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People, let it be known that I am, by no means whatsoever, a dancer. Well, there was that one time ... with the consecutive shots of Patron at Rain in Las Vegas ... which involved me grinding up against the glass wall and having a group of guys throw a $20 at me ... but that's beside the point! I've always avoided tearing it up at the clubs out of fear that I would look like a dumbass, which is why I took my very first hip hop class at the Culture Shock Dance Center in San Diego last night.
OMGSOFUN! The studio looks more like a large wherehouse from the outside, with a giant "Culture Shock Dance Center" emblazoned out front. After going up to the second level of the building, you reach a desk where you pay. You can pay per class - $12 (totally worth it) - or the center offers a number of options, such as a monthly unlimited card, classes in combinations of 4, 8, 16, and all the way up to 40, and so on. After you've paid and if you're a bit early, you can sit outside any of the three studios and watch the other classes in session.
I attended my first class with my sister (a former cheerleader) and her husband (a former breakdancer) so we got there early enough to watch the breakdancing class at 5:30. They weren't incredible, but they certainly weren't amateurs. It was a lot of fun watching the unique moves they did and the way the instructor really helped them understand the steps.
At 6:30, the Cardio Hip Hop Basics class in Studio 1 let out and it was time for Beginner Hip Hop. A LOVELY girl took the place of our intended instructor. I WISH I could recall the instructor's name, but she was awesome. White girl, short hair, limber body, she's just one of those girls who can bust a move without a problem. I was so envious! She was also super nice, which really put me at ease.
There had to have been about 20 of us in the class, mirrors covering the front and back walls, and a giant fan on the right side of the room. We warmed up with some hip hop basics - moving our heads, hips, gettin' low, all the good stuff. Speaking of gettin low, I LOVED the music. We rocked it to all the good stuff: Mims, Timbaland, Missy, Tupac, and lots more.
We finally got into our routine and took it step by step - 9 steps in total - and went back and forth between taking it slow and really stepping it up. The instructor was really good about making us do the routine over and over, splitting us up into three groups and moving from group to group so each group could get a better view of her doing the steps herself. Whereas most people had to take water breaks (this was a serious workout!), I didn't stop once because I was having so much fun. Sure, my steps were a little off but I show real promise! I can dance! Sort of! Who knew??
Culture Shock Dance Center also offers lots of other unique classes, like Striptease Basics, Afro dancing, belly-dancing, Egyptian something or other, salsa, jazz, vintage jazz, and popping and locking.
I left dripping sweat but super excited to return. I HIGHLY recommend checking out the center's Web site at http://www.cultureshockdancecenter.com/ [1]. If you live in southern California, this place is definitely worth checking out!
OH, PS, if you don't suck at dancing as much as I do, the Center also offers intermediate and advanced levels of all classes 
Something for everyone - hurrah! :-)