Disneyland magic for Jazzercise pair
Many people have visited the Magic Kingdom, only a relative smattering get to be part of the entertainment.
Lynette Colvin will have that rare opportunity this weekend.
She’ll be centre stage at Disneyland in California, as part of the Jazzercise Holiday Extravaganza parade there.
The Jazzercise instructor said it was a dream come true.
“I don’t have a bucket list, but if I had one taking part in a show at Disney would definitely be on it,” Ms Colvin said.
“I used to live in the States with my family for around 15 years and every time someone from Bermuda would come up, we would go to Disney. I would usually go several times a year when I was younger, so being on the other end of it will be exciting.”
Jazzercise isn’t that well known in Bermuda but it’s extremely popular in the United States.
Ms Colvin has been to Jazzercise conferences in Florida and Washington DC that attracted more than 2,000 people. She currently teaches Jazzercise Lite, a low-impact version of the workout.
Created about 45 years ago, Jazzercise offers a fusion of jazz dance, resistance training, Pilates, yoga, and kick-boxing movements. It’s known for the “feel-good factor” it offers to fans in 32 countries around the globe.
Ms Colvin said she was looking at a Jazzercise Facebook page earlier this year when she came across the poster for the parade at Disney.
She started investigating and mentioned it to students in her class. One of them, Syrica Richardson, wanted to join in on the action.
“Syrica went out and bought her black Jazzercise pants and shoes and she was ready from the start,” Ms Colvin explained. “There was no need to convince her of anything, she was excited from the get-go.” They received a DVD from Disney with the dance routine, and got to work practising.
“We started practising around June because Syrica was so anxious, but we didn’t get really serious with it until a few weeks ago,” Ms Colvin said.
“The routine is less than five minutes long, but you have to keep doing it over and over from one end of the park to the other. You also have to make sure you stay on point with the other dancers and keep smiling.”
She said she was experiencing lots of emotions in lead-up to the big event on Saturday.
“I’m more anxious right now than anything because it’s Disney,” she explained.
“If you’ve ever been there you know there is going to be swarms of people and if you fall down or mess up the routine it’s embarrassing.
“ But I’m also excited to get out to Anaheim and do it.
“Disney hosts this parade every year, so it’s not something new. It will be my first time doing it, but certainly not my last. Each year I hope to be able to take more Bermudians with me.”
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It’s described as “a more Zen version” of the original Jazzercise class.
It features a mix of Latin, hip hop and jazz dance movements and helps you to burn calories, while building muscle definition, strengthening your core and increasing your flexibility.
Local instructor Lynette Colvin said it was great for anyone looking for a low-impact way to exercise.
“It doesn’t target any particular age group and in my class we have people in their mid-20s up to their 70s,” she said.
“Jazzercise Lite is a good way to work out if you’re afraid of aerobic activity. Some people come with the notion it will be too hard for them, but I tell people it’s easy.
“You aren’t putting strain on your joints, but you definitely work up a sweat.
“It’s a bell curve so we start off with light movements and music and then the energy increases with harder moves and more upbeat songs from Pitbull and artists like that. It’s a really good workout and a lot of fun.”
Ms Colvin offers classes from Tuesday to Friday at 6pm and on Saturday at 9am. For more information, e-mail: jazzerciselitebda@hotmail.com.
