QUOTE
Alternative fitness: Bollywood Grooves
by Alex Hazell
If dancing is your thing, you're sure to be a fan of all things Bollywood. But are the routines as hard as they look and, most importantly, do they constitute a workout? We sent our guinea pig to find out...
The success of Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End musical Bombay Dreams and Channel 4's Bollywood Star is proof that Bollywood is here to stay. With glamorous costumes and actors/actresses performing elaborate dance sequences, Bollywood films are the ultimate musical experience.
Bollywood dancing is a commercial name for modern Indian dancing and has emerged from the films to stand alone in its own right. It's a combination of classical Indian dance (which is the base), folk dancing such as Bhangra and sometimes a Latino and Arabic influence. The idea (I am reliably informed) is to express the meaning of the music through 'graceful' movements.
Now, I have been described as many things in my lifetime, but graceful is not one of them. However, fed up with the gym and dragging myself for runs round the local park and with assurances that tracksuit bottoms and a t-shirt would be considered suitable attire, I jumped at the chance to attend an hour-long beginners' class at Danceworks.
Grooving
So it was that I found myself on the hottest day of the year positioning myself firmly to the rear of a class of about 15 as the first Bhangra beats kicked in. After a brief stretch, our teacher, Vandana Alimchandani, put us straight to work with an energetic warm-up, working the shoulders back and forth and then the arms and legs, all of which left me a sweating heap after about five minutes!
Miss Sweetcheeks asks 'Do you prefer to exercise alone?'
After a welcome water break, we moved on to a choreographed routine. Did I mention earlier that I also have a problem with co-ordination? Vandana filled us in on the story behind the music, basically about a shy girl and how she behaves around the man she likes, laughing at the cheese factor, which put us all at ease (if I had had to take it seriously I would have struggled). She then elegantly led us through the routine bit by bit, with half the class following effortlessly and the rest of us lumbering along as though we were born with two left feet. Despite the range of ability though, one look round the room at all the smiling faces proved everyone was enjoying themselves.
I think Vandana must have the patience of a saint, as she managed to look completely unfazed when I again found myself facing the opposite way to the rest of the class and collapsed in a fit of giggles. However, by the end of the class the whole routine was put together and I managed to stumble my way through the whole thing, in a fashion. My more able colleague (who had previously sworn that she had no rhythm, or I would never have let her attend) was, by this time, really getting into the swing of things. If I hadn't been so exhausted (yes, by this point I was falling over my own feet), I would have been sorely tempted to sabotage her efforts - she was looking far too good!
Results
The class is a complete body workout, but it's especially good for the legs. Afterwards I felt great - sweaty yes, but completely energised, and whether it was the dancing or all the giggling or both, on a complete high. The next day I still felt pretty good (smug is probably a better word), although my thighs really ached, due to the fact I had discovered muscles that hadn't been used for years! Vandana assures me that her legs still hurt after 10 years of teaching - I think she was just saying it to make me feel better, but it's another example of how nice she is.
Whether you are looking to break into Bollywood or just fancy trying something a bit different from the norm, this could be the class for you. Although it can be difficult to pick up straight away, the emphasis is firmly placed on having fun, so it's definitely worth persevering. Be warned, it is quite energetic, but all abilities, ages and races are welcome and, as long as you give it your all, you're guaranteed to have fun.
Alex tried Bollywood dancing with Bollywood Grooves run by Vandana Alimchandani and Anjali Wadhwani at Danceworks, but classes are held at various locations around London. For further information on Bollywood Grooves, visit www.bollywoodgrooves.com. For information on the range of classes available at Danceworks visit www.danceworks.net.
Copyright 2005 www.handbag.com
by Alex Hazell
If dancing is your thing, you're sure to be a fan of all things Bollywood. But are the routines as hard as they look and, most importantly, do they constitute a workout? We sent our guinea pig to find out...
The success of Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End musical Bombay Dreams and Channel 4's Bollywood Star is proof that Bollywood is here to stay. With glamorous costumes and actors/actresses performing elaborate dance sequences, Bollywood films are the ultimate musical experience.
Bollywood dancing is a commercial name for modern Indian dancing and has emerged from the films to stand alone in its own right. It's a combination of classical Indian dance (which is the base), folk dancing such as Bhangra and sometimes a Latino and Arabic influence. The idea (I am reliably informed) is to express the meaning of the music through 'graceful' movements.
Now, I have been described as many things in my lifetime, but graceful is not one of them. However, fed up with the gym and dragging myself for runs round the local park and with assurances that tracksuit bottoms and a t-shirt would be considered suitable attire, I jumped at the chance to attend an hour-long beginners' class at Danceworks.
Grooving
So it was that I found myself on the hottest day of the year positioning myself firmly to the rear of a class of about 15 as the first Bhangra beats kicked in. After a brief stretch, our teacher, Vandana Alimchandani, put us straight to work with an energetic warm-up, working the shoulders back and forth and then the arms and legs, all of which left me a sweating heap after about five minutes!
Miss Sweetcheeks asks 'Do you prefer to exercise alone?'
After a welcome water break, we moved on to a choreographed routine. Did I mention earlier that I also have a problem with co-ordination? Vandana filled us in on the story behind the music, basically about a shy girl and how she behaves around the man she likes, laughing at the cheese factor, which put us all at ease (if I had had to take it seriously I would have struggled). She then elegantly led us through the routine bit by bit, with half the class following effortlessly and the rest of us lumbering along as though we were born with two left feet. Despite the range of ability though, one look round the room at all the smiling faces proved everyone was enjoying themselves.
I think Vandana must have the patience of a saint, as she managed to look completely unfazed when I again found myself facing the opposite way to the rest of the class and collapsed in a fit of giggles. However, by the end of the class the whole routine was put together and I managed to stumble my way through the whole thing, in a fashion. My more able colleague (who had previously sworn that she had no rhythm, or I would never have let her attend) was, by this time, really getting into the swing of things. If I hadn't been so exhausted (yes, by this point I was falling over my own feet), I would have been sorely tempted to sabotage her efforts - she was looking far too good!
Results
The class is a complete body workout, but it's especially good for the legs. Afterwards I felt great - sweaty yes, but completely energised, and whether it was the dancing or all the giggling or both, on a complete high. The next day I still felt pretty good (smug is probably a better word), although my thighs really ached, due to the fact I had discovered muscles that hadn't been used for years! Vandana assures me that her legs still hurt after 10 years of teaching - I think she was just saying it to make me feel better, but it's another example of how nice she is.
Whether you are looking to break into Bollywood or just fancy trying something a bit different from the norm, this could be the class for you. Although it can be difficult to pick up straight away, the emphasis is firmly placed on having fun, so it's definitely worth persevering. Be warned, it is quite energetic, but all abilities, ages and races are welcome and, as long as you give it your all, you're guaranteed to have fun.
Alex tried Bollywood dancing with Bollywood Grooves run by Vandana Alimchandani and Anjali Wadhwani at Danceworks, but classes are held at various locations around London. For further information on Bollywood Grooves, visit www.bollywoodgrooves.com. For information on the range of classes available at Danceworks visit www.danceworks.net.
Copyright 2005 www.handbag.com
Source - www.handbag.com