Latin American dancing
Cha Cha Cha your way to your nearest class.
Sometimes exercising can get a bit dull. So, how about dressing up (in heels rather than smelly old trainers) and working out your brain as well as your muscles to some sexy latin beats?
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If you're thinking ball gowns, perfect postures and fake smiles, think again! Latin dancing is all about energy, passion and having fun! Just look at the success of 'So you think you can dance' and 'Dancing with the Stars' - we love a bit of twinkle toe action tossed with a few shimmies!
At a Latin dance class, you'll find salsa fans moving to the Cuban rhythms, singles having fun and meeting new people, couples who fancy some quality time together and the adventurous - just looking for something a bit different.
The Latin American style of dancing was brought to Australia early last century. It's vibrant, sexy, challenging and guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Its hip movements and quick footwork means that legs get a thorough workout, and, as you progress and do more dancing and less practicing, you'll get a more aerobic workout.
The Styles
Cha Cha Cha
With African Voodoo and Cuban roots, this dance has a strong, sexy, hip swinging movement. It uses very small steps and has a highly distinctive two beats followed by three quick beats. You can hear it in some songs by Ricky Martin and Gloria Estefan.
Salsa
With roots from the Caribbean, this dance isn't named after salsa for nothing! It's sexy, spicy and sassy! You don't have to go with a partner as most dance schools swap partners throughout the class. It's fun, social and addictive as you build new moves on the basic steps.
Samba
This is a street festival dance from Brazil. It's fast and challenging and looks extremely good once mastered. It's a fun cardio workout that can be done without a partner. There are many variations and styles and probably the most famous Samba song is 'The Girl from Ipanema'.
Rumba (or Rhumba)
This has more emphasis on body than footwork and is probably the easiest Latin American dance to pick up. It's slow and sensual - the dance of love - great for smooching moments. Robbie Williams' 'She's the one' is a great modern Rumba.
The Jive
There are so many modern dances that incorporate parts of the jive - ceroc, swing, rock n' roll, ragtime, the Charleston - that it's hard to know what a pure jive is! There are many styles and variations but inevitably the jive is fast and furious - a great workout to jazz style music.
Tango
Made famous by Argentina, the tango is a smooth and sharp dance to intense music. A dance of passion and emotion, the feet are kept close to the floor and body's and arms locked closely to your partner. Once you master the moves, it's a fun workout together!
Choosing a Class
Your Yellow Pages will have a list of dance schools. Many will let you have your first lesson for free, and you can suss out if you like the atmosphere and the teacher's method. Some will be quite formal, others much more relaxed. In some classes you may be expected to change partners so that everyone gets an equal stab with dancers good and bad. At others you can canoodle with your partner all night. And you don't even have to have a partner to go along.
Once you've mastered one or two dances most large towns have salsa clubs or dance schools have regular meets so you can show off your skills! If you're in Sydney, check out sydneysalsascene.com for information on classes, dance clubs and events.
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