You voted, I actioned. Try House Dance I did.
I see why House Dance can create curiosity - you hear house music on the radio and think, "that's way too fast, how on Earth would you dance to that?" And the answer is...with difficulty. Now, I've been to a few classes where you'll feel a bit lost, a bit slow and quite frankly, a bit stupid at first but this one definitely tops them. Admittedly this was a "general" level class with Spanish Instructor Xavi so it wasn't solely meant for beginners but hey, if you're timing constrained, you'll take what class you can get.
So I was prepared somewhat to feel a little awkward. But my goodness. I considered leaving after the warm-up, not at all to do with the fact the studio was the one that faced directly onto Langley Street with its never-ending trickle of passer-bys. If it wasn't for the combination of:
- (1) moving house next week hence lack of time to make up classes;
- (2) prepayment of the £2 day membership to the front desk already;
- (3) shame of being the one who skulks out after the warm-up/tester before the teacher collects payment and continues the class;
- (4) aesthetically pleasing fellow class participant; and
- (5) delusional belief that I might improve suddenly,
if it wasn't for those reasons, I would've left (and probably joined the said passer-bys peering in the window for the next 55mins).
Oh, and the integrity of the blog, actually trying out the voted Class-of-the-Week etc. Anyway, I'm probably being a bit harsh, the class wasn't that embarrassing. Like I've said before, some things just need some getting used to. If you're not born with natural rhythm, flexibility, co-ordination, skill, smooth grooves, talent, then you'll just have to acknowledge that, suck it up and accept that your journey to dance master will be a little more painful. Above all, you need to leave your oh-my-goodness-I'm-so-embarrassed-right-now attitude at the door. And if you do that, the class is a lot of fun.
Instructor Xavi taught well - he broke down the steps, repeated them over and over at a slow pace until everyone got it (which we did, eventually) but the hard part of House Dance was, I found that the music is so incredibly fast that the moves are on every half beat. It's fast. And jumpy. Lots of hoppy hops and skippy turns. So even when you think you have the steps, when you dance to the music, it's a whole new World. The turns are what got me, 180 degrees in a half beat then back again - it was just too fast for me. It's too hard to describe the moves, you'll need to go to Fabric or Ibiza to see what house dance it. It's basically how you imagine podium/ stage dancers dancing in clubs (but less of the sexiness, more of the speed and turns).
I feel it important to mention that House Dance is still fun. Even if you're not a hardcore raver, list DJ Sami as your favourite DJ or do not religiously follow the house music scene, when (if) you get a couple of the moves in time to the music, it really is quite satisfying and cool. Give it a couple, ok few, more classes and you'll be lovin' it. Lovin' it lovin' it. Lovin' it like this. (That's not House, I know.)
The Need To Know:
- Where: Pineapple Dance Studios
- Nearest Station: Covent Garden (3mins)
- When: At least once a day, all week (bar Sunday)
- 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 like their dance steps fast.
- Sweat Scale: 6/10.
- Strength / Cardio / Flexi / Tone: Light cardio
- Complexity: 8/10. Perfect for 6.30am.
- Fun Factor: 7/10. It's fun once you stop caring too much
- Changing Facilities: Showers, toilets. It's the almighty Pineapple Dance Studios
- Instructor Inspiration: 6/10. He could step quick!
The Stats:
- Total Time: 32mins
- Calories Burnt: 126. 3.9 calories-burnt-per-minute vs. Day 51 Commercial Streetdance's 3.4
- Average Heart Rate: 104
- Max Heart Rate: 145
Full entry with photos can be found here.