Fashion

Beauty

Dance boot camp: Week three

Beauty director Adriana Ermter tests the Core Rhythms (corerhythms.com) dance DVDs.

I’ve hit a new level: I can actually perform 30 minutes of Latin dance moves without having to press pause and repeat. It’s a miracle and a head rush all at the same time. So while I only achieved three out of my five intended workouts, the fact that I am no longer wiping the living room floor with my butt is a massive achievement.

This week was dedicated to the Core Rhythms Quick Workout DVD. It’s 20 minutes of merengue and samba dance moves that starts with a warm-up and winds straight into a full-on blowout workout. Along with all of the standard hip flicking moves that I’ve been mastering, this workout also includes the box step and no, it’s not the hillbilly line dancing I thought it would be. (I can say that. I’m from Calgary and I know how to line dance.) It’s more of a funky, fly girl kind of move where you cross one leg over your body then step together, step together and back to make a box-like shape. And when it’s performed at a super-fast pace with lots of bum wiggling it feels surprisingly sexy.

The rock step is next–a step where I turn to the side and simultaneously lift and bend the same leg as I turn while pumping my arms. Reminds me of The 20 Minute Workout– minus the thong–and has me singsonging, “and four more, and three more, and two more.” My favourite new move though, has me standing with my arms outstretched and feet together, making a circle with teeny-tiny baby steps while I roll my hips and bend my body as though being twirled up into a tornado. Kind of like what you’d imagine the adult version of playing airplane would look like. Trixie enjoys it too–not when I do it, mind you, rather she enjoys watching instructors Julia and Jaana on the TV. Weird, right?  A cat that watches the tube? I’m only slightly insulted by her preference.

In the samba portion of the video, I’m thrilled that there are tons of the standing sit-ups that I love so much. This time, Julia also has us do them while moving backwards at a really fast pace. I feel like all of this jumping and thumping is whittling my thighs, hopefully into a jiggle-free zone. Time will tell. At any rate, I like it, although I do feel slightly under dressed in my mismatched workout bra top and cotton underpants. Maybe I should slip over to Shkank and ask them to whip me up a shiny, saucy Lycra number better suited to my pulsations? Seriously.

Before I know it, its time for the cool down, followed by some basic stretches. My face is slightly less purple than it was two weeks ago, and the sweat factor has progressively increased thanks to my elevated energy. All is very good.

Next week: Duty calls and Adriana is out of the country but will return in two week’s time with another round of Dance Boot Camp.

READ MORE: WEEK ONE | WEEK TWO