My dear friend Sara, who instructs both BarreOne and Zumba, recently started teaching a new class called "BANG - Power Dance." Sara, who loves exercising and is incredibly knowledgeable regarding all things fitness, had wonderful things to say about the class, and she encouraged me to check it out. Though I am largely only proficient is bad wedding song linedancing, I really enjoy dancing. I also have complete faith in Sara, so I will try out just about anything she suggests (not just in workouts - I now know way more bands thanks to her).
I woke up this morning and hustled down the Sport & Health in Old Town Alexandria for my BANG. Incidentally, I will also take any class in Old Town Alexandria because it is adorable (see picture yanked from google images to your right).BANG is a hybrid of dance, Zumba, and kickboxing. Sometimes hybrids are an epic fail, but in this instance, BANG has nailed it.
This morning was the most fun I've had in a workout class potentially ever, and definitely in recent memory. Yeah, I know that is a big proclamation, but I am not alone. Everyone was pumped about the class this morning. That was evidenced by the fact that the class was jam packed with smiling faces. I started talking to a woman next to me who is a regular to the class, Rachel, and she was beaming while talking about the class before the warm-up. She admittedly has zero rhythm (I can relate), but she promised the music was great and she just loved all the moving around.
Additionally, two other BANG instructors were in the class! I think is also indicative of the greatness of the class. This is a Sunday morning. The instructors can take the class anytime they want, but more than one decided to get up early on their weekend to take the class. No one is showing up to their job when they don't have to on a Sunday morning unless it is fantastic.
Some of the participants wore one-pound weighted gloves. Thin, one-pound hand weights that curved around your hand were also available to use during the class, so about half the class, myself included, took advantage of those. The hand weights made me really happy because I love boxing, and I love boxing with slightly weighted gloves, but once you commit to gloves, you are essentially stuck working out wearing paws. And then inevitably your shoes come untied, or you get an itch. And then you have to take off and put back on said awkward, giant paws. The hand weights were easy to pick up and put down. The curved shape made them easy to hold, ensuring they would not fall off or be dropped while boxing.
The boxing sequences consisted of traditional uppercuts, jabs, and kicks. During some songs you only boxed, and during others the boxing moves were integrated into dance moves. The dancing only songs included a variety of dance moves, consisting of both Zumba and what I would probably consider hip-hop dancing. I've never quite taken anything like BANG. Everyone was having a blast. The music was really fun. I must note that Sara reminded us that Ricky Martin is one of the top five best-looking men on the planet (one of his song's came on - this wasn't casual class conversation, though Ricky easily deserves discussion in any context). So in case you forgot about him, I've included a picture of him for your viewing pleasure.
I must also take a moment to give Sara must deserved accolades. The positive energy in the class is due to Sara. She is an amazing human, but also an amazing instructor. I don't just say that because we are friends. She is a teacher by profession, and it shows in her ability to explain things quickly and succinctly, while remaining encouraging and patient. I think this is particularly important in the exercise arena because many people are self-conscious while exercising, and it is hard for them to leave their comfort zone and take a class. Sara is a very warm person, and her infectious smile makes it very easy to step into one of her classes and feel comfortable. After the class, she was thanked by numerous people who told her how much they enjoyed her class. One woman complimented Sara because Sara makes the class especially fun with her animated actions and happy demeanor. Her positive attitude is both constant and sincere while she is instructing. As I mentioned, she's a teacher, which I think is probably one of the most challenging and stressful professions known to man, so I'm sure there are days that she comes in to teach an exercise class when she has already had an exhausting day of teaching and is teached-out. But you would never know it. Once she steps into the workout class, she is genuinely excited that people are there to exercise, and she wants to give them the best experience possible.
If you are a member of Sport and Health, or have Classpass, I encourage you to take BANG Power Dance. I would try and get into Sara's class, but the class is spectacular and fun regardless of who is teaching. And based on the two other instructors that were there today, they are probably pretty great as well.
On an aside, Danielle (see Orange Theory Fitness) and I periodically take Sara's barre class. Danielle is a marathon runner and does not do much barre, and I am just generally weak. All that is to say, we aren't star pupils, but we absolutely love Sara's class. It is incredibly challenging and she plays great music. She also takes the time to explain barre moves and expand on her explanations. Before I took Sara's barre class, I had taken a lot of barre, but I had to f-ing clue what it meant to "tuck." Sara also will hang out after class and answer questions, and people stay and ask, which I think also demonstrates her great ability to teach, and more importantly, her incredibly talent for making people of all fitness levels feel comfortable exercising, which probably makes them exercise more. So thank you, Sara. You are making the world a healthier and more fit place!PS - I didn't have the foresight to get a picture of us at the workout today, and we don't have one of her teaching BANG, so I have included a pic of us at one of the many great concerts she is skilled at finding. Excuse my red eye. My eyes are apparently too strong and frog like to be fixed by any red eye filter.
