Breaking news: Jazzercise still exists

That’s why when my coworker invited me to a Jazzercise class, I immediately replied with two questions:

(1) Why would you ever voluntarily go to an exercise class? And,
(2) Wait — Jazzercise still exists?

Apparently, it does.

The Jazzercise Charlotte Fitness Center, located in ParkTowne Village, offers up to eight classes a day. My coworker goes to the 5:45pm class, called Dance Mixx. Yes, it actually has two x’s. The Jazzercise website describes the class as a “…high intensity workout that mixes dance-based cardio with strength training.”

It sounded… interesting. If anything, it would be hilarious to try. My coworker then asked me if I was good at dancing. I’ll be honest, the only dancing I do is something I call the “Acid Dance,” which is basically when I bend my body over on itself in a very un-sexy manner and then swing my arms around like a gorilla.

“Yes,” I told her. “I’m good at dancing.”

A day later I walked into my first Jazzercise class.

When I entered the studio, I was immediately surprised by the number of people there. Jazzercise was actually popular. And, even more surprising, not one woman was wearing a crotch-hugging leotard. 

Our instructor, Leanne, walked up on a small stage in the front of the class and turned on the music.

She led us through some stretches and then things got amazing. The best song ever recorded, also known as “Hush Now” by Celine Dion, came on. Leanne started dancing around on stage and was pulling out all sorts of moves for us to follow.

Some moves involved jazz hands, some involved kicking and some even involved shimmying. (By the way, my version of a shimmy looks a little like I have a wasp in my shirt.)

The music changed to Taylor Swift and the moves got even more intricate. I had no idea what the steps were (the moves stay mostly the same so it takes a few classes to catch on) so I did a lot of awkward hopping up and down.

After a few more songs we did some dancing with small weights. We finished down on the yoga mat with an ab workout and some easy stretches. And then, just like that, we were done.

Sound like something you want to try? Here’s some more details:

• Every Jazzercise class incorporates kickboxing, resistance training, Pilates, yoga and dance.
• Their site says you can burn up to 800 calories per hour. (I call b.s. on this one, but wear your Fitbit and report back to me.)
• Bring a yoga mat. Small weights are provided.
• Classes last one hour, but it goes quick.
• Bring a water bottle. You can put it behind you and steal sips between routines.
• The class costs $15 for a single visit. It’s a little pricey but you can buy a 6-month package at a discount.
• The Woodlawn location is the only Premier Center in Charlotte (they offer 40 or more classes a week). However, we have 10 other locations. One is at the Charlotte Mecklenberg Senior Center, which is just adorable.

So will I be back? Not a chance. Once again, I hate exercise classes. But, that being said, I totally see the appeal. There’s a great camaraderie between the women (and men) who do Jazzercise. There’s a mutual feeling of “I’m doing Jazzercise and I know it’s dorky but I don’t care because it’s really fun.”

As someone who dances like a gorilla in public, I respect the hell out of that.