Freestyle Step Dance: A New Craze, or Just Plain Crazy?

Freestyle Step Dance:

A New Craze, Or Just Plain Crazy?

Freestyle Dance is a style of dance where the footwork is the most important aspect. As Freestyle Step Aerobics also puts a lot of emphasis on what to do with your feet, it's no real surprise that the two have married. Freestyle Step Dance might sound like a blast, but is it a match made in heaven or more of a short-lived affair?.

Freestyle Step Aerobics is a group workout where the instructor choreographs an aerobic routine, whilst using a small step the whole time - hence the name! Being freestyle, each instructor flaunts his or her own style, throws his or her own shapes and is inspired to create a unique routine, rather than using a set series of moves.

Surprise! surprise! - Freestyle Step Dance is effectively the same thing as Freestyle Step Aerobics, but with added dance elements! The instructor teaches moves on, over and around the step, using inspiration from different styles of dance. Think turns, stomps, jive and street all mixed into one. Pulsing beats and groovy moves are what Freestyle Step Dance is all about.

Picture by www.localfitness.com.au

Although this is great, you might end up being a little limited. Your instructor has his or her own style and favourite moves, so you could get stuck in a rut. Freestyle Step Dance is meant to be about expressing yourself and being free from routine! You do not need to be limited with a class or instructor that has a style that either limits you or the style is hard for you to get, what then? Avoid falling into the trap to ‘copy-cat’ the instructor by modifying the move to give it your own flair and style, while keeping the basic instructed step movement and general direction given by the instructor. It is after all ‘Freestyle Step’. If all else fails, it's never too late to shop around and find another instructor you feel more comfortable with.

Anybody who's already tried a Freestyle Step Aerobics class knows how much energy gets used up. Who would have thought that Freestyle Step Dance would consume even more? It's not just the stepping on to and off the step which makes the aerobics version so exhausting; it's the arm movements, co-ordination and mental stimulation, too. Consider, then, adding a bit of a boogie in there as well. Step with a swing in your hips, and you'll start to see how Freestyle Step Dance is such a glutton for energy.

How does this translate into calories? The 'c' word can be a confusing subject, but if you're looking into trying Freestyle Step Dance, then you're probably clued up enough to know how many calories you eat, and to compare an adequate workout from an excellent one. Well, you'll be pleased to know that an hour of Freestyle Step Dance can burn well over 400 calories (for a person weighing 70 kg). That's around 50 calories per hour more than you'd burn from ordinary dancing, and significantly more than Freestyle Step Aerobics. Burning hundreds of calories and having a ball at the same time - what more could you ask for?.

We've already touched upon the fact that Freestyle Step Aerobics is a great workout for the lower limbs. However, it doesn't stop there! If the instructor incorporates twists then it works those abdominal muscles, and with a few stretches and reaches, the arms are exercised, too. Freestyle Step Dance, on the other hand, takes it one step further. This dance version still works out the same muscle groups - it just does a better job! You'll end up exercising and toning your calves, thighs, bum, arms and core muscles really effectively. Both types of exercise are great workouts for the mind, as well! With all that concentration and co-ordination, your brain will be working overtime. Freestyle Step Aerobics and Freestyle Step Dance are great for stimulating both your mind and your body - but all that co-ordination proves prohibitive and problematic for some members.

Although both versions will get your muscles working, right from your head to your toes (literally), Freestyle Step Dance is far more intense. This is no walk in the park - it's a tough cardiac workout, which will increase both your lung capacity and your heart fitness whilst trying to embrace the dance moves and instructions being thrown at you. In fact, your overall fitness will improve, and you'll find yourself agile and performing better both inside the gym and out. Its high energy, packed with high impact moves - something which hasn't been seen before in this type of exercise. Freestyle Step Dance takes getting fit to the next level, pushing the boundaries of modern day fitness.

Of course, working every inch of your body so hard does come with its downfalls. Professional dancers and athletes get injuries all the time, and Freestyle Step Dance causes you to pull some of the same moves as they do. As you're probably starting to realise, this means that you're prone to far more injuries than in the standard style of Freestyle Step. We're talking ankle, knee and hip injuries, or even muscle, ligament and tendon damage in the foot, calf, thigh, groin or shoulder. When you work out with such intensity, you run the risk of injuring yourself like a pro would. Sounds painful? Trust me, it is.

That said, adding the dance element doesn't detract from the fun! Being fast paced and set to pulsing music, Freestyle Step Dance is often seen as being more fun than Freestyle Step Aerobics - as if that was even possible! Freestyle Step Dance is more challenging than anything that's gone before, so it's perfect for anyone who enjoys pushing themselves to the limit.

Picture by www.aalo.nl - Freestyle Step Dance session by Larz Schuijling

When comparing the two, Freestyle Step Dance does come off as being the bigger, better, flashier version of Freestyle Step Aerobics. It's like the original's cooler younger brother. However, can you ever have too much of a good thing? Were the designers of this just trying to fit too much into one class

We all know that dance is fun. We all know that getting fit is brilliant. We all know that Freestyle Step Aerobics is legendary. But do they really all need to be put together? Each individual element has worked wonders for years and years, so Freestyle Step Dance could be seen as trying to put together too many things which don't need to combine. It's an incredibly intense workout which isn't for the faint hearted (or for those who aren't used to that sort of thing), but if it puts that much stress on our bodies, are we taking it one step too far? Many people never even try to put themselves up to the challenge.

However, ultimately, that's exactly what Freestyle Step Dance is: a challenge. Those people who complain that it's too hard work or too intense are entitled to make that judgement. They know what's best for their bodies...they just don't know what they're missing! Freestyle Step Dance is a big leap up from Freestyle Step Aerobics, but it works really well. It's lively, dynamic and makes you feel great; this is an inspired modern take on a classic fitness technique! It does have its negatives, especially if you have to face injury or an unimaginative instructor, but you run those risks with most types of exercise. Freestyle Step Dance has become extremely popular over in Europe, much more so than in Australia. Let's hope that over here it'll wind up seeing the same boom! We can't be certain whether it'll be a craze to stick around or whether it'll be a one hit wonder, but it deserves to last. The more people try it, the more likely it is to become a firm favourite in gyms around the world.

#freestyle, #FreestyleStep, #step, 

Bruno
July 2014