Get fit with Gymnation's Bollywood-inspired fitness program Bollynation

Hiba Khan - Writer 10:36 09/03/2019
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  • If you thought Bollywood dancing just meant fixing the light bulb and patting the dog, then you should have been at GymNation for their new BollyNation class on February 26, which was just a taster for what will be available at the new Bur Dubai branch in April.

    BollyNation is just one of the many diverse exercise programmes offered by GymNation – the one stop shop for all your fitness needs in a budget – that will get you moving and grooving to the latest Bollywood tunes.

    The session was conducted by Dubai-based dancer and winner of popular Indian dance reality-television show Nach Baliye (Dance Partner) Anup Bhardwaj, who has won many awards over the years for his dancing capabilities.

    For the BollyNation taster, he created a choreography with some signature Bollywood dance moves, with all the twists, turns and pelvic thrusts and peppered it with intense cardio movements and various stretches in-between that ensured we were all pushed to the limit and burning up thousands of calories by the end of the session.

    Bollynation 2

    The 30-year-old powerhouse draws his inspiration from Michael Jackson and Indian actor and dancer, Govinda, and insists that the only requirement for his class is endless energy.

    “The only prerequisite for my class is lots and lots of energy,” Bhardwaj said. “Bollywood dancing for me is all about letting loose, having fun and releasing all of that pent-up stress. I was a little concerned when I saw how diverse the class was and thought of changing the routine a bit so everyone could follow, but decided against it and was very pleased with how everyone managed to keep going.”

    The dance moves were fast and powerful, but Bhardwaj assured us all that after two or three sessions with him, everyone will be able to breeze through the routine with ease.

    British expat Fifi Sami, 32, enjoyed the session and was already looking forward to taking part in her next class with Bhardwaj.

    “This was amazing. I had a great time. At first, I wasn’t sure what to expect so I found the class a little too fast-paced for an absolute beginner such as myself, but I am prepared now and definitely coming back,” Sami said.

    Snetha Mathew and Anisha Johanna echoed Sami’s positive views about the class being too fast-paced, but the session left the duo excited and ready to attend BollyNation as soon as the new gym opens next month.

    “The class was a little hard to follow, but it was fun and really made me want to dance,” said Mathew.

    Johanna added: “It was a strangely addictive class and we were both moving in no time, so I am just waiting for it to be offered as a regular class and I am definitely coming down again for another round.”

    *The BollyNation class will be exclusively offered in GymNation Bur Dubai once the facility opens in April. 

    Bollynation 3

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