Fun, friendly line dancing works both body and mind

A shuffle to the left, a grapevine to the right, a kick, step and turn. The intricate footwork during a line-dancing class definitely demanded my attention.

The class with Salome Sato was not the country-style hoedown I expected. Surprisingly, the dances were not all set to country music and pop; oldies and even hip-hop were added to the mix.

"We love dancing so much that we dance to any type of music," Sato said.

Line dancing incorporates a repeated sequence of dance steps, and should be familiar to anyone who’s done the Electric Slide or Maca­rena. Participants line up in rows without partners, so you don’t have to worry about going solo to class.

About a dozen people lined up at a recent class in the university area. We started out with a warm-up that isolated various muscles, including the neck and shoulders, which helped release some leftover stress of the day. The moves are intended to loosen up the body for dance moves, such as the rumba and mambo, that require an exaggerated hip movement.

Once we started on the dance sequences, the group was friendly and made it easy to follow along. I was wedged in the middle, so I was always behind someone who was familiar with the moves.

Counting the steps may come easy to some folks, but for me that was the hardest part. If your foot is supposed to land in a specific spot on each 8-count, one would think it was relatively simple. But oftentimes I was a step ahead or a step behind the rest of the group.

The class ends with graceful arm movements and stretches.

"The objective is to teach line dancing using the whole body with graceful arm movements," Sato said.

Both the warm-up and cool-down were reminiscent of the instructor’s jazz and ballet background.

Kit Fujii has been taking classes for about four years. Initially she went to get some exercise, but now stays because it’s enjoyable. "It’s not just good for the body, but also the mind," she said. "You need to remember all of the steps."

Sato also offers a line-dancing class for seniors Friday mornings at New Hope, Kahala Mall. "We have about 40 people in that class. It’s really popular," she said.

She commended me for being able to keep up even though she wasn’t breaking down the steps. So my efforts weren’t so bad for a beginner, I suppose.

All in all it was a fun, alternative form of exercise.

Estimated calories burned: 306 per hour for a 150-pound person (equivalent to an Egg McMuffin).

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“Tryouts” features exercise and wellness classes and other fitness activities. Reach Nancy Arcayna at narcayna@staradvertiser.com or call 529-4808.