Isolations: Midnight

1. Midnight - Pitbull feat. Casely

In an earlier plan I wanted to have a Dancehall Cardio track right after the warmup. And I actually found the perfect isolations track to lead into it - "Whine Up" by Kat DeLuna. Unfortunately I couldn't find the right dancehall reggae songs to make a nice block in time so I've shelved both Whine Up and the dancehall plan. I will write about those when the right time comes.

So I was just randomly jumping from song to song in iTunes to look for a new isolations track. And somehow I have this 2008 Pitbull track in my Library. I don't remember where I downloaded it because it wasn't attached to any album. But like I mentioned previously, the vibe matched exactly what I needed and now it's an iso track, cued up after Sexy Bitch by David Guetta feat. Akon.

Choreography:

• Intro/Chorus: Spring tap x2, travelling kick ball change to the side. Repeat other side.
• Verse 1: Triple shoulder lift with head nod
• Chorus
• Verse 2: Chest R, L, Front, 2 shoulder rolls
• Chorus
• Verse 3: Double hip R, L with heel twist. Hip isolations F, R, B, L slow, then fast.
• Chorus
• Outro: Hip circle R x4, L x4

Warmup: Sexy Bitch (Club Mix)

1. Sexy Bitch (Club Mix) - David Guetta feat. Akon

For the past 6 months or so I've already decided that this release will be a dance release, but finding the right warmup track was tougher than I expected!

When I first heard "When Love Takes Over" by David Guetta & Kelly Rowland, it was love at first sight. I immediately slotted it in as the warmup, and even considered it's Electro Remix for the second half. But the more I listened to it, the more frustrating I got. It has such a rousing and beautiful melody, but I can't seem to put a move on it! None of the moves I tried out really does justice to it. So I had no choice but to shelve it for the moment and look for a new song.

Then, the new Black Eyed Peas single "I Gotta Feeling" flooded the radio waves. It took some time to grow on me, but I can certainly see how the lyric "I gotta feeling, that tonight's gonna be a good night" will fit into the theme of a great warmup track.

I did choreograph some simple steps for it eventually, but I felt the music buildup took a little too long. And then finally, I stumbled upon "Sexy Bitch" and everything kinda fit into place.

A hallmark of a great track is that the moves just speak out to me as I listen to it. It's hard to describe the process, but it's like I instinctively know how I should choreograph it when the different parts of the music comes together. And within 2 days I feel I've got a great groovylicious warmup track.

The structure is a little interesting for this track:

• Basic set up movements
• Flava movements
• Stretch sequence on Right
• Breakout choreo ("Damn, she's a sexy bitch!")
• Flava movements
• Stretch sequence on Left
• Breakout choreo
• Winding down moves - lead to isolations

Usually there's only one stretch sequence in a warmup track, but for this I split it up into two because the bridge of this song actually has a tempo drop. Again this is what I mean by "the choreography speaks to me".

I hope it's well-received! :)

Old Skool House Block

1. Ride On Time - Black Box
2. Show Me Love (Club Mix) - Steve Angello & Laidback Luke (feat. Robin S)
3. I Luv U Baby (Dabruck and Klein Vocal Mix) - Out of Office (feat . The Original)

Bring it to the old skool stylez!

Well, I'm not sure if the moves are really old skool, but the songs definitely are! They are all based on songs from the last millennium. I choreographed this block based on BodyJam 44 and BodyJam 49's House blocks - simple moves, high cardio.

Musically, the energy actually drops from the first song to the last. But I love the buildup in the final track and that's how it earned a spot as the Breakout song. The first song is easily the most energetic, coz as Gandalf says, everyone loves a screaming diva! (BJ48 choreo notes)

This is the choreography I have in mind right now, subject to changes:

1. Kick ball change
2. Kick & triple ball change
3. Side tap, bounce forward
4. 4-ct arm combo with heel slap and toe-heel-toe
5. Spring tap & backwards kick ball change
6. House knees (single, single, double)
7. Step touch

My main concern in terms of choreography is the 4-ct arm combo and the house knees. For the arm combo, I'll need to consult another dancer for ideas coz I'm really running out of cool ones. Or should I say, I don't have them from the start. As for the house knees, I'm worried the members don't get it. When it was used in BodyJam 45 Global Electro, many members couldn't get their knees up on the beat. Heck, even I had the same problem in my BJ Module Training.

So for this particular block, it's about finding good moves to fit into the music.

