Waiting outside the aerobics room of Newark’s 24-Hour Fitness, I’d arrived early for a relatively new class being offered; something called ‘Afro Belly Boogie.’ I had been greeted earlier by the Newark club manager, Eric Ho, who expressed great pride and enthusiasm for the newest member of the 24-Hour Group X team.
Four months ago, Afro-Belly Boogie was introduced to the members of 24-Hour Fitness by its creator, Angel Thacker. As a former Marine and model, Angel is no stranger to physical fitness. She understands the discipline and hard work it takes to achieve and maintain it. She also gets that most exercise is easier to do when you’re having fun.
There were a few early birds ahead of me waiting for the current class to finish. I looked around the club (hadn’t been in one in a while) and noticed the line rapidly growing behind me, ages ranging from the young to the not-quite-so-young. Since its introduction in December 2008, the class’ popularity has grown from a handful of students in one club to a packed house several times a week in a number of 24-Hour Fitness locations.
As the doors opened, the previous class emptied out and the Afro-Belly Boogie-ers made their way in, beelining to get a spot on the floor. The excitement in the room became palpable as more people arrived. I found out later that several members liked the class so much that they followed Angel around from one 24-Hour club to another.
The Class.
Combining the regal, almost restrictive choreography of Egyptian-style bellydance with the freewheeling expressive moves of South Africa have resulted in a 59½-minute jam session; an intense, low-impact cardiovascular workout that many don’t realize they’re getting until it’s over.
It starts with the requisite stretching and warm-up to a slow, steady, almost-jazzy piece then moves into a catchy Latin rhythm that gets your blood pumping. By the end of the song, you realize you just finished your warm-up and the music (and moves) change up. Head-bobbing club music comes on (Black-eyed Peas, Pussycat Dolls, Christina Aguilera), the vibe in the room starts moving to the beat and the steps get a little more complicated.
A sexy piece by Nelly switches it up a notch with corkscrew moves that work the core at a steady pace. Old-school hip-hop classics such as C&C Music Factory keep the momentum on track, building stamina and strength with every step. A pulsing African drum solo winds its way through the room and eventually segues into a simple cane choreography to music by Hassan, a bellydancer favorite.
Before you realize it, a shift in music signals the start of the cool down as a hip-moving song by Shakira gets the crowd grooving in preparation for the final stretch.
In less than an hour, Angel has taken her class from a stretch and warm-up, through an intense cardio/core-strengthening aerobic session. She cools them down gradually, easing their collective heart rate and getting a room full of tired, sweaty grins for her efforts.
The Instructor.
When the economy took a nosedive, it affected everyone’s jobs in one way or another. The loss of her once-thriving occupation in Finance Management caused Angel to re-assess her options. While looking for another job, she still needed to make some money. She also wanted to get back into shape, start some sort of workout plan. Over the years, Angel had gained some weight, a lot compared to what she used to be. Her former size-4 body had blossomed more than she’d liked and she was determined to get it back.
She decided to blend her love of bellydance with her passion for African dance but needed to choose a style. Inspiration came from one of her favorite movies, ‘Shaka Zulu.’ Observing not only the joy and grace but the power and strength of the Zulu dancers triggered her creative juices and ‘Afro-Belly Boogie’ was born.
Angel’s current class schedule includes, on average, 12 classes per week at 24-Hour Fitness clubs in Castro Valley, Fremont, Hayward, Newark, Paseo Padre (Fremont), San Carlos, San Leandro and San Mateo. She also teaches at 24-Hour Super Sport clubs in San Jose, Millbrae and San Mateo. In order to keep herself and everyone else up to date, Angel makes regular updates to her website.
The City of Hayward (Hayward Area Recreation) also offers one of Angel’s dance classes; information is available through her website.
From Angel: "I enjoy teaching at 24 Hour Fitness because they seem to be inline with my personal philosophy, which is that exercise is the solution and fitness is the goal. The road to health fitness is through enjoying the process and I hope that I can deliver some joy in the exercise process for people I work with when I facilitate an exercise class."
Members of the Class.
Susan Moore and Tiffany Kanegawa (mother and daughter) both have dance backgrounds and started taking Afro-Belly Boogie in December of 2008. Following Angel’s classes wherever they were offered, it took Susan and Tiffany around three weeks ‘to get used to the moves.’ Since taking the class, Tiffany has lost 7 lbs. and Susan has lost 12 lbs.
Ann Young, a youthful retiree who simply wanted to get toned, has been taking Afro-Belly Boogie for six months. Although she doesn’t think any of the moves are ‘easy to do,’ Ann is seeing results and really enjoys the class so much, it doesn’t seem to matter.
Tam Van started taking the class at 24-Hour’s SuperSport club in San Jose. She tries to make it to as many classes as she can and says it is firming up her gluts and building her abs.
Maria Gonzalves, who works in accounting, started coming to the class at the beginning of the year. At first she thought the moves were a bit difficult but she was having so much fun that she kept coming back. Maria soon realized that in the short time she had been taking the class, she had already lost some inches and was much more energetic.
Angel herself is probably the best testament to the effectiveness of this class. Since she started teaching late last year, she has lost a total of 55 pounds, is developing a nice little six-pack and her energy and stamina has increased tremendously.
Afro-Belly Boogie seems to have given Angel and her students something to dance about!
For more information, go to:
24-Hour Fitness
Afro Belly Boogie
Shaka Zulu
Zulu dancers
South Africa
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