A day of dance

If you’ve ever flipped through this year’s UTSU handbook, you might have noticed a particular event already jotted down in the agenda for you. I’m talking about the yoga-nia-zumba-thon Food & Clothing Bank fundraiser that usually happens twice a year. Since I missed out in my first year, I was determined to make it out to the fundraiser held a few weeks ago. This time, there was a new name and theme:

We started off the super chill day with a lesson in belly dancing. This was something COMPLETELY new to me – but it was really fun to shake, shimmy and twist it up from my hips to my shoulders. Our instructor Joanne – who actually teaches classes at Hart House – made it look so natural and easy. I, on the other hand, found that I really had to focus on the way I wanted to move my body. By the end of the hour though, I was keeping up with the beat and feeling pretty good! Next up was one of my all-time favourites when it comes to dance: ZUMBA! We spent almost an hour and a half jamming out to some great tunes. With Zumba, the right instructor can make a world of a difference, and Kristina’s super high-energy was infectious! Seriously, it’s impossible to be anything but glowing when dancing at Zumba, whether you are good at it or not. It generates this positive energy that just melts away the stress. Luckily, Kristina teaches the drop-in classes on Tuesday and Wednesday at Hart House, so you can still get your Zumba on in the next few weeks!

We had a short break after Zumba before the next dance session, so I hurried over to snag a spot in line for a FREE Shiatsu massage!! I have been meaning to try out the free Massage Mondays at Hart House during the year, but the timing has never worked out very well with my schedule. But now I can tell you that I definitely think it is worth treating yourself to a massage once in a while! I mean after all, it’s FREE! Along with free massages, there was a small health fair going on with free samples of different energy bars, information from UTSU about the Good Food Box, and a button-making station compliments of the MoveU crew. Top all that off with lots of free yogurt, fruit and granola bars, along with fresh salad, soup and bread! A delicious way to refuel before our next activity… Socazize. Haven’t heard of Socazize? It was new to me too. It kind of reminds me of Zumba, but it’s based on Caribbean-inspired dance moves instead of Latin. That means a lot more focus on shakin’ those hips! We also mixed in a lot of squatting, kicking and upper body moves to work the core while pumping up our heart rate. Check out a video like this to get an idea of what it’s all about. I’d say it was challenging, but hey, that’s what makes it fun!! And finally, although I couldn’t stay for it, the day ended with yoga. But judging from last year’s photos, it looks like it would have been the perfect way to wind down after a full day.

I’m glad I finally got a chance to check out this event, as it was a lot of fun and left me feeling strong and refreshed. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more events like this in the future… in fact I hear exam jam is coming up soon! -Lesia