Queen City Dancing Queen: Angie's April 2008 Tidbits

Angie’s April 2008Tidbits

"Dancers aren't made of their technique, but their passion."

Hello, Everyone! I hope this message finds all of you happy and healthy, and enjoying the springtime. Thank you to everyone who has been coming to class and jamming with me this past month. It always is a pleasure to see you dancing and enjoying yourself in my class. This month I am excited to announce some new things that are going on.

But first--There is a reason that I don't spend a lot of time focusing on "technique" during class. Mainly, this is because if I focus too much on the "correct" way to do the steps, many will get caught up making sure they are doing the move "correctly" as as a result will move less. But, as you all know the most important thing about my classes is this- "IF YOU ARE MOVING, YOU ARE DOING IT RIGHT!" My classes are not technique-based, so in being that way you get a great cardio workout to go along with your dancing. It doesn't matter if you do your samba step looking like the Brazillian Carnaval Queen or if you get down in your hip hop looking like Chris Brown; what matters is that you feel like the Brazilian Carnaval Queen or like Chris Brown. And while you are moving and having fun, a sneaky little thing happens-- you burn a ton of calories. Case in point--As some of you may know, I've been trying modify my intensity in class (per doc's orders to gain weight- more on this later) and so I've been wearing a heart rate monitor to keep tabs on how hard I am working. And believe it or not, even as I have been "toning it down", my heart rate monitor says that I have been burning between 700-800 calories per class! Seriously? Yes- I am serious. Granted, every person is different, and the calories burned will depend on a number of factors, but still, you get the idea.

So, my point is...Don't worry about looking like the top 10 dancers from "So You Think You Can Dance". Enjoy the music, love yourself and be passionate about your dancing however it comes out. You will have more fun and you will notice a difference- physically and mentally.

Now, I want you to keep all that in mind in preparation for this month's announcements. Despite my classes being non-technique based, I bet there are times when you just wish you had a little bit extra instruction in order to really "get" the steps that we do during class. I do understand. I like to "get" the moves too. And many of you that have asked me to show you the moves after class have found that with a little extra explanation you finally "got" it. So read on to see what is in store for the upcoming months.

Show Me Sessions: Beginning in May, I will have monthly Show Me Sessions available for anyone who wants a little extra explanation for the steps that we do in class. These sessions will not be structured classes; rather, they will be based on what you (the participants) want to review. For example, "Angie, show me how you do your feet in a samba step" or "Angie, show me how you move your upper body in a circle like that during the "River" song" or "Angie, show me how you move your hips that fast in "The Anthem". Or, you might want me to show you how you can increase or decrease the intensity or difficulty on a particular step. Any questions you have about the steps will be answered and practiced on a first-come, first-serve basis. You can attend these sessions in the same way that you attend my other classes (use your class package or pay for a drop-in) OR by becoming part of the Jam Crew (read on). Pre-registration is not mandatory, but in order to be fair, questions about steps will be answered in the order that you sign up. Please click here for more information about the May Show Me Session dates and to register.

1. Angie- toning it down? What?!!?: As I mentioned above and as I've mentioned in my classes in the past month, I've been trying to tone down my own personal exercise intensity during the classes in order to try and put on some weight (per doctor's orders) so that I can begin to start a family. Luckily, I've had lots of people (like Lisa B, Gina M, Caroline D, Arleen S, Jennifer B, Gaby C, Jessica E, Sue P, Allison E, Charlotte P and so many others) in all my classes that have been willing to step up to the plate and get their groove on in Turbo Mode to keep the energy level of the class going and help show the rest of the class how to really get down. I truly would like to thank all of you that have helped me do this so far and have been so understanding of my situation. It means so much to me that you are supportive of my efforts to start a family. I will continue to need your support as time goes on, so I'm going to give my hard-core jammers a name-- the "Jam Crew".

2. Jam Crew: The Jam Crew is a group of regular class participants that have shown exceptional dedication to attend classes regularly, who put forth an extra effort into their moves and who don't mind others watching them jam. Jam Crew will be introduced at the beginning of classes as part of the instructor's entourage. The Jam Crew will earn free classes and special discounts the more classes they participate in as "Jam Crew", and they will be able to attend unlimited Show Me Sessions free of charge. And, as an added benefit the Jam Crew will also find that they are dancin' harder, sweatin' more and as a result, having even more fun and burning more calories. Click here if you would like more information about becoming part of Angie's Jam Crew.

3. DanceOut! Party: The DanceOut! Party on April 12 in Gastonia was extremely fun. I must say that we thoroughly rocked the house. For a synopsis of the event, click here. Stay tuned for details on the next event....

4. Weekly Class Updates: The Zumba class at New Hope Baptist in Gastonia is going strong. Last Monday there were 57 people there getting crazy with us. Whoo Hoo! That was a record for that location. The Zumba class at Hickory Grove Rec Center continues to jam, but we have a huge gym to fill and we still have lots of room for more people! Each Wednesday I'm happy to see more of you coming to this class. Keep it up and don't forget to tell your friends! The Thursday night class at the Adult Rec Center in Gastonia has officially been changed to DanceOut! and we are having a blast. Keep on coming...the Gaston Gazette said they would be coming out to visit us soon! The Friday night DanceOut! class at Tom Sykes Rec Center got off to a GREAT start. We had a packed room for our first few classes, and I have a feeling this is going to be a fun summer Friday night activity. Those who come to the Saturday Zumba class at Kelly O'Shea's know that we jam no matter what, but we'd love for more people to join us. In fact, there is no better time than now to join this class or start coming regularly. We need your support in order to keep the Saturday class going! I will be doing a Zumba Demo at Kelly O'Shea's studio on Tuesday, April 29th at 8:00 pm to promote the Saturday class. If you would like to join me in showing the parents of the dancers at the studio how fun Zumba is, please let me know ASAP.

5. Shout-Outs! A BIG huge thank you to Lisa Burke-my big sis- who has been doing an outstanding job as my sidekick and instructor in training. Thank you also to Gina Moody for subbing class for me last month. Thanks also to everyone who helps me before and after class like my mom- Marianne V, my mother-in-law Elizabeth L, my hubby Daniel, my friends Nicole G, Althea W, and Jessica E.

That's all for now my lovely ones. I so look forward to seeing you all again- those of you that I see every week, those that I see every now and then and those who I haven't seen in loooonnng time. I'll be waiting for you with open arms :)

Have a wonderful day!

Hugs and Kisses,

Angie

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