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METRO WORKOUT

Dancing to the tune of fitness

Photo: H. Vibhu

Workout dance Salsa is a good exercise

Exploring dance as a fitness option is good, but not for a person with two-left feet. But there we are, me and my two-left feet, at Kkaps Dance Studio for nothing less – for salsa. Kalpana, the salsa instructor who runs the studio, says, “That is the opening line of almost everybody who comes here to learn salsa, but within two days of it they realise that they can do it.” So there I have a vote of confidence.

By way of exposure to salsa, I am armed with watching re-runs and re-re-runs of ‘Dance with me’ on the cable. ‘Salsa’ means sauce or spicy in Spanish.

Two days I do not have, so I attempt to make the best of the time I have. The heart was willing but the body unwilling. As Kalpana attempts to initiate me into the highly stylish dance form, I can’t help but wonder about the fluidity that the human body is capable of. Agreed that salsa does not work up a vigorous but it is a good cardio, it pumps up your heartbeat and it gives a high adrenalin. Looking at the mirrors at the studio can be humbling for those attempting to shed those excess kilos and tyres. The pulsating music will make a dancer out of you, salsa or any other dance form.

But once you get the core rhythm right then it is all on track. I realise salsa is not so much of space hogging kind of dance, it involves rotating or being rotated by a partner, you need two to salsa. I was literally watching my step lest I step on Kalpana’s foot and inflict irreparable damage to her feet. For ‘Ballerina’, the whole body stretches that is when I realise how wound-up I have been, it is extremely refreshing. “The whole body gets exercise with salsa. The movements start literally with your toes and moves upwards. Your knees, hips…your stomach gets good exercise. And it is not like it is only your lower torso gets the workout, your arms too get a workout because they are not idling either as you have to move your arms. And the ‘magic neck role’ your partner rotates your neck, which is also good exercise.” What about footwear? Wearing high heels and dancing seems to be no easy task, “it is not necessary that you wear high heels to dance, it just for practise in case you have to do the salsa some place and you are not wearing your sneakers. You want to dance, don’t you?”

Now that I have managed some kind of method in the uncoordinated mayhem it is time to hang up my dancing shoes.

Bottomline: It is good exercise for the whole body although not in the conventional sense. But it is fun, and you benefit from it as well.

Downside: You need a partner, because salsa is essentially done by a couple . Kalpana can be contacted at 9446984424.

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