Our objective was to establish relationships among concentrations of salivary metabolites (glucose, lactate, non-esterified fatty acid, cortisol, heat shock protein 70), acute and chronic fitness markers, and dancers’ perceptions of a modern dance class. Dancers (N = 12) completed six salivary samples on three dates: day 9, 51, and 93 of the semester, before and after a sixty-minute modern dance class. Additionally, dancers were asked to report their mental stress, physical fitness, health, class stress, and how many minutes they believe they spent working at a low, moderate, or high energy level. Largest concentrations of salivary cortisol and lactate were noted in females before class and were different (p < 0.02) from concentrations in females after class. In addition, cortisol concentrations decreased (p < 0.001) over the semester (1988, 1920, 1214 ± 259 pg/mL; respectively, day 9, 51, and 93). An interaction (p < 0.05) between time and gender affected fitness scores, as female fitness scores increased from day 9 to 51 and 51 to 93 while male fitness scores decreased over the course of the experiment. Body mass index (BMI) was positively correlated (r > 0.34; p < 0.05) with fitness and health scores and negatively correlated (r = -0.53; p < 0.01) with class stress. Our results serve as building blocks for a heightened understanding of the body’s experience during modern dance classes, and advocate for a biopsychosocial approach to analyzing dance as a source of stress relief and fitness