AWAY from the roar of rush hour traffic and neatly tucked in a suburban neighbourhood is a dance fitness class led by a short, yet strongly-built Indian woman.

This is Kamal Roop, owner and sole instructor at K’s Bolly Fit which offers both Bollywood and Zumba workout sessions. Her classes are tempting as I have always been interested in dancing to fast-paced Hindi songs.

So, to add a little excitement to my usually-mundane workout sessions, I decide to trade in the “my-turn-to-use-the-treadmill” scene for some Sheila Ki Jawani and Aaja Nachle rhythm, two famous Hindi songs from Bollywood movies.

For the last three months, the one-hour class has made me sweat, felt refreshed and improved my dancing skills.

With over 20 years’ experience under her belt, Kamal offers these classes to both women and children.

“At the moment, my classes are open to women but there are plans to include men as well,” she says.

She says classes were initially held at the basement level of the condominium in which she stayed.

“The numbers were encouraging, so I decided to open K’s Bolly Fit,” she says.

Her passion for dance has kept her glued to the idea of keeping herself and others motivated, happy and fit all at the same time.

THE CHOREOGRAPHER

Trained in classical, Bollywood and bhangra dances, Kamal also choreographs for competitions and large events. She is also a fitness instructor in a few commercial gyms.

She encourages those without any dance experience to join her class as the practice will eventually improve their skills.

The dances are a fusion of traditional and classical Indian dances with the influence of jazz, hip-hop, merengue, salsa and modern dance. She says: “The objective is to move your body and get a workout... whichever way, as long as you move.”

She not only makes exercising and losing weight fun but also helps improve your dancing skills even if you have two left feet.

LET’S DANCE

With the theme Dance Equals Fitness The Bollywood Way, her students start dancing to a five minute warm-up song from an international artiste (usually an English language song) before moving on to fast-paced songs from Hindi movies.

“Bollywood dance can be difficult to pick up at first and is definitely not for the faint-hearted. However, its fast-paced energy is well worth the initial effort and hard work,” says the 35-year-old who teaches between 10 and 15 students per class.

The warm-up session increases muscle efficiency, reduces potential for muscle pulls and improves reaction time as well as the speed of muscle and ligament movements. A proper warm-up session also helps reduce the severity of post-dance muscle soreness.

 Students are taught five new steps or more during each session, depending on their ability to catch up, until a song routine is completed. This is repeated with another song. At the end of a session, students cool down by performing yoga poses.

For those who are shy and afraid of making a fool of themselves, don’t worry. Once you hear the beat, you’ll be swaying your hips!

I too felt awkward during the first lesson, struggling to keep up with Kamal. Was I nervous? Yes. Fearful? A little. But now, I can do the basic routine and dance to a fast-paced, four-minute Hindi song.

In the groove

HERE’S how certain dance moves can help improve muscle strength and flexibility.
•     Turning your head to the left
    and right will prevent neck pain
    and stress.
•     Swaying your hips will
    strengthen lower back and
    get rid of “love handles”.
•     Arm movements equip you
    with upper-body strength and
    coordination.
•     Moving both your wrists and
    knees in circular motions keeps
    your joints lubricated.
•     Turning your body a full circle
    on one leg helps you balance
    better.