Hip Hop Abs at Rae Studios, SF

This is a must-try class. It’s fun, you’ll work up a sweat, and it’s unlike any other dance class we’ve taken in the Bay. It also has is an incredibly friendly, community-based group of people.

CLASS: Hip Hop Abs at Rae Studios

TRAINER: Jessica — She’s the kind of teacher that makes dance fun: Tons of energy, lots of style, and super encouraging.

SWEAT:  9/10 — You know that feeling when you’re in the club having so much fun dancing, then the night ends and you realize you’re actually dripping in sweat? Yeah, expect that #Sneakysweat

LEVEL: This class is for all levels. Dance newbs and seasoned pros will both get a kick out of this class. 

TOP 3 TAKEAWAYS:

• It’s a workout? From the first beat to the last 8-count, you may be having too much fun to remember you’re working out. 
• Dance like no one’s watching. We’re not going to lie, the choreography goes quick in this class so it can be hard to keep pace (some of the choreography is recycled from classes past), but what makes this class different than other dance classes, is that even if you don’t know all the right steps, as long as you’re trying, moving and having fun, that’s really all that matters. Read further on to see  what we mean. 
• Warning: It’s addictive. We didn’t do every set of choreography perfectly, in fact, we we didn’t do most of the class perfectly, and we weren’t even embarrassed. Instead, we felt inspired to come back to class time and time again so we could get better at the choreography. 

MUSIC: Hip hop, duh.

CLASSPASS: Yes

Pro tip: You may never hear actual 8-counts when leaning choreography, but you will hear lots of “boom, doom-dah, tak, hit, and fun other sounds.” Don’t worry, you’ll know exactly what she means. 

THE WORKOUT

When we first walked into the studio, we weren’t sure what to expect. What does “hip hop abs” even mean? Within minutes, we had the answer: Lots of cardio (dancing) that incorporates moves that work your abdominal muscles. Think: contractions, twists, side kicks, and yes, twerking. Class is divided up into about 4-6 mini routines including the warm-up. 

The Warm-up is choreographed stretching, and feels like a mini routine where you get a few minutes to stretch your hammys, hips, neck, back, and shoulders. Basically, it serves as a preamble for what’s to come.

Jessica will go through the choreography really quickly. You’ll learn about 6 to 10 8-counts worth of dancing without the music, and then you’ll repeat the steps “full-out” to the music with Jessica at the front of the room doing it with you. You’ll repeat those same moves over and over to the music until the song ends.

In most dance classes, you’ll learn the moves, practice a bunch of times without music, try it with music as a class, then split the class in half and try it in groups full out to the music. With Hip Hop Abs, there’s none of that. It’s simply, learn the steps and do the damn thang. There’s not a lot of time to really learn the choreography, but for this kind of dance fitness class, you don’t really need (or even miss) that. we like this because it takes the pressure off of “being perfect”. You really do get to just dance and have fun. 

The dancing itself will incorporate elements of typical fitness within it. For example, we did a jump series to Beyonce’s “Who Run the World” while pretending to play the drums, and on another song we incorporated squats as well as standing crunches. 

Generally, There’s very little downtime in class. In fact, the only real time you have to catch your breath outside of two to three water breaks is when Jessica is breaking down the choreography. But even then, you need to pay full attention to learn the new moves.  

By the end of class, you’re sweaty and smiling — our favorite way to walk out of any workout.

Rae Studios | 414 Mason St. #705, San Francisco | 415.678.5392 | RaeStudios-sf.com