Unleash your inner diva at Seen on Screen Fitness in London

Rebecca Pearson gets all Sasha Fierce on the Southbank
Rebecca Pearson30 August 2016

I’m stressed, I’m knackered and I have deadlines looming, so I’ve come to a Seen on Screen dance class to sashay my troubles away. On arriving I’m rather intimidated to hear that Beyoncé week, as those are some pretty spectacular stilettos to try and fill. Can my two, DM-clad left feet keep up?

The Class

‘Diva’ class is all about channelling your inner pop-Goddess, learning a fairly simple routine at beginner level to a contemporary pop song. Today, it’s a Beyoncé mash-up.

What it involves

‘Diva’ is set in the absolutely stunning Rambert Building on the Southbank, with natural light streaming in onto the enormous dancefloor. I have been devotedly attending STRUTbeat since my glowing review a few weeks ago, so I’m less intimidated by dance classes now. If you’ve never been to one before and feel too scared to give it a go, then let me share with you what I’ve learned, from one Dad-dancer to another...

1) No one is looking at you. Everyone is just looking at the teacher or their own reflection.

2) There is usually a simple introduction that everyone picks up and a few key poses throughout, so try and nail those and you’re half way there.

3) Keep attending classes and you’ll be amazed at how quickly you’ll improve. If I can do it, anyone can...

20 Instagrams for fitness motivation

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Today, we start with a warm-up and a short, intense ab workout. We get right into the routine and the first section is pretty simple even by my standards – we power pose, strut around our imaginary stage, each time for a generous count of 8. It means that Bonnie, our instructor, can encourage us to put in our own Beyoncé flair and really relish sashaying to our audience (Wembley Arena today). Everyone in the class is clearly loving it and I can feel all those deadline fears evaporating as I get a bit more confident and dramatic with each go.

It does get more complex and fast paced after this: there’s a lot of coordination required as well as energy for all those slut drops, spins and stanky legs and I often find myself looking like a bit of a confused line dancer who’s walked into the wrong class. My twerk looks ridiculous - following Bonnie’s direction to alternate bending each knee just makes me look like a cold 7 year old who needs a wee. And as for my twerking on all fours, the less said about that the better. But of course I couldn’t care less because I am having such a blast the entire time and don’t want the class to end. We all gladly forgo water breaks to give the routine just one more try – something I’ve never seen happen in Legs, Bums and Tums.

The Verdict

Diva is a fantastic class for beginners who want to get into dance. You’ll definitely manage to pick up a few of the moves and find yourself aerobically jumping around throughout, burning up to 550 calories for the hour’s session. It’s great that the same routine is repeated over a couple of weeks, meaning everyone really gets to master the moves and throw themselves into it all without worrying about what bit comes next, working up even more of a sweat.

This dance class has that magic combo: we’re using our brains, we’re getting our hearts pumping and we’re unleashing our Sasha Fierces. It makes me leave uplifted, out of breath and glowing with a sense of achievement (not to mention perspiration) - how all exercise should be.

The Diva class is £15 for 1 hour. For other classes and workshops head to seenonscreenfitness.com

Rebecca Pearson is a model and freelance fitness writer. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccapearson and Instagram @1rebeccapearson

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