Dancing is hardly new, but how you approach it as a fitness form or an emotional stimulation could be. Lisa Evans discovered beach dance almost by accident in Oregon partly with the help of MP3 technology and Apple marketing.
“I’d been running and dancing on the beach by myself for a few years with different musical devices,” says Evans. “First with a Walkman, then a Discman and then an MP3 player. With the MP3 player, I was able to dance without having to hold onto anything. When Apple came out with iPod shuffles and their cool ads of shadow dancers, I thought it would be fun to get several people together to dance on the beach. I’ve always loved the ocean and dance has been an integral part of my life for the past 14 years. Combining the two together just made sense.”
She moved her Beach Dance movement to Maui in 2012, and now every week there is an event held somewhere. “When you dance for your health, your entire being benefits,” she says.
Amanda Furgiuele combines a different kind of nature, music and movement in her choreographed fitness classes at the Pole Room in Lahaina. Furgiuele led rock climbing, kayaking, caving expeditions and taught fencing in college, but found a love of pole dancing and teaching erotic dance as fitness was the most empowering of them all.
“Ironically, the hardest part about the classes is actually coming to your first class,” says Furgiuele. “There is a lot of stigma about what pole and erotic fitness entail or signify for a woman, but these classes have been the most fun and empowering discipline I’ve ever taught! The Pole Room teaches all levels of pole dancing to everyone, no matter your size, shape, age, even gender. If you’re serious, we’ve got a place for you at the Pole Room. I believe in providing a judgment-free space to empower women, women-identified, and men in their own form of self-expression. There are absolutely NO mistakes in pole dancing, only each individual’s interpretation of the movement.”
Evans says she was introduced to Ecstatic Dance more than a decade ago. Ecstatic dance observes the body movements as sacred and spiritual, and some even describe it as a trance state. At Beach Dance, it’s up to the individual to interpret, and all are invited to share the creative expression dance can offer.
At the Pole Room, Furgiuele says every woman can benefit from her class, and ideal candidates are open-minded and ready to see a change in her body, spirit and overall attitude. She says it will train your body in a way you have never trained it before, and above all it is a fitness class.
The next Beach Dance will be Friday, Jan. 25 at 4:30pm at Po’olenalena Beach Park, Wailea (check BeachDance.com for info). The Pole Room has an upcoming workshop on Jan. 27 at 2pm–pre-registration is required, so sign up at ThePoleRoom.com.