Zumba. Never heard of it? Come on. It was created in the 1990s by Colombian choreographer Alberto Perez as a fitness dance.
The form combines types of Latin dances—mambo, chacha, meringue, reggaeton, samba, etc—to help burn calories and get fit. Zumba also helps in toning your muscles. The intensity could vary, but the form leans towards a high intensity workout.
One definite advantage, says Senthil Kumaran, Zumba instructor at Chennai’s Evolve Fitness Studio, is the big amount of fun you can derive from the dance. “There’s no right or wrong way or do it. It’s just about having fun. Most of the time, you won’t even have the time to think that you’re working out.... They just chase the rhythm,” he says. “In fact, it doesn’t matter whether you have two left feet...” Kumaran promises a fun workout for anyone.
Odissi
The classical dance from Orissa is a far cry from loud Zumba music and the hip-shaking associated with Latino dance forms. Odissi has its roots in a tradition where young female dancers performed as part of worship at temples. Like all classical Indian dances, it guarantees not only a proper workout but also increases flexibility.
Odissi is the only Indian dance to extensively use torso movements. In fact, of its two basic movements, one called the ‘tribhanga’ (it literally means three angles) specifically focuses on isolated torso movements, with the body’s weight mostly on one foot.
The other basic pose is the ‘chauka’, which literally translates to square or box. While the tribhanga movement is very fluid and feminine, this is more masculine. The body assumes the shape of a box—with bent knees, feet apart facing outwards and arms raised.
These two poses are extremely characteristic of Odissi and its combination of both strength and flexibility, according to Sanhita Basu Ghose of Konark Odissi Dance and Arts Academy, Chennai. While many students have come to her Odissi classes in the hope of losing weight fast, the impatient ones have left disappointed. Regular practice of basic chaukas and tribhangas are the first step to learning the dance form, she adds.