New workouts pop up every day, and wouldn’t it be nice to try before you buy? In our “Last Night’s Workout” series we sweat, stretch and shimmy our way through the latest exercise crazes and report back to you so you can find the best one for your skill level and fitness goals.Attention all dance-aholics: Banana Skirt Productions is about to be you’re new favorite workout. Whether you’re a club-goer or simply like to crank the music in your car, you’ll want to get your diva-dancing, hair-whipping, ‘yonce loving soul over to Banana Skirt Productions right freakin’ now.
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The Workout: Banana Skirt Productions is unique in that you can look at their online schedule and each class is listed alongside the song that the routine will be taught to, allowing you to chose the one set to your favorite hit. I chose the Beyoncé class set to “Crazy in Love” because that that song always gets me hyped up.
The warm-up at Banana Skirt is similar to that of any other dance class: it’s led through a series of stretches and small dance moves to warm up the body. Then the teacher leads the class through some squats and ab exercises. These were great: quick but still intense enough to feel the burn!Once were were warmed up, we began learning the exact choreography from the “Crazy in Love” music video. Considering I’ve watched this video hundreds of times in my life and have always been DYING to learn it, I got completely zoned in on the choreography. The dance moves were taught slowly, in counts of eight, and were repeated multiple times so that everyone was able to pick it up quickly.
After we were finished learning the steps, our teacher split us into smaller groups, blasted Bey’s tune and let us take turns doing the moves with more space. Although small groups may seem a bit intimidating, it ended up being my favorite part of the class. With the teacher screaming things like “you ARE Beyoncè! Dance like you’re the star of her music video,” I was as hyped up as I’ve ever been at a dance class.
As promised, the environment of this class is cool and relaxed; everyone is simply there to have a good time with no competition. No one in the class got all the moves right (we’re not Beyoncé, after all), but everyone had a total blast giving it their all.
The Location: We tried it in NYC at Pearl Studios but don’t be surprised if Beyoncè-themed dance classes pop up near you! Banana Skirt Productions also offer private lessons if you’d like a more personal experience.
The Price: For single class, the fee is reasonably priced at $20. For private lessions, email [email protected] to book.
