Day 77 ! Cuban Freestyling

Full disclaimer up front – Instructor Dani from the awesome Day 74 Jungle Body (guest reviewed by the lovely Miss R!), had asked whether we were sure we wanted to join the Cuban Freestyling class. It was available on drop-in but this class was also the mid way through a 4-week course and the other students had all been on the course. But, Miss R and I were feeling adventurous and still on a buzzing high after Jungle Body so we went for it.

Kind Instructor Dani did a quick run through of this Rumba, the history and the basic steps (largely for Miss R and my benefit I suspect) – Rumba is usually a partnered dance but with two guys and about six girls, we just went for a general girls vs. guys dance. The class isn’t a cardio burn like the Jungle Body class – it’s a much slower dance class, centred on technique and style.

One thing about this class (and maybe even Rumba in general) is that there is a lot of emphasis about the story behind the moves. Our story was a typical one of a girl and a guy…the girl is playing hard to get while the guy tries to impress her with his dance moves. Then the girl starts to dance with the guy and finally at the end of the routine, not quite so typically, the guy shoots a “love injection” and the girl has to defend and protect herself from said injection. That’s right - that was the story behind our dance. And please remember, this was all interpreted through dance – no real injections occurred in the making of this post.

Rumba is a very sexy-focussed dance (in case that was not clear already), the moves are slinky and as Instructor Dani says, you have to dance with style. There is some technique involved, which, if you do the course, you’ll go into much more detail on, but as a one-off class, don’t expect to have that special flair from the off. But do expect an easy-going laughter filled class with a fun, smiley Instructor Dani!  

The Need To Know:

- Where: Pulse Dance Studios (http://www.pulsedancestudios.co.uk)

- Nearest Station: Angel (4mins)

- When: Thursdays 19.00

- How Much: Drop-in around £6 for single class

    

The Want to Know:

- Who’s it For: For those who fancy a light-hearted dance cardio class

- Sweat Scale: 5/10.

- Strength / Cardio / Flexi / Tone: Err…just open dance skill

- Complexity: 7/10.

- Fun Factor: 7/10.

- Changing Facilities: A toilet and a couple cubicles for changing

- Instructor Inspiration: 8/10. Infectious liveliness!

The Stats:

- Total Time: 57mins

- Calories Burnt: 159.

- Average Heart Rate: 91

- Max Heart Rate: 114

Infectiously Smiley Instructor Dani!