Adapting To Change Through The Power of Dance

This year has been nothing but normal, but in the midst of chaos, we've grown so much. Our goal at Valeo has always been to keep people moving, and staying happy and healthy. The pandemic has changed a few ways we typically do that, but we have adapted. Here's how!

Virtual Workouts

We have always found a way to reach our Valeo family, even when we couldn't meet face to face. Virtual workouts have always been something we wanted to try, and we finally had the chance to go for it. Self-quarantine was the push we needed to jump-start our virtual workout classes, and we're so glad we did! Since then, Valeo Dance Fitness has grown with over 379K subscribers on YouTube, with over 80 million views worldwide! In addition, we've connected with people across the globe through our choreography. This truly shows how powerful and connecting dance can be!

Our online workouts vary, just like our in-person classes do. Our workouts focus on healthy weight loss, stress relief, and strength. You have the chance to burn up to 1,000 calories in one hour as you tone your entire body, define your waistline, and strengthen your core. We combine intense dance fitness cardio with interval training to meet the needs of each of our participants. We add variety to our dances through the use of weighted hula hoops, free weights, fitness drumming, and balance balls. Every muscle works while you sweat!

Exercise is known for its wonderful benefits for both your body and mind. As stated before, clients are burning up to 1,000 calories per session and releasing stress in a healthy way. Our choreography ranges in style and music genre, so there is something for everyone! 

To learn more about our styles of dance and our virtual workouts, check out ValeoClub on YouTube! We have hundreds of videos to meet your needs and mood for the perfect dance workout. You can always find more information on the benefits of dance and what we do on our website. Don't let this pandemic keep you from working out, and join us online today!

Resistance Training: Why It Works

Resistance training has been around for over a century and continues to be a great way to build muscle, be healthy, and get fit. People everywhere put in the hard work needed to see results, but many do not know why it is working or how! 

A Quick Science Lesson 

When your body undergoes any form of resistance training, it sees it as a threat to its homeostasis, or balance. The human body is amazingly adept at staying as balanced as possible and will do what it must to keep up. For example, when someone lifts a weight, there are micro-tears throughout the body. The body then repairs the area, but instead of putting back what was there, it strengthens it as well. It is the same with dancing. The muscles of the legs strengthen and get rebuilt stronger, so the next session is potentially not as stressful. Dancing also will improve cardiovascular health as it strengthens the heart and lungs. Strengthening of the heart is an excellent benefit of exercise as it improves circulation and overall health. 

Another lesser-known benefit of resistance training is the release of "feel good" hormones. When someone is working out hard, the body only knows it as a threat. In turn, it releases hormones like dopamine and adrenaline to strengthen you. This is why exercise can be so addicting and make someone experiencing a bad day have a positive attitude flip. This is also the reason why runners get what is known as "the runners high." While addictive hormones may sound bad, they pose no threat, and there is no harm from their release during exercise. 

Signature Classes At Valeo

Resistance training is a signature part of our ValeoFit 1000 class. Dancing is a fantastic and fun way to get into shape and is easily learnable from one of our classes. You can learn about the studio and what we offer here, and if you have any more questions, feel free to contact us. 

The Foundation of Ballroom Dancing

The key to dancing well with a partner and enjoying it is the right balance of leading and following.  Although choreographed routines are used in competition and performance, ballroom dancing is, at its core, social dancing, which means that it relies on communication between the dancers.  One leads, determining the direction they go and how far they move, and the other follows, keeping up with the changes without overstepping.  It can be challenging, but with practice, you can make it look just as effortless as the professionals! 

Leading 

In ballroom dancing, the man generally leads.  He almost always steps forward first, usually on his right foot.  The man leads his partner through a variety of small movements and weight changes.  For example, a slight backward pull of his shoulder indicates that she should step toward him, while a press against her raised hand tells her to step back.  It's crucial to maintain a proper dance frame because, without it, those communications can get lost. 

