Dance the Calories Away

Getting bored on the treadmill and need a new way to shake up your workouts? Start movin’ and groovin’ with dance-inspired group fitness classes. Whether it’s salsa, hip hop, or funk, dancing is a sure-fire way get to get your heart pumping, learn a few moves, and meet new people. “With television shows like So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With The Stars, dance is in the cultural mindset,” says Jen Ryan, national training coordinator for Life Time Fitness. “I think people want to test the waters and try dancing.”

To help you find the right class to shake your groove thang in, we checked in with Twin Cities gyms to see what is being offered this fall. Most classes are designed for beginners, so even if you have two left feet and no rhythm, you’re bound to get a good workout and have some fun.

Urban/Funk
Latin
Belly Dancing

Urban/Funk

THE FIRM A WORKOUT STUDIO

Photo courtesy of The Firm

Funk Dance
Instructors break down funk and hip-hop choreography. “It’s sort of like being on MTV for an hour,” says Doug Melroe from The Firm a Workout Studio. Get a complete cardio workout while increasing core strength and muscle tone.
Intensity Level (1-5): 4
Who You’ll See: Everyone from dancers to beginners. Men and women of all ages.
Experience Level Needed: All levels are welcome to attend. “The instructor breaks it down for you so all levels can catch on,” Melroe says. “The more you come, the better you’ll get.”
Apparel: Wear workout clothes that you feel comfortable in.
Music: Funk/hip hop dance mixes that you’re familiar with from the radio and MTV.
Cost: The Firm a Workout Studio offers classes in packages sold a la carte. five classes, $65; ten classes, $120; twenty classes, $220. (Packages can be applied to all Firm classes.)
Essential Info: 245 Aldrich Ave. N., Ste. 220, Mpls., 612-377-3003

LIFE TIME FITNESS
Hip Hop
Learn hip-hop moves with choreography like what you’d find in a dance video.
Intensity Level (1-5): 3-4
Who You’ll See: A combination of men and women in their teens, twenties, and thirties
Experience Level Needed: Even if you’ve never touched a dance floor, you can come learn basic hip-hop moves.
Apparel: Comfortable clothing you can move in. Younger people tend to wear street dance attire.
Music: Hip Hop
Cost: Part of a Life Time Fitness membership

Dance Jam
Instructors teach you how to jam to a choreographed workout based on a mix of funk, jazz, and modern dancing.
Intensity Level (1-5): 3-4
Who You’ll See: Mostly women ages twenties to fifties
Experience Level Needed: “Every class we offer is targeted for the general population,” Ryan says. “Skills are built up as the class evolves.”
Apparel: Comfortable workout clothes
Music: A mixture of funk and jazz
Cost: Part of a Life Time Fitness membership

Soul Grooves
Based around modern dance and rhythmic movement, work on stretching your limbs and refining your balance and posture while getting a cardio workout.
Intensity level (1-5): 3-4
Who You’ll See: Mostly women ages twenties to fifties
Experience Level Needed: The class is for beginning dancers.
Apparel: Comfortable, loose clothing. Shoes are optional.
Music: A wide mixture
Cost: Part of a Life Time Fitness membership

YMCA
Hip-Hop Hustle
If you can hustle, you can do Hip Hop Hustle! The first part of the class teaches you basic moves, such as knee lifts and double knees, with a little flare. The second half of the class involves learning a choreographed dance routine to a song. You practice the dance for four or five class sessions and then perform for the rest of the class either in a group or challenging others to an individual “dance off!”
Intensity Level (1-5): 2-4
Who You’ll See: Young men and women, many of them in their teens
Experience Level Needed: Even if you’ve never tried hip hop, you can pick up the moves and learn the routine gradually.
Apparel: Comfortable workout clothes
Music: Hip Hop
Cost: Part of a YMCA membership

