Hello lovely friends!  How is life treating you this week?  I have to say I’m pretty exhausted!  I’ve been having some trouble sleeping and I am thinking of getting some blackout curtains.  While I love the sun, I don’t need it loving me quite so early in the morning.  Does anyone have any good recommendations for where I can get good but inexpensive blackout curtains?

In other news, I have a fun post roundup for you today!  It seems like lately dance-based fitness classes are all the rage with more and more studios popping up everywhere around the Big Apple.  These classes make the time absolutely fly by and you are so busy figuring out the moves and having fun, you don’t even realize you are working up a sweat.  Dancers and non-dancers alike are flocking to these classes to help them sizzle off those extra calories.  Here’s a list of the Best Dance Workouts in NYC. 

1.      AKT in Motion– AKT, created by Anna Kaiser, is THE hot class with clients including Shakira, Kelly Ripa and Sarah Jessica Parker.  In case you haven’t noticed, those ladies have amazing physiques.  It’s actually not hard to see why when you try this class.  The high energy cardio is incredibly aerobic and even reminds me of the traditional hi/lo classes but with a modern twist.

The class includes toning intervals, which are a welcome break from the intense cardio!  That is until whatever body part you are working on starts to burn!  Then you will be begging for more cardio.  It is impossible to walk out of AKT without sweating buckets!  It’s a seriously amazing cardio experience!  Plus, I love it because it is located on the Upper East Side (near my apartment).

2.    DMF  – Dance Motivation Fitness or DMF was founded by Lindi Duesenberg and is focused not just on the physical aspect of dance but also on the mental motivation.  Lindi wants you to break out of your comfort zone, enjoy the music and have a ton of fun.  She is upbeat and incredibly charismatic, making this class uplifting and powerful.  The choreography pairs perfectly with the music and while the choreography is repeated throughout a song, it changes with each song, although you will see certain moves repeated throughout the class like Lindi’s signature “booty pop.”

DMF is designed for dancers and non-dancers alike so no worries if you don’t have any dance experience.  A word to the wise though, there is a lot of choreography so it is important to be patient and wait for it to be repeated in order not to get frustrated if you are new.  

Classes are held in DANY studios on 38^th and 8^th or on the Upper West Side.  Although lacking its own designated space, Lindi and her other instructor, Anna, will make you feel so at home.  They get to know the students personally and you feel like you’ve been welcomed to a fun club.

3.      305 Fitness– 305 is a dance workout on steroids!  There is no way you are going to walk out of this class without dripping in sweat.  If you like the intense cardio endorphin rush of a spin class, you’ll love this class.  Live DJs spin the tunes and the dance moves are easy to follow and include some more athletic moves as well as some toning moves for a total body workout.

 Classes are held at Complete Body and PMT on West 19th and West 14th Streets respectively.  The creator, Sadie, is incredibly motivating and you’ll feel like you’re at a dance party more so than a fitness class.  

4.      Body Conceptions– Creator, Mahri, fuses dance, aerobics and strength training for a full-body  workout coupled with amazing music.  You’ll love her perky style and her focus on building long, lean mucles.  Housed in Stepping Out Studios on 26th and 6th, classes are high energy and tons of fun!

5.      Z Club NY–  The only designated Zumba-only fitness studio in NYC, Z Club hosts the best Zumba classes around.  They have amazing instructors and are on the cutting edge of what’s new in Zumba (think of the Master Classes with Zumba All Star trainers like Nick and Loretta).  With multiple locations throughout Manhattan, Z Club is convenient no matter where you live.

The thing with Zumba is that your class experience can vary a lot based on the instructor.  Some classes can be really hard, some can be really easy, some can be good and some can be bad.  The classes at Z Club are consistent.  They are always good but there are definitely different levels.  Some instructors teach a highly choreographed class, which I view as more advanced while other instructors stick with very basic choreography.  I think this is really important for dance classes where you can get a range of abilities.

6.      Body By Simone–  If you want dance, this is a serious dance class.  There is a ton of choreography including changing directions and turning.  The great part about it though is that you repeat the combinations over and over so there is no way you won’t get it by the end.  The dance portion is actually 45 minutes and the last 15 minutes of class are dedicated to abs and stretching.  Every single trainer at BBS is incredibly cut and gorgeous.  It kind of makes you feel like you might look like that even just by hanging around the place.

Speaking of place, the studio is located in Chelsea, all the way west.  It’s not very convenient for an Upper East Sider like me, but the studio is big and beautiful and the classes are so great, it will force you to come back.  The music is awesome and the moves are a lot of fun (but tiring!).  

Need some toning to go with your cardio to achieve that dancer’s body?  Check out my list of the Best Barre Classes in NYC, the perfect compliment to these dance classes! 

Readers, did your parents make you take dance lessons when you were a kid?  If someone asked you for the best class in your town, what would you recommend?