Hip Hop Class: The Great Equalizer

I posted yesterday that if I got the chance to dance in public, I would.  Well....my gym recently added a hip hop aerobic dance class on Thursday nights.  This is actually something I've wanted to try for awhile, but as usual I felt awkward and self conscious.  It always helps my confidence to have a buddy when doing something new, so I asked a friend to go - but she had plans for the next few Thursday nights.  So in the spirit of Get Over Yourself Day, I decided to go by myself tonight and see what the class was like.

The students were a mixed bag - a lot of young, fit women in cute outfits, a couple women my age, one or two women my size, and a much older man wearing a bandana around his head.  Much to my amusement, he planted himself right in the front row and proceeded to get right down with his bad self!   Anyway, the majority of the students were in great shape, and intimidation started to creep in.  I reminded myself that these women were going to be so busy checking out their moves in the mirror that they wouldn't be bothered looking at my spastic dancing all the way in the back row.  And honestly, my only expectation of this class was to get a good cardio workout and maybe learn a few moves to try out on a dance floor - not to end up as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars.

I am sorry to report that I am not an undiscovered dance prodigy.  In fact, I am SPECTACULARLY BAD at hip hop dancing.  And I felt really uncomfortable for the first several minutes of the class.  But then, something happened.  The music was really good, the instructor was enthusiastic, and somehow I just let myself go.  I 'unclenched' and just felt the music, and next thing I knew I was jumping around without caring what anyone else thought and I was having a blast!  Seriously, this class was so much fun!  And here's the best part - when I finally took a break to catch my breath, I saw the most amazing thing...all those skinny girls, in the cute little outfits...they were just as uncoordinated as I was!  I couldn't help but laugh to myself - I was so worried I was going to be the only one that couldn't dance, but the reality was sooooooo different.  In spinning class everyone was super fit and knew all the moves.  In hip hop class we were all equal, regardless of shape or size.  Suddenly I was no longer intimidated - we were all on the same playing field.  I swear my dance moves got a little better after that (but this is probably just my imagination).

We did 40 minutes of hiphop, another 10 minutes of salsa and chacha, and then one African tribal dance that was really fun.  My heart rate stayed above 150 for the entire class and I was drenched in sweat at the end of the hour.  I learned lots of new moves, most of which involved sticking out my butt and/or rolling my hips.  I am great at sticking out my backside, but the hip rolls, well I need some work on them.  It just doesn't come naturally!  But overall, this class was a great confidence booster, and most importantly I managed to forget myself for awhile and just have some pure, unadulterated fun.