Some of the best times of my life (and best friends made- hi Lyn!) were spent in a dance studio. Not just any dance studio, mind you, but Dance Fabulous– an adults only, drop-in studio. We weren’t all trained dancers- in fact, the appeal was that you could come to class with zero dance experience- but we shared a common love for music, movement, and fun. Eventually, I transitioned from student to instructor, teaching my own original choreography, video choreography, and even a class called “hip hop aerobics”, where we would do repetitive chunks of choreo for the sake of goofy fitness that tricked you into working out by being so fun and keeping your brain busy. It was an absolute blast.
Sadly, the physical space of DFab became no longer viable to maintain, and although there were opportunities to keep classes going, my job had shifted in a way that made it difficult for me to keep up with them. With a heavy heart, I decided it was time to retire. My workouts shifted to kettlebells and lifting (which I love!), but I can’t help but miss having a set chunk of time each week to shake my thang. I just can’t make it to classes regularly!
Caleb Marshall is making a name for himself as The Fitness Marshall, pumping out amazing, easy to follow, ridiculously fun hip hop cardio dance workouts on his YouTube channel. Apparently, he got his start teaching classes in college, and people would be waiting at the door an hour beforehand to make sure they got a spot in his (packed) class. I can see why- this guy is HILARIOUS, his videos are well done (he majored in film production), and his backup dancers “booties” are on fleek. Also, he is inspired by Britney Spears. NEED I SAY MORE?
So, you can pick one song/video on his channel to learn and dance to a few times, which is a great quick workout in itself. This is also a good way to kind of learn the “language” of hip hop cardio dance, so future videos become easier to follow. (You can also sign up for his Patreon site if you want access to tutorials.) But! The brilliant thing he does, which makes me mad that I never thought of doing this myself, is the weekly “Sweat Set“: a curated playlist of videos starting with a warm up, ending with a cool down, and a handful of awesome dancing in between. The Sweat Set is usually about 45 minutes, and you can pause in between videos for water or brain-breaks. It is exactly the kind of cardio workout I need in my life!
Obvs, the more you do one of the videos, the more you’ll be able to really go all-out. He doesn’t do any moves that are technically difficult or advanced, but sometimes it takes a few repetitions, at first, to really get it. Once you do, it is 100% FUN. I am regularly simultaneously feeling fly and laughing my ass off. (Literally? Too soon to tell.)
While I miss being a spaz at the front of my own class, being a spaz in my basement is a pretty ok runner-up. And believe me, this dancer is RUSTY, so I am all over the place! But Caleb and I share the same sentiment when it comes to dancing- you may not be doing THE move, but at least you can do SOMETHING, and as long as you’re having fun, who cares??
What are you dancing to? Have you been to Lyn’s class? You should go- it’s the best! Let us know in the comments!
I miss hanging with you guys at Dance Fabulous! It makes me sad that I had to retire from teaching fitness too (mostly job related reasons, but partially because of my health). I’m so glad you’re finding stuff that you love. My new thing is aerial fitness–I think you’d love that.
Tiffany!! Aerial fitness looks so amazing- I think there is a place on the east side that teaches it? We might have to try it!!
Sounds like a good E&N opportunity…Thanks for the idea, Tiffany! (WE MISS YOU!!)