For exercise and de-stressing this semester I decided to take a couple gym classes, yoga and West African dance. Yoga was just what I look for in yoga--calm, restorative, relaxing, non-competitive, but also challenging.
West African dance was active, aerobic, and fun. Just for the warm-up, the teacher, a man from Guinea, started us right in on a full-blown workout. It was like aerobics and stretching, but with a fast-paced, West African flair. It was a lot of fun, and it felt so good I thought I could run a mile afterward. The teacher's ten-year old son supplied the live drum accompaniment.
West African dance is way more interesting to me than Zanzibari dance, which is very calm and rarely expressive.
3 comments:
How expressive are we talking here?
Ever seen the movie Housesitter with Goldie Hawn and Steve Martin? Check it out. Not only is it hilarious, there's a great scene where Goldie's character takes an African dance class--it's like that.
Oh wait, you meant Zanzibari dance. For that style, "expressive" means moving your hips more than one centimeter either direction. Scandalous!
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