I Want a Dancer's Body!

I absolutely LOVE dancing. It's ironic, because growing up, it was strictly forbidden in my family (<-- preacher's kid). And we were too broke for me to take gymnastics. But that was what I always wanted to do. Well, I finally started taking swing dance in college, clogging followed after that, and then a few years back I started pole dancing. Yup, I'm a rebel! So while I have a little bit of training here and there, I want to get back into shape, and I'm going to do by eating right and DANCING. I've begun looking around, and I have found a few locations with lessons that look like they'll fit in my budget. And while I don't want the stereotypical ballerina body, I do want to slim down. I want the body that I will get from dancing. What that means to me is a little less fat, a little more muscle, but keeping a few of my curves. My initial goal is 25% body fat. I think I was there a few years back, and that looked right for me. And just to remind myself, all I'm going to do is eat right and dance. That's my version of cross-training...a little break dance here, a little hula there, sprinkled with some pole dance and maybe even some aikido or gymnastics to top it off. Just the things I want to do! Getting fit was never so fun!

This is an awesome plan, build the body you want by doing what you love. Functional fitness all the way! Welcome to Nerd Fitness!

Hi there fellow newbie!

I'm in the same boat as you- looking to slim down and also keep some particular curves I happen to be fond of while dancing my ass off. Have you tried a burlesque class or belly dancing? They're great workouts and also kind of celebrate all body types, so the comfort level of taking classes for me was very high and I lost a few pounds doing them.

Also there are a bunch of bitchin' dance DVDs out there, like ballet and Dancing with the Stars has a great latin ballroom video!

Thanks for the encouragement guys! I haven't actually taken any burlesque-specific classes, though the pole studio I went to did offer floor/chair exotic lessons. I do like the satirical aspect of burlesque, and I began developing my own character in my head: "Lady Caprice" is a prankster, similar to Harley Quinn, dancing to goofy, unexpected songs like "I Am Not a Whore" by LMFAO. 

I do have a few DVDs - the first one from the Pussycat Dolls, the full set from Alethea Austin, as well as a few others. I'm looking to build my collection even more in the future. Maybe one of these days we can do a dance workout together over Skype!

I love the idea of Lady Caprice! I definitely embrace the goofy aspect; my favorite number I do is to Flight of the Concords' "The Humans are Dead" and I dance out of a giant cardboard robot box. 

And yes to Skype dance workout, that would be hilariously fun! 

Oh that's so super-nerdy. How long did you say your low-mobility? 6-8 weeks?

Well, I'm a guy and I too want a dancer's body ... but that's a whole 'nother story

but my daughters (& son) all dance .. a LOT. you'd be amazed at how much crap you can burn off doing that stuff,  Some of my lady friends swear up and down that pole fit worked for them.. or zumba... while it's pretty nerdy, some of the dancing/video recognition games might float your boat?

Hi, hello -

I totally love to dance too. But with the type of training, work, cooking - I hardly have any time. I did just finish another dance class though.

Have you tried belly dancing? I'm going to be taking it towards the middle of this month to try and tone up my core (needs a lot of help right now).

Welcome and take care.

@Maledictus: If I had a game system, I'd be all over dancing games. I've played them with friends and love them! Maybe I'll use something like that as a reward for completing a challenge or something...

@FyreFlies: The studio I'm hoping to join (still waiting for that next paycheck) does have belly dance, which I'm so excited about! If you want to dance together on Skype sometime, let me know!