Manly Dances

Regional styles for a fashionable way to get fit.

The Drum

By Dave Keogh

So what’s a story about dancing doing in my first sports column for 2008? Seems that dance is ‘the new black’ in terms of what’s now the fashionable way to get fit. We’re not just talking ballroom or ballet here… modern dance classes cut right across sporting disciplines like martial arts training.

No doubt spurred on by the popularity of TV dance shows, people are now preferring pole dancing to pounding the pavement and Brazilian Capoeira classes to boxing as a means of getting into shape. And Manly has a brand new dance centre catering to everyone keen to try ‘the sport of dancing’.

Manly Dance, the first purpose designed dance studio on the Northern Beaches, offers an extensive range of classes and workshops for both adults and children. Whether you want to ‘bust’ out a few moves on a Friday night, grace the ballroom floor or just shuffle in the background, you can choose classes in Hip Hop, Break, Funk or Street Jazz. Or if the Latin rhythms are more your style, you can try Cha Cha, Rumba, Samba, Salsa or Zouk!

Manly Dance is the vision of local residents Galia Page and James Barwood. Galia’s love of dance and her frustration at the lack of facilities on the Northern Beaches pushed to her to act upon a lifelong dream of opening her own dance studio.

“We wanted a studio that not only reflected our passion for dance and artistic expression, but suited the relaxed, yet vibrant cosmopolitan feel of Manly”, said Galia.  “We wanted to create an environment where everyone is welcome, from 3 to 80, from fit and aspiring dancers to those who think they have two left feet.”

So back to the sporting link… you can take Capoeira classes at Manly Dance and build not only physical, but also mental and spiritual strength. These classes combine music, singing, martial arts and dance. Martial Arts moves and routines taken from either Brazilian or Latin Dances (such as the Samba and Cha Cha) are moulded into aerobic sessions with more rhythm and passion than those you find at the RSL! The studio even offers Brazilian drumming classes to go with Capoeira!


And if you really want to get physical, Pole Dancing offers a fun, sexy and exciting fitness class especially for the ladies. I’m told these classes increase self-confidence and help you to become comfortable with and proud of your body. It’s also one of the toughest work-outs you can do! Alternatively, there’s always Bellydancing or for those looking to get in touch with their inner self, Afro Moves and Grooves that infuse the spirituality and movement of Africa into classes that “not only improve your fitness but also your mind”.

All the teachers at Manly Dance are professionals with years of experience and expertise in specialist genres. There’s Rad, who has over 20 years martial arts experience and has been teaching Kung Fu for more than 10. Ruth was born to an African mother and Afro-Brazilian father and has toured the world teaching and performing Afro-Brazilian dance and culture. 

And there’s Shantelle who toured Australia, New Zealand and Asia with Walt Disney productions, both co-choreographed and performed in The Australian Rod Stewart Show and has performed on Home and Away. She took up pole dancing a few years ago and won “Miss Pole Princess 2006”.

Manly Dance offers 45-minute lunchtime ‘dance fitness’ classes as an alternative to sweating in a gym or pounding the sand.  So… new year, new body? Why not give it a go? (Could be the edge the Sea Eagles are after this year, Dessie!) Happy New Year to all readers of The Drum. For more information:

The writer of The Drum, Dave Keogh, has been a professional writer for some 30 years, contributing to publications as broad as Modern Fishing and Outdoor, he honed a passion writing a regular column – Talking Tennis – for The Manly Daily. With a varied history including work as a music industry publicist, theatrical agent, band manager, poet, editor and tennis coach, he found his niche in advertising, and with loads of awards under his belt, Dave went into business on his own and now runs several very successful businesses, including an online community connecting sport-loving people – www.doubledrummer.com Most importantly, Dave loves sport, and is an avid supporter of The Manly Sea Eagles…