'Dance Your Ass Off' debut coincides with fitness report ‘F’

July 9, 10:38 AMLA Health and Beauty ExaminerSarah Torribio

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The cast of "Dance Your Ass Off"

When I heard there was a show premiering on the Oxygen network called "Dance Your Ass Off," my first thought was, "Can they say that on television?"

My second thought was, "Who in the world would agree to be on the show?"

Don’t get me wrong: Learning to dance is an exhilarating and challenging way to lose weight. Those who excel on the show will not only trim and tone their bodies. They’ll learn how to make a splash on the dance floor.

Though the dozen contestants—who range in age from 23-43, and in size from fairly overweight to dangerously so—may not emerge as professional dancers, it is an art form that carries its own satisfaction.

As the American poet, novelist and dance critic Edwin Denby once said, “There is a bit of insanity in dancing that does everybody a great deal of good.”

Likewise, turning up the fitness is an activity that does everybody a great deal of good. But on television?

In my estimation, “Dance Your Ass Off” participants have a remarkable amount of courage. These plus-sizers will share their fight with fat with the world while wearing body-baring costumes. (The costume crew seems fond of shimmering Lycra, fishnet and daring fabric cutouts.)

Contestants on the show, which airs Monday at 10 p.m., must submit to weekly weigh-ins (Imagine a Weight Watchers weigh-in, only it’s observed by a live studio audience and a few million other folks.) And each week, one person is sent home because they are lagging in the areas of locomotion and reduction.

Along with the scrutiny, participants must endure the inevitable chubby-centric puns: The first episode, for instance, is titled “Shake and Rattle Those Rolls.”

Fear factor
My aversion to an on-air fitness conversion may just be fear talking. I am a former dancer who wandered into the land of the plus-size many years ago and have had trouble finding my way out.

Maybe it’s good to “come out” as overweight, be it on national television or in a blog. After all, in 12-step programs aimed at combating addictive behaviors, the first step is to admit that you are powerless over your addiction and that, as a result, your life has become unmanageable. In other words, you need some help.

For the dozen contestants on “Dance Your Ass Off”—some who come from a dance background and others who have never shaken their money-makers—help comes in the form of an extremely supportive set-up. They are paired with a professional dance partner and tended to by a physician, nutritionist, trainer, choreographer and costume designer.

They’ll have all the help they need while they work out twice daily and dance for two hours a day. What’s more, preparation for their weekly performances is aided by the fact that the contestants’ home-life stress has melted away like so many excess pounds.

DYAO-ers—Alicia, Angela, Brandon, Karla, Mara, Miles, Pinky, Ruben, Shayla, Trice and Warren—are ensconced in a private loft, with access to a gym, dance studio and a common room with an “eat” cabinet stocked with fruits, vegetables and healthy tidbits and a “cheat” cabinet filled with devilishly delicious junk food like doughnuts, chips and candy bars.

Encouragement also comes in the form of an incentive: The hottest dancer/biggest loser will go home with $100,000.
 

DYAO judges Mayte Garcia, Lisa Ann Walter, and Danny Teeson weigh in on the competition.

Tough love
Despite the amenities, there’s a lot of pressure involved in being on the show.

They are learning a tough skill—dancing—and it will arguably take more out of them than contestants on other fitness-themed reality shows, because many of them face issues that accompany weight gain, like diabetes, high blood pressure, shortness of breath and loss of flexibility.

While ramping up their activity levels, contestants must also diet with a vengeance, giving up entrenched eating habits.

Sending the message home

One thing I don’t like about DYAO is the kick-ass-or-go home aspect.

Angela has already been booted off before she had a chance to catch her stride. It is too bad her mission was aborted so soon, because the 24-year-old former model is clearly suffering (“I just feel ugly in the mirror”) and should have been able to work on her lifestyle and self-esteem for longer.

Apparently, many of the 4.3 million viewers who tuned in to the “Dance Your Ass Off” premiere—making it as the most watched show in the history of the Oxygen network—felt the same way. On the DYAO website, comments like the following are common:
 
“I wish they didn’t eliminate people. This is medical attention. Sending them home to gain all the weight back is stupid.”

Hopefully, the show offers follow-up support for contestants who are sent packing, ensuring that short-timers’ lives are positively impacted by their experience on the show.

Rotten report card
It’s no wonder that “Dance Your Ass Off” is drawing legions of fans, because the identification factor has never been higher, just as Americans’ collective weight has never been higher.

Americans were recently awarded low marks for fitness in an annual report produced by The Trust for America’s Health.

