No one should have this much fun at 8am.
I’m talking about Dance! with Karem Tonsy at Equinox. Dance! is so packed every time we are working out down there that my buddy Jordan and I just had to see what the big deal was.
First of all, it’s called Dance!. The exclamation point is a part of the title. Second, the instructor, Karem, is a super toned, energetic, hip-shaking, latin dancing…did I mention hip shaking? I mean, his hips moved in ways I just have never seen. And third, the class packed with the coolest movers and shakers I have seen in a long time–ages 25-probably around 70.
20 minutes of my best moves later and Jordan and I had met this little ball of INCREDIBLE energy named Leslie. She was rocking out every single move, totally motivating me to kick my feet a little higher and shake my booty a little lower. 25 minutes later and Leslie was calling Jordan “Jordie” as she was high-fiving her. And everyone was like Leslie, from the 40-something man to my left up to the 70 year old woman wearing Keds in the front row. Everyone was a regular, knew each other and were high fiving and hooting and hollering. It created this incredible energy. 30 minutes later and I was sweating buckets, realizing that I totally underestimated what a killer workout Dance! would be! I was booty shaking, hand punching, salsa spinning…in other words, I felt like I was a backup dancer in a music video. Yessss…
Karem was the best. His moves were so much fun but still so do-able. He shook it with the best of ’em but then would yell like a it was a regular fitness class. “Noo! More!” or “Not enough–SHAKE IT!”. And you listen when a guy like Karem tells you to adjust your dance moves, you just do.
Jordie, as Leslie now calls her, and I were beyond pumped up after the class and spent the better part of our work day talking about Dance, Exclamation Point. Anything that can get me sweating that much and having more fun than I have EVER had getting sweaty is something I have GOT to be doing once a week. Or once a day. 8-9am on Thursday is a standing date for me now. Exclamation point.