-person dance classes may be optimal for dance technique training, online dance instruction has important clinical benefits. We demonstrate that through online dance, individuals can experience a body-mind-community connection. We emphasize the importance of future uses of online dance education as a means to increase dance accessibility to diverse populations, especially when in-person training is inaccessible.