Dancehall: Pon de Replay

Pon de Replay (feat. Elephant Man) - Rihanna
Dancehall Soca - Elephant Man

Dancehall is a genre that hasn't appeared in BodyJam for a long time. I think, choreographed properly, it can be a fun genre to feature in Cardio Fit. For one, dancehall reggae songs are naturally upbeat. For me, it's a question of finding the right moves to go along.

There are plenty of dancehall videos online, but many movements are too complex to be brought into Cardio Fit. And I wouldn't be able to pull of the booty pump and triple isolation work anyway!

Music-wise, I have identified the 2 songs above to be serious contenders. But I'm always left wanting more when I listen to Dancehall Soca. It is 4 minutes of monotonous beats with barely a rise and fall. So I've been thinking of finding another song to slot in between the two. Dancehall Soca will just be the breakout song.

This Dancehall routine was supposed to be featured in my next Cardio Fit release, but I am still unhappy with the choreography progress so I'm temporarily replacing this with the Club Latin track.

Latin: Mas Que Nada

Mas Que Nada - Sergio Mendes
Mas Que Nada - Sergio Mendes featuring The Black Eyed Peas

Like most people, I first discovered this song via the BEP version. But I found the original version and it's pretty cool too!

Anyway, the entire feel of the song is ripe for choreographing. I just need to find another song to tack on at the end. The rhythm and melody is good but it doesn't exactly inspire Breakout, so I have to find a good club banger to push this track through the roof!

Club Latin: Tumba La Casa (Tearing Down the House) (Tribal Extended Mix)

Tumba La Casa (Tearing Down the House) (Tribal Extended Mix) - Norty Cotto presents Sancocho

I download lots of music regularly but I am less fastidious about listening through them individually. So it was a joy to discover this track in my playlist when iTunes shuffled to it.

I recently created a simple, cool-looking move. It's basically 2 shuffles, a quick turn, and a jump freeze, all the while moving forward. I think it will go quite well with this song. The main problem with this track is that there isn't much musical contrast until near the end. But I still think it's possible to do one long Latin track with this. I'm now putting this track on repeat in order to let it sink in. I find this helps me extract out all those musical layers (lyrics, beats, synths, loops) when doing my choreography.

Here's the final routine I'm thinking of now:

1. Quick, quick, slow Brazilian samba
2. Shuffle, turn, freeze combo
3. Something that has shimmy in it!
4. 2 side mambos, chasse diagonally to the back
5. Maybe a final move or a turn or a jump

All of it might change by the time it's ready for release though. But the more I listen the more interesting it is!

(Update 24 Sept 2009) The inspiration for the moves slammed me face-on one day and I've refined it till it feels pretty good. I'm gonna trial it out in a class next Monday and see the response.

1. Brazilian samba
2. Shuffle, turn, freeze combo
3. Shimmy backwards and jungle bounce
4. Side tribal mambo (It's just a nama glamer for a slow mambo on the toes)

Groovedown: Drivin' Down Brazil

Drivin' Down Brazil is a recent song by former disco queen Donna Summers. It's a really chill track, and I bookmarked it as a possible groovedown track about a year ago. But I couldn't really find the right choreography to make it special. I now have.

I have written previously how I attended a Brazilian Samba class in Beijing. While the main class itself was kinda boring, her cool down moves were pretty interesting. She claimed it to be an ancient ritual performed by Samba dancers before (or was it after?) dancing.

It's hard to describe in words, but the concept is to bring together energy from heaven and earth and spread it all around. The second part consists of an arm sweep going to the four directions in a symbolism of pushing the bad energy away, so that the fresh energy can come in. It's all very simple but the idea is great.

Not long after that class iTunes played me 'Drivin' Down Brazil', and I put two and two together. The result is a positive, inspiring, chill groovedown track with some authentic Brazilian Samba feel (though there isn't any actual Samba in it). While it's nothing impressive by itself, I at least managed to bring some authenticity to the class, which is the entire reason I'm branching out into different dances.

Groovedown: Knock You Down

I keep listening to Knock You Down by Keri Hilson, Ne-Yo, and Kanye West (party-pooper!) and I always walk away feeling refreshed. Hopeful. Knowing that love is out there, ready to knock me down.

Anyway, it's such an uplifting song that I will include it as a groove down in a future release. I'm not sure if it's a bit too relaxed to be a recovery track. But then, BodyJam 45 successfully used Livin' A Lie as a recovery. I'll have to brainstorm some choreography for it first.

