Dance is more than a fun way to fitness. There! We said it. It’s also a highly effective way to deal with stress, a means of expressing yourself, your emotions and clearing the mind, but most importantly, it gives the heart one hell of a workout. While taking dance classes might not speed track you onto the road of six packs, it helps trim abdomen fat and give you the toned legs and arms that dreams are made of.
But dance no longer exists in the polarity of Bollywood thumkas and frolicking, and the uptight strict form of Ballet. The dancing scene has changed, and so have our needs – adapted to the new forms and styles which have blurred these lines. So here it is, the definitive list of dance classes guaranteed to get your butt off the couch!
1. Doonya: The Bollywood Workout, with Nyela Saeed Kapadia
A typical 55-minute class starts with a warmup of all the basic Bollywood moves familiar to anyone who’s seen item numbers old and new. Once the basic moves are mastered, students are lead into a high speed choreography which combines all the steps without break. However, each routine is designed to target a specific muscle group!
Try it now with Nyela Saeed Kapadia
2. Masala Bhangra
The Masala Bhangra Workout (MBW) is the hottest fitness program to come along in years! This high-energy dance workout fuses the fun, vitality and spirituality of Bhangra-style dance and Bollywood-style music with mainstream fitness, giving a cardio-fuelled full body workout which leaves you sweating, glowing, and grinning.
Try Masala Bhangra at JG’s Fitness or House of Wow
3. Raqs Assaya
A rural form of dance from the southern areas of Egypt, this dance style includes a lot of energetic bouncy footwork and horse –styled steps. It frequently involves the use of props such as a cane or a stick known as Assaya in Arabic. The words best used to describe this dance form are proud, lively, energetic and playful.
Try this dance form from Cairo at Y&S Dance Academy
4. Paso Doble
Paso Doble is a representation of a ‘Bullfight’, where traditionally the male dancer takes on the role of the Matador (the bullfighter) and the partner takes on the role of his cape. Synonymous with Spanish culture, the Paso Doble is a traditional folk dance, which is more commonly performed as a competition or exhibition dance, rather than a social dance.
The name ‘Paso Doble’ in Spanish means ‘two step’. The ‘two step’ refers to the marching nature of the steps, and the dance is recognizable by its dramatic poses that usually mirror highlights in the music.
Try Paso Doble and other Latin Ballroom dance styles at Baile de Salon
5. Aerial Silk
For those looking for something more high intensity but not cardio pumped and adrenaline jumped, we have Aerial Silk. It focuses on building every individuals strength and flexibility in the best and safest way possible. Aerial Silk is an amazing apparatus. Elements and workouts performed on the silk prove way more effective than any other apparatus or form of fitness. Working on the strength and flexibility can get very interesting on the silk. It is challenging and motivating at the same time. You will start building higher goals as you get more comfortable with the silk.
Try Aerial Silk at The Wooden Stage
Soon to come in are ballet classes and EDM workouts! Keep an eye out for updates and let us know what other dance forms you’d like us to feature here!
