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Now you know you can dance
Fairfax County has dance fever.
A quick glance at the Yellow Pages yields dozens of dance instruction studios throughout Northern Virginia that offer lessons in a wide variety of dance forms, from ballroom to hip hop.
Many of these studios have been around for years, but new ones are opening and some of the more established have seen a sharp increase in interest and class enrollment during the past few years.
This is partly credited to reality dance shows like "So You Think You Can Dance" and "Dancing with the Stars," which came onto the scene a few years ago and continue to rake in millions of viewers week after week.
Even though dancing has been around forever, putting it in the spotlight has helped people rediscover it and has made it cool again.
"When people watch these shows where anyone can become a dancer, it becomes more within reach," said Azin Mahoozi, founder and creative director of Born 2 Dance Studio, a new international dance school in Vienna. "Once you put something in people's faces, they think, 'Oh, wow, it's not that hard.'"
Since Born 2 Dance opened its doors to the public in August 2007, business has far exceeded expectations. The number of classes per week has grown from 15 to 35, and weekend slots have been added to accommodate the booming demand for both youth and adult classes.
Hip hop and belly dancing classes are currently the most popular at Born 2 Dance, and Indian Bollywood, a contemporary Indian dance that combines Indian folk dancing with Arabic and Latin moves, is slowly becoming the new "trendy" dance style. Mahoozi said it's hot right now among women in Los Angeles, New York City and London, and it's only a matter of time before it catches on in the D.C. metro area.
Dawn Coleman, owner of Rhythm Street Dance Center in Herndon, said there's been an increase in demand for hip hop classes during the past few years, as well as Zumba, a fitness program inspired by Latin dance. "It's becoming so popular, I need more space and time slots," she said.
Aside from reality TV, another main reason why dancing has become so popular is the fitness benefits. Dancing is a great cardiovascular workout, and the best part is you don't feel like you're exercising because you're having so much fun.
A recent visit to a belly dancing class at Born 2 Dance in Vienna is proof that dancing helps take the "work" out of "workout."
Laughter was abundant as Mahoozi, the petite Born 2 Dance owner, instructed an enthusiastic group of women, ranging vastly in age and fitness level, to "scoop," "snap" and "swish" their bodies to throaty Middle Eastern music. Dressed in common workout gear and jingling hip scarfs, the women undulated their torsos and shimmied their hips for an hour – moves said to do wonders for the midsection.
Arina Kuzmova, 25, of Fairfax, use to take traditional aerobics classes at a gym, but now she takes five hours of belly dancing classes each week at Born 2 Dance for fun and exercise. "It's more fun and energetic [than aerobics]," she said. "There's great music and it's a great ab workout."
Christina Brousard, of Vienna, also takes belly dancing classes at Born 2 Dance for exercise and practical purposes. "I like exercise not to feel like exercise," she said. Plus she can transfer her new belly dancing moves to the dance floor when she dances socially.
Health clubs locally and nationally are catching on to this trend of dance as exercise and are adding Latin, ballroom and belly dancing classes to their weekly group exercise schedules.
"Old traditional aerobics has seen its heyday, and in its place are these dance classes," said Teri Bothwell, group exercise director at Sport & Health, a local health club chain with 25 locations in the D.C. area. "The days of Jane Fonda and doing 100 knee lifts ... we're hardly seeing that at all anymore. [Dance] classes are much more fun, more energetic. It's another way to work out where it doesn't feel like work."
So, if you are having trouble sticking to your New Year's resolution to get fit, try dancing as a great way to energize your workout routine.
Contact the writer at bboyd@timespapers.com
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