Fitness

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When I walked into the beginner swing dance class at Toronto's Street Dance Academy, I was anticipating a hour of fun and a creative way to work up a sweat.

Owner of the studio, Eva Nikitova, offers a variety of dance classes from breakdance and hip-hop to Brazilian to swing dancing. I decided to try a beginner Lindy hop swing class, the oldest form of street dancing.

It seems logical that dance would be the ideal way to get a full-body workout while having fun. Nikitova said our bodies are designed to dance and the action can be something for the mind, body and soul. But being good at it is another thing.

Swing dancing is a series of many quick steps, danced together with your partner, and alone when you are better at it. But for us beginners, the teacher slowed it down and repeated the steps over and over until we learned the moves.

Sweating up a storm, I forgot how much focus and concentration it took to learn and execute dance steps, while learning a routine with a partner. It was challenging because it meant working as a team and, at the same time, working on my own steps.

There were people of all ages and skill levels in the class, which made the intimidation factor non-existent. The teacher was patient and the revolving partner policy meant that everyone had a chance to dance together - even the teacher and his assistant - regardless of how good or bad you were.

The hour flies by. Just when you learn how to swing out (a move where your partner actually swings you outwards, arm stretched out behind you) properly, it's over.

The class finished off with the teacher and his assistant doing a demonstration of how the moves we just learned could be used in variation and sped up; they showed us what we could strive toward in our swinging future.

Swing dance offers you a cardio workout as well as a stress relief outlet because you can't possibly focus on learning the dance steps and your stress at the same time.

Overall the class was fun, challenging and great way to socialize. I have gained a new respect for swing dancers because while it's so much fun, it's not as easy as it looks.

The academy also has a drop-in options where you can pay per class and come at your convenience. Or you can buy different packages. Visit streetdanceacademy.com for details.