Photos in this post by Julie de Waroquier.

Hello my little party monsters! Lately I have been super focused on getting in shape and getting healthy. When life’s a party, it’s easy to live off of cupcakes and cocktails. I am happy that two years ago I discovered Work It Dance and Fitness.

I used to dance as a small creature and it was my passion. There wasn’t a moment when I wasn’t thinking about perfecting all of the dance moves from the latest Janet Jackson video or putting on mini concerts for my family. After a couple of hours of reminiscing and a quick google search, I found Work It Dance and Fitness and was shocked at how close the studio is to where I live. I instantly signed up for a Burlesque dance class and I have been addicted since.

Since i’ve been focusing on proper health and wellness for a party girl, I have been asking friends what are they doing to improve their health. The other day a friend said to me “Well, if you’re going to focus on getting in shape and healthy you will have to do something more physical”. I sort of laughed it off but I mean, it’s so nuts how people think dance couldn’t possibly be a great workout. Not only is it amazing for you, but it’s fun! It beats getting on the elliptical for an hour, staring at gray gym walls, and listening to music on your smart phone.

Dancing is one kick ass way to improve more than just your fitness and it’s something you can do even if you can’t make it to a dance class. Fold your laundry and shake it to your favorite jam if you have to. Dance gives you an amazing combination of physical exercise, creativity, mental concentration, and if you do it with others you are improving your social interaction. When you improve on these areas of your life there is less stressing, less nerd rage, you have an increase in your energy and your strength and muscle tone are on point. Sound pretty good right?

Dance is a great activity to add to your daily life for health, wellness and to make everyday a party. Here are some of my reasons as to how dance can improve your quality of life:

❤ Dance makes you feel like a rockstar. Dancing is one of the best ways to build your confidence. When you dance it unleashes a huge pocket of confidence you didn’t even know you had. You can learn a lot about yourself from your movements and having other people watch you move. The more you learn about yourself, the more you’re well on your way to moving like Jagger.

❤ You grinnin’ fool, you! Most of the time, if you see someone dancing you will see that they have a giant sized smile on their face. Dance is meant to make you happy and in turn makes others happy to watch you. It’s the circle of  a dancin’ fool’s life. When you feed your body the movement in which it craves it reacts by giving you happy feelings. When you’re happy you have a ton of energy and in turn can do more with your time, like become a ninja. Who doesn’t want to feel happier or be a fucking ninja?!

❤ The brain can be a scary place. As people, we sometimes get caught up in our own thoughts and don’t just do things because we want to. Don’t get me wrong, thinking and being within your thoughts can be awesome sometimes but you don’t want this to be the constant state of your mind. Do something frivolous on the dance floor and free your mind.

❤ Communication is key. Have you ever been at a party and just stood there wondering how to open up a line of communication with others? Are you the one praying they someone suggests taking out a board game or starts a conversation with you? Why not just bust a move? Communicate by dancing, it does not require you to say one word. It’s a great way to become the life of the party and it might help also bring others out of their shells.

❤ Sexy, sexy, sexy! There was a study on how dancing can make you sexy so it has to be true, right?!

❤ It’s just a little hobby. Learning any dance form or just loving to dance in general is probably one of the coolest hobbies you can add to your list of hobbies. All of your non-dancing friends will assume you are the coolest person ever just because you’re a dance machine.

❤ Geek the fuck out! It always comes back to being a geek. If you decide to pick a dance form to try out, you will get more comfortable within that style, and you will geek out about your new passion. Most geeky types always are looking for something new and exciting to geek out about. Why not add dance to the list? It will add some spice to your geek resume of Star Wars and Domo-Kun. I bet most people would never think you are a geeky lord of dance. It’s a nice little surprise to spice up your geek-dom!

When you’re a child dancer and you grow up and out of dance, you always think there is no way you can possibly get back into your practice. I, like many adults was completely wrong. Since finding Work It Dance and Fitness, I personally can say that it has improved my quality of life. From the warm friendly faces, motivational pep talks, and doing something amazing for my body I can say it’s one of my favorite parts of my life. Work It Dance and Fitness has always been a physical challenge but the teachers always manage to kept it fun, fresh, exciting, and new. My love for all that is dance has come back into my life full swing and I couldn’t be happier that it did. I have built quite a wonderful new bunch of friends that I now consider family.

If you are in an area that has a dance studio, I would recommend signing up for a class or two. You will be surprised how quickly dance will become addictive. If you are looking to improve several parts of your life and have fun, dance is probably the best way to go about it.

So it’s time to shake your money maker! Put on your dancing shoes and shimmy your way to a healthier and happier you! Do you think you are going to venture out into the world of dance and take a class or two? Maybe you will be the first one at the next party you’re at to hit the dance floor? Or do you want to start small and be a private dancer for a party of one in your bedroom? I always say go hard or go home!

Stay sexy Gotham!