YWCA
Hip-Hop Aerobics
Get your body moving with hip-hop music at the YWCA.
Intensity Level (1-5): 3
Who You’ll See: Mostly a younger crowd of women in their twenties and thirties
Experience Level Needed: “No previous hip hop experience is required, but it’s helpful to come early to talk to the instructors to know what’s going on and learn a little of the terminology,” says Aldrin D'Souza, fitness coordinator at the YWCA.
Apparel: Any workout attire that’s loose and comfortable
Music: Hip Hop
Cost: It’s part of a YWCA membership
Essential Info: Midtown Location, 2121 E. Lake St., Mpls., 612-332-0500

Latin

YWCA
Salsa Aerobics
Salsa steps are taught to build strength and coordination. Your heart rate will stay up with this cardio workout, and you don’t need a partner.
Intensity Level (1-5): 3-4
Who You’ll See: Mainly women of all ages
Experience Level Needed: All dance levels welcome.
Apparel: Leave your salsa dancing heels at home! Opt for workout attire and tennis shoes.
Music: Latin/Salsa
Cost: Part of a YWCA membership
Essential Info: Midtown, 2121 E. Lake St., Mpls.; and Downtown, 1130 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., 612-332-0500

YMCA/YWCA
Zumba
The routines feature interval-training sessions where fast and slow Latin rhythms and resistance training are combined to tone and sculpt your body while burning fat. You’ll use a lot of hip movement to target the core and midsection. “It’s fun,” D'Souza says. “A lot of the people that come like some version of dancing. You can dance and get a cardio workout.”
Intensity Level (1-5): 2-4
Who You’ll See: Mostly women and a few men
Experience Level Needed: Everyone from Latin music newbies to experienced dancers.
Apparel: Any workout attire
Music: Latin
Cost: Part of a YMCA/YWCA membership
Essential Info: 612-332-0500, Twin Cities YWCA locations; YMCA locations.

SPICY SALSA AEROBICS WITH VERONICA SUAREZ
Salsa Aerobics
Combine salsa, merengue, cumbia, mambo, and cha cha cha dancing with aerobics, and you get spicy aerobics. Increase you fitness level with this total-body workout class that improves your conditioning and flexibility with a little Latin flair. Instructor Veronica Suarez has ten years of teaching experience and has been teaching these bilingual aerobics classes for the past five years.
Intensity Level (1-5): The class starts with the basics and then increases in intensity, so you can move at a pace you want to accommodate all ability levels.
Who You’ll See: Everyone from ages eight to seventy-five
Experience Level Needed: Everyone is welcome, even if you’ve never done salsa. “We don’t care about the right or wrong steps,” Suarez says. “It’s all about what you feel.”
Apparel: Any workout attire you feel comfortable in, but be sure to bring a change of clothes because you’ll sweat a lot!
Music Types: Latin/Salsa
Extra Costs: $3-$5 per class
Essential Info: Held in Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Maple Grove, Minneapolis, and St. Paul, 612-237-6129

LIFE TIME FITNESS
Latin Fusion at Life Time
Dancing to Latin beats helps get a great cardio workout.
Intensity Level (1-5): 3-4
Who You’ll See: Men and women of all ages
Experience Level Needed: Every dance level welcome.
Apparel: Comfortable workout clothes
Music: Latin/Salsa
Cost: Part of a Life Time Fitness membership

Belly Dancing

JAWAAHIR DANCE COMPANY AND THE CASSANDRA SCHOOL
Belly Dancing
Belly Dancing is a Middle Eastern dance that emphasizes the torso, uses isolated movements, and is traditionally an improvised solo dance. Dancing builds strength, is easy on the joints, and increases flexibility. In the beginning class you’ll warm up and then learn the basics of Arabic dancing and finger cymbals.
Intensity Level (1-5): 2-3
Who You’ll See: Women of all ages and sizes from their teens to seventies
Experience Level Needed: The beginning Level 1 class is geared for those with no previous dance experience. They offer five levels of courses from beginner to advanced.
Apparel: Wear anything that is comfortable and that you can move in. It’s suggested to bring a scarf or a wrap to put around your hips so you can see and feel the movement.
Music: Arabic pop and drum rhythms.
Cost: Single class, $14; set of ten classes, $120. Classes run year-round in ten-week sessions, or drop by for one class.
Essential Info: Bloomington, Minneapolis, and St. Paul, 612-872-6050