"What are you doing tonight?" asked my friend.
I replied "Getting four to the floor"...
You can imagine the bemused face that looked back at me after that. I offered some reassurance that I wasn't oversharing by explaining I was in fact off to GymBox's new class Four to the Floor, a choreographed floor based dance class, incorporating lower body conditioning and core work.
Now... sliding, grinding and squeezing to R&B slow jams is one of my favourite past times. But usually only after 2, 3 or maybe 4 tequila shots and definitely after the witching hour on a Saturday, so I arrived a bit nervous about how well I'd fare at 7pm on Thursday night with knee pads strapped on. And in a room full of strangers who could judge how out of time my hip shimmies are and could dispel the myth I've created for myself that I can actually twerk.
Luckily for anyone nervous about not having the moves, the instructor of the class Carrie Baxter (and also the brains behind Four to the Floor) is awesome at putting your mind at ease. She definitely gives you the impression that the class is going to be loads of fun before it even starts.
With your knee pads strapped on, and a 1,2,3,4 you’re off to a warm up of strutting your stuff. A bit of Beyonce thumping through the speakers gets you in the right mood for the rest of the class which is a high energy, booty poppin’, floor slidin’, full on sass, dance routine learning 45 minutes.
We were promised at the start of the class that we’d learn a raunchy routine to impress, and we were not let down. Drake, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj all featured as we dipped it low, picked it up slow and got it all round, and for those wondering about much of a work out it is - I now know why dancers have such good bodies! You will leave with a definite burn in your thighs, booty and core, and most importantly a huge smile on your face.
So what are you waiting for? Will you be the Kelly? Or will you be the Beyonce?
P.S. I definitely can’t twerk. But I had a lot of fun trying.
You can follow Jill on Insta: @Jilly_alex