Grace A. Johnson-Wright, the owner of Neema Dance Collective in Prince George’s County, says dancing was the only thing that made her feel better after she “shed a few tears” over President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in last month’s election.

Now she’s offering a therapeutic dance program for transgender teens and other young people despairing over Mr. Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris to “use dance as a way to transform pain into power.”

“Dance can be a powerful tool for emotional expression and healing, especially in the aftermath of an election,” Ms. Johnson-Wright told The Washington Times. “Movement helps us connect with our bodies, which can be grounding when everything around us feels uncertain.”

Neema Dance Collective, which serves 300 children at a studio in Temple Hills and another in District Heights, pledged in a press release to open its doors as “a safe space for them to process their feelings during uncertain times” through stress-relieving movements.

Ms. Johnson-Wright said the idea arose after a tearful post-election “pow-wow” with her petite, junior, teen and senior dancers turned into an impromptu dance party.

“They ultimately felt defeated by the results, but they were also deeply inspired and still felt compelled to push for change, particularly within the arts community,” she said. “Dance encourages mindfulness, so after we talked it out, I turned on some inspirational music and led an improv session with the students.”

Ms. Johnson-Wright cited a report from the Trevor Project — an LGBT advocacy group that runs a suicide hotline and chatrooms for teens — that crisis calls and messages from young people jumped by 700% the day after the presidential election.

According to activists on both sides of the issue, young people are right to fear that the incoming Trump administration will reverse four years of Biden-Harris administration policies allowing biological men who present themselves as female into women’s spaces.

Gareth Gallagher, a Los Angeles-based LGBT event planner, said dancing programs like the one at Neema offer young people a healthy alternative to following political news on social media, which he faulted for adding to their “fears and insecurities.”

“This is a powerful example of how the arts can provide both a judgment-free outlet and a sense of community,” Mr. Gallagher said in an email. “Programs like Neema’s are so critical as they offer support in a safe environment, to process emotions constructively, and build openness to raising these challenges.”

But Jonathan Butcher, an education analyst at the right-leaning Heritage Foundation who has criticized transgender ideology, warned that using the left-leaning Trevor Project as a source of information for families could also add to anxiety and depression.

Last year, the conservative Consumers’ Research slapped the LGBT group with a “woke alert” for hosting a chatroom for gender-questioning adolescents without age-verification procedures, allowing teens as young as 13 to become transgender without parental knowledge.

“Fine arts are an important part of culture,” Mr. Butcher said. “Yet combining so-called trans advocacy, minor children, and a pattern of hiding health-related information from parents while at school is a toxic mix.”

• Sean Salai can be reached at ssalai@washingtontimes.com.