The lead has a lot of responsibility in the dance.  It's his job to take his follower through every step, which means he has to make decisions on the fly if there's no choreography.  This can be daunting, especially for beginners, but leading is just as important as knowing the steps.   

Following 

It's generally the woman's role to follow in a dance.  That sounds easy, but it requires just as much skill as leading.  She's just as responsible for maintaining the dance frame, and she must pay attention to all those small changes in her partner's hold.  If she gets too close or too far away from him, their connection will be lost, and they'll lose the ability to dance together smoothly.  

For many women, following is the hardest part of ballroom dancing.  The follower shouldn't move at all until she gets a signal from her lead, regardless if he's off the beat or out of time.  Every move she makes should be dictated by the lead, which can be difficult.  Following requires trusting your partner to communicate well and make you look good.  

Valeo Dance Fitness Studio offers private ballroom dance lessons with Asiya Khasnutdinova, voted Best Ballroom Dance Instructor in Atlanta.  From salsa to swing, tango to foxtrot, we have the style for you!  To start learning the art of lead and follow, contact us today!

Outdoor Classes At Valeo Dance Studio!

Over the years, with your help, we have done an incredible job creating a virtual dance family via our YouTube channel (currently more than 320,000 subscribers all over the world and more than 150 FREE dance fitness workouts). While the most natural route would have been to transition everything online to virtual dance fitness, we decided to take a very different path for our reopening phase. We are moving our classes outdoors!

Why Outdoors?

At Valeo, we have always been a family, and that remains a priority, along with safety. Moving classes outdoors allows for safe human interaction in line with the CDC's guidelines. An overwhelming number of studies show that spending time outside is good for our mental and physical health, and might be particularly useful for our well-being in these uncertain times of increased stress and anxiety. Also, the less time we spend moving our bodies, the more likely it is to gain weight. By heading outside for movements, we are decreasing the chance of weight gain and increasing the opportunity for endorphins! As a result, we decided to combine our universal need for human interaction and necessity for being outside with new Outdoor Valeo Dance Fitness classes starting Wednesday, May 27th, at 6:30 PM!

How It'll Work

As stated before, safety is one of our top priorities, and we will do everything to keep ourselves and you safe. The location of outdoor group dance fitness classes is the same as our studio. We will be outside in a beautiful courtyard with stunning views just to the right of the main entrance (if you are looking at the entrance from the parking lot). The times of the classes are the same as always! Please visit the Valeo Dance Fitness Schedule to sign up for classes! If it's a rainstorm, of course, the class will be rescheduled.

Since most people are currently working remotely or unfortunately not working at all due to lay-offs, the good news is most people are coming from home. So dress to dance! There is no place (at the moment) to change and also no bathroom since the building remains closed (only for a short amount of time), so please plan accordingly! While the classes are in the evenings and Saturday mornings, please be sure you have enough water. Bring your own water bottle and a sparkling personality!

Preventative Measures

Being outside will grant us plenty of space and fresh air that will help us stay safe. We can easily maintain the six-foot social distancing guidelines currently in place by CDC and the local GA government. We also ask that you bring your own set of free weights. If you don't have them, bring two water bottles, and they will do just fine. We also will utilize plenty of outdoor space for activities, so you can wear workout gloves that help protect your hands. As we are navigating our way through the reopening phase, we will be making adjustments as needed. 

For all existing and new members, we will require an electronically signed COVID-19 liability waiver form. Existing members, please be sure to do this from the regular website version of MindBody (not MindBody app). When you log in to sign up for classes over the next few days, you will be prompted to check a box acknowledging you have read the information. 

If you are sick, have a fever or not feeling well, please stay home to protect yourself and others. If you have traveled over the last few days, please be sure to check the CDC website, whether the city/country you came from requires you to self-quarantine for a period of time. Lastly, this is a new phase for all of us, so let's help each other stay positive while getting back to life responsibly!   

