Hey there, dancing queen: Maybe you’ve shimmied through a Zumba class and shaken that thang during Jazzercise, but have you heard of the latest fitness dance fad? It’s called QiDance, and new research suggests that this burgeoning trend boasts major fitness benefits. So what exactly is QiDance? The classes rely on principles of rhythmic movement and energy flow that originated with the ancient Chinese practice of Qigong. But instead of keeping these movements slow, QiDance (pronounced “key”) speeds them up—creating a free-form, booty-shaking dance workout. And according to a study sponsored by the American Council on Exercise (ACE), QiDance has major calorie-burning potential. Female participants in a single, 52-minute class burned an average of 433 calories (around 8.3 calories a minute), which is slightly more than cardio kickboxing and significantly more than power yoga, researchers note. Participants in this study also experienced the kind of heart rate spike (averaging 158 beats per minute) necessary to improve overall cardiovascular fitness. More from Prevention: The Best 7 Dance Workouts Even better, the classes are designed to be gentle on the body: QiDance choreography is oriented around functional movement, and steers clear of high-impact exercises that can cause injury. Plus, the dance routines change regularly, minimizing the risk of overusing certain muscles. “QiDance is more like people dancing in clubs,” says the study’s lead researcher, John Porcari, PhD, head of the University of Wisconsin-La Cross Department of Exercise and Sport Science. “It involves a wide range of whole-body movements—forward, backward, side-to-side—not just dancing in place.” Interested in trying a class? Find a QiDance location near you to get moving. Questions? Comments? Contact Prevention’s News Team!
