My Dancehall Jam Workout Experience

Did you know that Dancehall Jam is a unique dance style that you’ll only get from Hip Shake Fitness? If you are like me, I had no idea what Dancehall Jam is about. Dancehall is a genre of popular Jamaican music that was less political than Reggae. And Zen, our lovely instructor, incorporates her core targeting and booty shaking moves to make it a party.

What did I expect from a Dancehall Jam workout

Luckily, I had a glimpse of what Dancehall Jam was about during our Kababayan shoot a few months ago. Even then, I still didn’t know what to expect since I was going to dance for the level 2 and 3 workout series. What I did know is that there will be nonstop movements and that the dance style involves A LOT of cardio. Even though cardio and I do not get along, I am very excited to get to experience Dancehall Jam for myself. It just looked like a lot of fun the last time we shot it.

Zen: Our Dancehall Jam Instructor

I had met Zen before and interviewed her about her life in dance. She is super sweet and soft spoken, but when she gets on the dancefloor she shines and will leave you speechless. She made sure that her dancers were not left behind so she went over the basic moves with us. It’s always nice to feel familiar with the base moves of a dance style, especially if you’ve never done it before. The other thing that I love about Zen is her infectious laugh. You can tell from her laugh that she just likes to have fun and it definitely shows when she dances.

You can tell from her laugh that she just likes to have fun and it definitely shows when she dances.

Dancehall Jam workout highlights

Like other dance workouts, Zen starts with a warm up for every level of Dancehall Jam. The only difference is that she uses a more choreographed warm up than just stretching. It got me rhythmically ready for the workout and it still made my body loose and warm. The interesting part about dancing a 30 minute workout back to back is that you feel just how much slower it was in the beginning of the dance. In level 2, we got a lot more instruction and we spent more time practicing the moves. In level 3, there’s less time to practice, but more time to jam! I appreciated both methods because there are a lot of moves that go together in Dancehall Jam and once you embed the basics in your head, the rest flows much easier.

Dance moves that stood out

The Bogle

This move involves two things: body roll and arm roll. In our more advanced workout, we also leaned back and stepped back. I really like this move because it involves the whole body. There’s also a little brain exercise that goes with it because you’re moving your body one way and your arms another. via GIPHY

The Thunda Clap

This one is just a really fun dance move to do. It includes clapping in the air with a sliding motion to the beat of the song. With your arms fully extended, you can really make this your own and jazz it up with your own swagger to it. via GIPHY

The Go Go Wine

If you like moving your hips, this one is for you. You move your hips in a circular motion and you put your hands above your head moving it in a circular motion as well. As the name suggests, you will have flashbacks of every go-go dancer you’ve seen in movies or in real life. And you will embody them and get carried away in your Go Go Wine. via GIPHY

5 Thunda Emoji’s for Dancehall Jam

Dancehall Jam will definitely get your heart pumping and will leave you dripping with sweat. I cannot wait until we launch this series because I know you will have as much fun as I did working out with Zen. In the meantime, we do have a short Dancehall Jam workout up on Youtube for you to start with. Let’s jam!