Other Studio Updates

We are also doing our private lessons outdoors beginning Tuesday, May 26th. Click here to schedule an appointment! We will continue all Intro First Dance Consultations virtually via Zoom, Skype, or FaceTime to ensure everyone/s safety and to make it more time-efficient for couples and their families! 

If you have any further questions about our new schedule, guidelines, preventative measures, and more, visit us online here. We have missed you so much and look forward to seeing your smiling faces soon, six-feet apart, of course!

Our New Virtual First Dance Consultations

We are so excited to offer a new and updated way to meet the needs of our engaged couples. Are you looking for a first dance class to prepare you for your big day? Look no further! In light of COVID-19, Valeo Dance Studio has decided to offer virtual consultations finally. Here's why and how it works!

Why Virtual?

This is something we have wanted to do for a very long time, and now have the chance! Since the pandemic has begun, we have wanted to find a way to still meet with engaged couples. Your wedding day is one of the biggest days of your life, and we want to make sure you feel confident in those first steps onto the dance floor. All the first dance intro consultations will be via Zoom, Skype, or FaceTime! We want couples to save time commuting and keep everyone healthy as well. 

How It Works

As stated before, there will be a few different ways to make this possible. You can choose to meet with Asiya via Skype, Zoom, or FaceTime. You will schedule a consultation by visiting our consultation page online here. The consultation will consist of a 30-minute introductory session where we discuss all the details of the dance. Asiya will help you in selecting the perfect song for your first dance, discuss your goals, and choreography ideas. Ideally, the couple is together in front of the computer so we can get a feel for how you move, but it's not required! It helps couples tremendously and makes things a lot more efficient, but if not, we can find other solutions.

If you are interested in our virtual first dance consultations, we encourage you to schedule it as soon as possible. This is essential for all summer and fall lessons. We realize a lot of couples have had to change their wedding dates due to COVID-19, so we want to make sure we meet with everyone. So sign up as soon as possible! To schedule your consultation online, click here. In addition, ALL private dance lessons will be in person starting June 1st, and this will not change! We ensure you will get the best service during your dance lesson. Again, we want to make this memorable for you! 

For more information on our studio and the type of services we provide, check us out here. We also want to give a huge thank you to all our couples who have already joined us for online consultations! We love seeing you and hope to see new faces soon. Stay well! 

Make Dance Your New Hobby

In a world where there are so many different ways to stay active, it can sometimes be hard to find our niche. However, this is crucial if you want to make staying active a part of your daily life. If you like what you are doing, you are much more likely to stay motivated and keep at it. Dance is a fantastic way to stay active. It also is an excellent hobby to pick up if you are looking to be healthy and fit. 

There Are So Many Different Types Of Dance 

If you choose to take dance fitness classes,  you just opened the door to learning a wide variety of dance styles. This type of class incorporates several different dance moves to help you move your body, get your heart rate up, and burn calories. If you find that you love a specific type of dance, you can choose to take lessons in a particular style of dance and improve your skills even further, all while getting a great workout. 

You Have A Group Of Personal Motivators 

It is hard not to feel motivated to work hard when you walk into a dance studio. Dancers' energy will help you to feel the same and will be a massive source of encouragement during each class. The people you dance within the class will become your friends. You will start to look at classes, not only as a great form of exercise but a place to hang out with friends!

It Is An Amazing Skill

Dance isn't just an excellent form of exercise that helps to keep you in good shape, but it is also a fantastic skill as well. Being able to dance with rhythm is something that a lot of people wish they were able to do. If you are willing to put in the time and effort, you will find yourself becoming a better dancer. This may even lead to future dance opportunities for you, such as joining a professional dance team. 

Overall, you really can't go wrong when you choose dance as your new hobby! Due to COVID-19, our studio is closed until further notice, but you can still dance with us! Follow us on YouTube for free dance routine workouts to get you started today! For more information, check out our website here. 