Their findings, titled “F as in Fat 2009: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America" and released this month (July 2009) are depressing:

•    Adult obesity rates increased in 23 states and did not decrease in a single state in the past year

•    The percentage of obese or overweight children is at or above 30 percent in 30 states.

•    Adult obesity rates now exceed 25 percent in 31 states and exceed 20 percent in 49 states and Washington, D.C. Two-thirds of American adults are either obese or overweight.

•    Sixteen states experienced an increase [in adult obesity] for the second year in a row, and 11 states experienced an increase for the third straight year.

•    A recent analysis commissioned by TFAH found that the Baby Boomer generation has a higher rate of obesity compared with previous generations.

•    Eight of the 10 states with the highest percentage of obese adults are in the South. Colorado continued to have the lowest percentage of obese adults at 18.9 percent. (Anybody else suddenly have an urge to go skiing in Aspen?)

Trust researchers speculated that the economic crisis could be making the obesity epidemic worse:

"Food prices, particularly for more nutritious foods, are expected to rise, making it more difficult for families to eat healthy foods. At the same time, safety-net programs and services are becoming increasingly overextended as the numbers of unemployed, uninsured and underinsured continue to grow. In addition, due to the strain of the recession, rates of depression, anxiety and stress, which are linked to obesity for many individuals, also are increasing."

Well, while these findings are grim, it’s all the more reason for people like me to get as proactive as possible. As the old Peggy Lee song goes, "If that’s all there is, my friends, then let’s keep dancing.”

One potato, two potato, couch potato, three
I watched the first episode of “Dance Your Ass Off”—which “Healthhabits” blogger Douglas Robb describes with this equation: “Biggest Loser" + "Dancing with the Stars" + "Big Brother" = "Dance Your Ass Off”—and surprised myself by enjoying it.

To a person, the contestants are excited to be on the show. To a person, they had have reasons for wanting to win by losing. And, to a person, they have engaging personalities.

The contestants are treated respectfully by a knowledgeable trio of judges, not a single one of whom is as biting as Simon Cowell of “American Idol” or as volatile as the tyrant of “Hell’s Kitchen,” chef Gordon Ramsay. Interviews with the stars of this new reality show really helps put a dozen friendly faces on the struggle so many of us have with weight and fitness.

My early faves are as follows:

Miles, a 29-year-old Salt Lake City resident who wants to get healthy for his mother’s sake; his father passed away due to his unhealthy lifestyle and Miles doesn’t want her to have to bury her son as well. Miles is a fan of swing dancing, and gave an admirable performance of “Jump Jive ‘N Wail” on the first episode.

Pinky, a  29-year-old Latina with a few too many curves due to her grandmother’s talent for tamales and the like. She’s been dying to join her brother’s hip-hop street crew for ages, but has been blackballed because of her weight. That sucks. Mean people are mean. Go Pinky!

and . . .

The drop-dead gorgeous Shayla, 27, whom I suspect will be a breakaway celebrity.

In general, this is a reality show with promise. I hope, however, that the show and its contestants are not completely robbed of dignity by the inevitable reality show meltdowns as well as whose-bright-idea-was this? premises like pole-dancing. (Yes, there will be pole dancing.)

DYI DYAO
What if you are in the mood for some do-it-yourself dancing your ass off? What do you do if you want to lose weight in the privacy of your own home, while only setting yourself back the cost of an exercise DVD or an Internet connection?

Get moving!

There are heaps of great DVDs and tutorials out there that help you bust a proverbial move. I’m keeping it real with “Urban Street Heat,” a beginner’s dance fitness video featuring hip-hop guru MaDonna Grimes. I’m also hula-ing with the" Island Girl Dance Fitness Workout." Produced by the Natural Journeys company, these DVDs were inexpensive I-got-it-at-Ross buys. I also picked up a bellydancing DVD, but I’m not feeling it yet. Perhaps as my fitness increases. If you build it, they will come.

YouTube is a surprisingly rich source of free exercise tutorials, many of which have a dance theme. We who are in the midst of turning over a new leaf should take advantage of these.

Here are a few of my current favorites:

1)    A 40-clip step by step tutorial on how to dance the “Thriller” dance. Hot!




2) Learn to dance Bachata. Grab your partner and get down Dominican Republic style!:

and

3) Someone named Apprentice A teaching newbies to work it like Justin Timberlake, Missy Elliot, Ciara and other hip-hop hipsters.

In the coming days, I’ll be recommending more dance your ass off-style Youtube vids. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, I'll be dancing my booty off hip-hop and hula style. I might even give Michael Jackson's zombie dance a try!