After watching an episode of MTV's "Made" wherein a young girl without rhythm learns how to hip-hop dance, I felt inspired. So at the recommendation of a friend, I signed up for a hip-hop dance class at the UW Experimental College. While I didn't walk out with better rhythm, I did come out of there with a stronger appreciation for hip-hop dancing, greater comfort levels with dancing in general, and slightly more flexibility. All that aside, though, the class is pure fun. It was a joy to go to even though I felt inundated with everything else going on in my life.
The major drawback is the classes don't necessarily have continuity. With only a few classes per session, there's not a lot of building on the previous class, and there really aren't any routines that are taught. What the course does provide is a nice sampling of hip-hop moves, an opportunity to move in a different way and a quick way to find out if this is for you.
One note of warning: There are a lot of younger women taking this course (young enough for their moms to be dropping them off). There's no pointed ostracizing, just something to be aware of. I felt uncomfortable at first, but that quickly melted away when I could see that everyone was still pretty new to it and it didn't matter if I missed a step here or there.
Check out the schedule and register online here: http://depts.washington.edu/asuwxpcl/
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