Four Benefits of Ballroom Dancing

Ballroom dancing is a great hobby for people of all ages.  Beyond the simple fun of dancing, ballroom lessons can improve your overall health.  Here are just a few of the benefits of ballroom dancing.

Physical conditioning

Ballroom dancing conditions your entire body while remaining very low-impact.  Simply holding the correct dance frame is a workout for the upper body. In addition, moving your body around the floor strengthens the legs.  The movements and posture required, help improve balance, stability, and core strength.  As with any weight-bearing exercise, dancing helps keep your bones strong and prevent or delay osteoporosis.       

You don't have to go for a wildly fast salsa or jive to get a good cardio workout from your ballroom dancing.  A slower style like a waltz or foxtrot will still get your heart rate up. As a result, boosting your metabolism and burning calories.  Whichever style you're comfortable with, ballroom dancing can help lower your blood pressure and cholesterol while increasing your lung capacity and endurance.

Keep your mind sharp

Dancing is a good mental exercise, as well!  Learning steps and combinations, as well as leading or following, keeps your brain on its toes. It improves concentration, focus, awareness, and memory.  In fact, at least one study has shown that ballroom or other social dancing can help to prevent the onset of dementia.

Relieve stress

Like all forms of physical activity, dancing releases endorphins, which improve mood and lower stress levels.  The social aspect of ballroom dancing can increase your sense of belonging and connection, which research shows is essential for mental health.

Increase confidence

Learning ballroom dance is lots of fun, but it's also challenging.  Each time you master a new step, you get a sense of achievement and those moments of accomplishment build on one another.  The more you dance, the more confident you'll become, and that confidence can improve your self-image in all aspects of your life.

Asiya Khasnutdinova has been voted Best Ballroom Dance Instructor in Atlanta!  To book a private ballroom dance lesson or learn more about Valeo Dance Fitness Studio, contact us today.   

A Bachelorette Party She'll Never Forget

Planning a bachelorette party is fun and exciting, considering you are going to celebrate your friend, the beautiful bride to be! There are so many different types of bachelorette parties, including traveling to somewhere, bar hopping, spa days, and even concerts. This year it's out with the old and in with the new type of bachelorette parties. Instead of a typical party, try something new instead. A custom bachelorette dance party is one she will never forget!

Fun and Unique Way To Celebrate

Call your friends and raise your spirits together with the bride to be before her big day by throwing the ultimate dance party! Fun and uplifting, this dance party is customized to honor and celebrate the bride in the best way possible. A custom party at Valeo Dance Fitness Studio is a unique, healthy, and fun alternative to celebrating the bride's upcoming wedding. It will be cherished and remembered by every member of the bridal party long after the celebration ends. 

Customizable

The completely customizable dance party will make the bride feel her absolute best. What type of music and dance does she prefer? Valeo Dance will work with you to create the most memorable dance party experience designed to make the bride feel amazing. There are a variety of themes to choose from, including Beyonce Theme, Fun Chair Dance, Sexy Stiletto, and Magic Mike. Also, you can incorporate fun props like hula hoops and drumming. There is no need to worry if you're not sure what the bride may prefer. Asiya, the owner and founder of Valeo, is a professional dancer and choreographer. She has over 20 years of fitness and celebrity dance experience. Not only that, but she has a way of empowering and making all her dancers feel comfortable in their skin. She has also received The Knot's Best Of Weddings award in 2018, 2019, and 2020. No need to worry if anyone will feel out of place, Asiya has you covered! You can feel confident knowing that she will prepare a party like no other.

Head On Over

Empower the bride to be and show her how to feel sexy in her skin with a dance party! You can help her usher in her big day by supporting her in feeling confident, invigorated, light-hearted, and amazing. Not only that, but you all will get a great workout and feel those endorphins after. Not need to feel hungover or gross after a bachelorette party. In other words, this dance party will leave everyone feeling great. For more information on Asiya's dance parties at Valeo Dance and Fitness, visit her online here.