Day 51 ! Commercial Streetdance

Back at uni, my friend and I ran the streetdance society. Amongst our many many duties including reminding the teacher to turn up, carrying the stereo to and from the studio and such like, we also had to encourage students to come to the one weekly streetdance and breakdance classes. Of course we asked our friends and of course, being our friends, most would agree to turn up to a class, even if it wasn't their usual cup of tea (usually earl grey, slice of lemon and a (pack of) mcvities chocolate digestives). But, by the end of the first class, when we asked whether they would come back, most said no. Gasp! And when we asked/interrogated why, it turns out most of them felt a bit awkward during the class.

So, as a heads-up, unless you’re a dancer of sorts, generally pick up moves very quickly and/or exude uber-confidence, you will probably not enjoy your first street/hip-hop dance class. You will likely feel clumsy, be a little bit self-conscious, be convinced that you look silly and think that the moves are too fast for you to follow. But, on the plus, the music will probably be good and you can rest assured that the second time you go, it/you will be infinitely better. In fact, you should remember these points before your first class: 

1. Expect to feel idiotic and you’ll either meet your expectation or be pleasantly surprised.
2. Your feet and brain will catch on eventually.
3. Know that no-one is looking at you anyway – people only look at themselves, the teacher or the clearly experienced dancer who just came to the beginner’s class to make everyone feel bad (there is always one).
4. Look at yourself in the mirror. There’s no shame in looking at yourself and how else will you see how you’re doing?
5.  Don’t be shy. You’re there already so may as well make the most of it. Re-read point 3, it’s really true and once you don’t care if anyone’s looking, you’ll feel so much more relaxed!
6. Move forward! You can’t hide but will make it very tricky for the people behind you if you keep edging backwards!
7. You must, absolutely must, give a class a least two chances – don’t write it off from the first one!

I was thinking through these points at today’s Commercial Street dance at Pineapple Dance Studios. Originally, I wanted to try the Michael Jackson style dance class but chickened out at the last minute (too much hip thrusting and groin grabbing) and went for beginner level Commercial Street with Debbie. And true to it’s advertising, it was a beginner level streetdance routine to a commercial pop song. Instructor Debbie, a petit brunette from Newcastle was a friendly teacher and broke the routine down well into learnable bite-size pieces. Most counts of 8 were at a pace that all the class could keep up with and she threw in a couple counts with faster moves, which only maybe half the class got. But! Everyone certainly looked like they were having a good time and that’s the important thing! If you don’t get all the moves, it’s no biggie - you can focus on the ones you do get and putting extra effort into those.

I do wonder why some big dance studios like Pineapple and Danceworks don’t offer intro offers where you can buy a package of classes – then you would be encouraged to try a class more than once and I am so sure that you will be much much better the second time around. I do also wonder why they don’t invest more in aircon. Maybe it’s part of the dancing-ambience but be prepared for it to get seriously sweaty in some studios!

The Need To Know:

- Where: Pineapple Dance Studios

- Nearest Station: Covent Garden (3mins)

- When: Mondays 19.00-20.00 with Debbie, Saturdays 12-13.00 with Kira

- How Much: Day Membership £2-4 and class is £6-7 depending if you pre-book

  

The Want to Know:

- Who’s it For: For those who want an easy intro into streetdance

- Sweat Scale: 8/10. Mainly because of the studio’s lack of aircon.

- Strength / Cardio / Flexi / Tone: Light cardio.

- Complexity: 7/10

- Fun Factor: 7/10.

- Changing Facilities: Showers, toilets. It’s the almighty Pineapple Dance Studios

- Instructor Inspiration: 7/10. Lovely accent!

The Stats:

- Total Time: 60mins

- Calories Burnt: 207. In terms of calories burnt/min, a bit more than Day 30 willPower and grace but a bit less than Day 45 20.20.20

- Average Heart Rate: 100
- Max Heart Rate: 138

Instructor Debbie from Newcastle