West African dance instructor Wilfried Souly (pictured in photo) taught a jam-packed free introductory class tonight at Your Neighborhood Studio in Los Angeles. Class attendees numbered well over 25 students in one of the dance fitness facility's two studios.
With live percussion accompaniment, the room exuded energy, fun and exhilaration. Souly, a patient and encouraging instructor, broke down the choreography in such a way that even those who appeared to have very little African dance experience were able to have a good time and get a great total body workout.
Souly taught steps from a high energy rhythm called Djansa, a joyous dance from West Africa. He began the class telling the students about the meaning of the dance. He also noted the significance of listening to the drums for cues while dancing.
Not every African dance instructor makes a note to educate the class about rhythm name, significance and the crucial relationship between drums and dance, which made Souly's attention to this detail refreshing.
Souly will teach weekly classes at the studio beginning in May of this year. Please visit www.yourneighborhoodstudio.com for more details and an updated schedule.
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Paule-Valerie, your LA Fitness Examiner and author of this article, is an AFAA-certified group fitness instructor and Cuban salsa dancer (see Afri-K-Sineras Dance Ensemble) who created a dance fitness class format combining African and Latin dance with cardio kickboxing and toning. You can also catch her in fitness guru Richard Simmons' latest workout video,Tonin' to the Oldies 5. Send your comments and questions to info@paulevalerie.com.
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