Honestly, every time I’ve walked past a dance class that has taken place in PAC Studio 1, I’ve never thought twice about it. I don’t know how to dance and when I do, it’s just a matter of jumping up and down.
Instructor Elnaz Ghorbani, UW alumni, walked into a full class of eager students and immediately began playing music, starting with Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody. Everyone began following the instructor’s steps, and I couldn’t help but start laughing at myself. It was an exciting and energetic song, but I just couldn’t seem to keep up with the steps. Even a simple grab to both sides, up and down, I would be stepping with the wrong foot or putting the wrong arm out.
As simple as it seemed to me, I honestly realized how stiff and embarrassingly uncoordinated I am almost immediately. Even when I could get the steps right and catch onto the rhythm, I’d look at myself in the mirror and just feel immediately embarrassed again. That, or, as soon as I got into the simplicity of jumping and pumping an arm in the air, the moves would switch and we were onto something that I couldn’t do again. When Ghorbani does it, it seems cool and effortless. When I do it, it looks painful and awkward. Anything that required core movement, like belly dancing, was particularly awkward.
However, as I looked around at the other students and the instructor, no one really seemed to care. Everyone just seemed really happy to be there and listening to the music. And at the end of every song, Ghorbani would turn around to face the class and everyone would clap for each other. I thought it was silly at first, but by some point, I actually found it quite motivating. For one of the songs, the class would run around and give high-fives to each other during a transition in the music. The class continued with songs of all different music genres including Spanish, Middle Eastern, remixes, Beyonce, Rosé’s APT, and more. About halfway through the class, the instructor played some kind of Disney pop song, and I was finally able to let loose and stop worrying about doing the steps exactly as they are or how I looked doing them. Everyone was just… dancing.
The class ended with a final Billie Eilish song and slow stretches to the beat of the music.
Elnaz Ghorbani has been teaching Zumba for a while and recommends beginners to simply keep coming to classes. She says that many of the students are able to follow dances to new songs because of how consistently similar the movements are.
Sonal Misra, in her fifth year of psychology and business, has been attending fitness dance classes for the past two years, stating, “They help me de-stress and there’s routine with the classes” She particularly likes the classes with Ghorbani because she incorporates a lot of belly dancing and her Middle Eastern background.
The fitness dance class is a great way to let loose, de-stress, and meet new people. It was physically challenging, in a coordination (not cardio or strength) way. If you ever want to step out of your comfort zone and have some fun, this is definitely the class for that!
Anyone can sign up through UW Fitness Classes with a membership or day pass.
