Rec center event benefits St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Students were able to step up, dance it off and shake it off for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at a new event at the Recreation Center called “Just Dance.”

“Just Dance is a fundraising event for St. Jude’s and also the Recreation Leadership Team,”  President of the Recreational Leadership Team Kristopher Alvarez said. “Just Dance was chosen as the name because it incorporates our popular PantherFIT classes including Zumba, The Grove, Bollywood Body Works and Cardio Funk.”

Zumba is considered a party at the recreation center. It’s a fun class inspired by Latin dance and includes both Latin and international music. There’s no time for breathing when doing Zumba.

Cardio Funk it determined as the class to “pop lock and drop it.” This high energy dance fitness class mixed with hip hop flavor and choreographed  by “booty-shaking” hits is guaranteed to burn a large amount of calories.

The Grove gives students permission to express themselves via authentic movement. There is an opportunity to experience all genres of music and embrace the power of moving creatively.

Bollywood Body Works adds some culture to the cardio. This is a new dance class where Eastern jams are the only jams and it’s guaranteed to get students moving and burning fat.

There was a 20 minute session for each of the classes offered with a few breaks in between. The two hour event was a hit, and students willingly paid the $10 entrance fee. A student who attended was expected to burn anywhere between 600-1000 calories.

“I think it’s cool that the rec center is putting on events for the students,” sophomore chemistry major Maria Pinto said.“The $10 didn’t bother me because some of these classes cost $2 anyway and it was going to a good cause, plus it was for a good workout so I hope to see something similar to this again.”

Alvarez and Maria Roman were on the planning committee for four months trying to make this event come to fruition.

Four instructors agreed to teach the classes at a time outside of the norm: Nakreisha Causey, Maria Roman, Nihat Ahmen and Danny Gonzalez.

The instructors collectively agreed to mesh their classes together in order to make it a better experience for the students.

“We expected a lot of students to show up and just have fun experiencing all the different classes that are being offered in one event and to understand that while they are having fun, they are also helping out St. Jude Hospital,” Alvarez said. “We had just that, I was so happy with the turnout.

The Recreation Center plans on planning and executing more events like “Just Dance” so that students who didn’t get a chance to attend this one can attend another.

“I’ll be here for every event they put together like Just Dance,” junior finance major Stephanie Stuart said. “I’ve never seen something like this put on and it’s so awesome, and convenient, to come and get a great workout while helping a good cause.”

 

-giselle.cancio@fiusm.com