Brazilian Samba

Last night I attended a Brazilian Samba class taught by a native Brazilian, Renata. She's in Beijing for a couple of months so she's holding Beginner's classes at a ballet studio nearby. Even though one class costs RMB80, I still attended it to learn some authentic moves to put into a future Cardio Fit track.

The verdict: It was a beginner's class, so I was a little disappointed that the moves were quite simple. Choreography was usually a 2- or 4-count move repeated for 16 counts, before returning to the basic Samba step. There were certainly some new moves that I haven't seen before, but nothing that totally blew my socks off. So while I had a little fun and learnt some new stuff, RMB80 is on the high side for me.

First Post!

Cardio Fit is just what I call a cardio class that I teach every Monday and Friday in Penang.

What's the class about? Actually, I'm not too sure myself. Every 3 months I choreograph a new 1 hour class, and right now I'm alternating the new releases between an aerobics class and a dance class. I draw inspiration for the class format from Les Mills BodyAttack and BodyJam, respectively.

1. Why copy, er, get inspired from Les Mills programs?
I am a BodyJam instructor and I have huge respect for the Kiwi company that routinely churns out great classes every quarter. They've certainly found a repeatable process to achieve success and rightfully claim their title of "McDonald's of fitness classes"! Like some say, imitation is the best form of flattery.... and I have a lot of good things to learn from them.

2. Why choreograph your own classes instead of just following LM classes?
Let's just say that I feel a desire to create. Teaching a pre-choreographed class is fun and it takes a lot of the hard work out for the instructor. But challenging myself to create new choreography every 3 months is a fun task and it forces me to learn many aspects of putting a class together, which I plan to document here.

Now, I'm not as qualified as either Lisa O. or Gandalf. I'm not an aerobics national champion and I only started enjoying dance a few years ago. But I believe people underrate passion and determination. I'll have a lot of skills to catch up on, and even some skills which is probably out of reach, but nothing else in life is any easier. Might as well be challenged in something I love!

3. What is the purpose of this blog?
I didn't get any training on creating choreography when I first started. I basically just jumped into the deep end of the pool and started flailing around. That was 2 years ago. It was tough, especially the first 1.5 years! I tried many different things and it turned out horrible. As a result, I don't teach most of the tracks I created for the first 5 releases anymore.

Next month I'll be releasing Cardio Fit 10 to my classes and I feel the quality of the tracks have improved significantly! I'll admit there's a couple of tracks which I feel is below par, but it's too late to do anything about that now.

Anyhow, I created this blog to document my adventures in choreography. I'll be sharing the lessons I learnt so that aspiring group fitness instructors who's just started teaching might benefit from it. I'll also blog about my R&D work for future releases. At any one time, I'll be thinking about the next 2-3 releases. So I'll document the various work being put into them - music, moves, choreography. At times, you may consider my work disastrous, but that's why it's called a Work in Progress.

The last reason is for pure vanity, I'm afraid. When my class' format and inspirations draw so heavily from the Les Mills programs (especially BodyJam), it's easy for people to accuse me of outright copying and having no creativity of my own. Well, no one has came out and publicy say that, but consider this a defensive move.

It sometimes happens that both the LM class and my class is going the same direction. For example, around last month I started planning for a House Funk block that will have some truly funky tunes like Funk Nasty (listen to that!). Then, last night I read that the next BodyJam 50 release will have a Cardio Funk block. I immediately thought, "Damn." Anything Gandalf does will automatically be better than mine, and when I finally release my House Funk block in 6 months time, can I blame anyone for thinking "Ugh, Zemien is copying the Funk idea from Jam".

Another timely example is Jamie Foxx' "Blame It". The first time I heard it on radio, my mind immediately pinged, "Recovery track, ain't no doubt about it!" As it turns out, it'll probably be the recovery track for BJ50 as well. (As an aside, I won't use Blame It anymore because it'll be hard to avoid copying BJ50, and to preserve my sanity as well since I need to teach that too.)

Therefore, I hope to jot down my R&D thoughts whenever I have an idea for a routine. At least, in the unlikely event someone wishes to accuse me of plagiarism, I could point them to the relevant page. Hey, it's not conclusive proof, but dance is a big world - it'll be hard to create a totally unique routine.



There'll be no posting schedule. I'll post when I feel like writing or struck by inspiration. Enjoy reading!