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From the Class Archives

After nine years,Allan Avendañoreluctantlyretired
from teaching due to his busy career as a makeup artist.
Allan taught his final VDJ class on February 25, 2014.

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Video Dance Jam

Taking Class

Allan Avendaño’s original class concept, Video Dance Jam, originated from his lifelong passion for music video choreography. Allan is a makeup artist by day, yet he consistently finds the time to make great hip-hop and jazz funk routines for his class. He puts tremendous thought and love into his teaching, and class members notice! Started with a base of just three students, Video Dance Jam has grown into a large and well-loved class with a warm sense of community.

Members of Video Dance Jam describe Allan as fun, with amazing energy and a sincere interest in the people in his class. Allan’s routines are sexy, creative, and funky, they say, and taught in a way that enables them to catch on. This jazz funk-influenced class is a great place to release your inner Janet Jackson or Britney Spears!

“Guaranteed, the whole class at the end
is pretty much drenched.”

People of all skill levels are welcome in Video Dance Jam. There are members who had never danced before, including some of the guys who are primarily athletes. After a few classes, Allan says, new dancers get into the groove of it and start to learn much faster.

The professionals who take class enjoy it, too, he says, because there’s a little bit of difficulty and they can get a good workout while adding their own pizzazz and style to the dance.

At the upscale Equinox West Hollywood fitness center, Video Dance Jam attracts everyone from longtime gym members to celebrity guests. And because it’s at a health club, Allan makes sure his class is good cardio.

“Guaranteed, the whole class at the end is pretty much drenched,” he says.

A Mind-Body Workout

Allan first discovered the benefits of dance fitness in high school, when on a dare, he tried out for the dance team. Allan auditioned for the role of the school mascot, and he got it!

Participating in dance helped him get a lot more in shape, Allan says—and dancing kept him engaged and interested. You need to focus your energy differently than in a typical workout, he found. And that’s the experience he wants to offer in Video Dance Jam.

“You really have to be there mentally, present, to be able to get this workout,” Allan says. “And the more focused and concentrated you are, the better the workout you get.”

What’s That Song?

Allan choreographs to a specific song, but he saves it for a surprise at the end of class. During class, he plays a special mix of songs he’s selected to have the right qualities for teaching the day’s routine.

People in Video Dance Jam say they love the music! And we’re not surprised. Allan puts a lot of effort into planning his classes, paying attention to what members like the most.

But Allan doesn’t play music nonstop. It helps people concentrate, he says, when he turns off the stereo while he breaks everything down. He has the class count with him, and reviews the whole routine from the top after adding on.

When people can lock down the counts, Allan says, they really get a grasp on the routine. They feel successful.

A Class Community with Heart

This class has a lot of spirit and knows how to show appreciation for its teacher! When we visited, class members responded with high energy and applause when Allan started class. It was an incredibly nice surprise, as we know far more teachers at gyms who have to ask, “No, really,are you ready?”

And Video Dance Jam members are great, prolific feedback givers. They ran us out of pens, then waited for others to finish so they could take a turn. After visiting Video Dance Jam, we went out and bought an additional dozen of our favorite black Uniball Signos in their honor. So if we come to your class and offer you a nice, smooth-writing pen for comments, thank the enthusiastic dancers at Equinox West Hollywood!

*       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *      *       *       *

From the Class Archives

After nine years,Allan Avendañoreluctantlyretired
from teaching due to his busy career as a makeup artist.
Allan taught his final VDJ class on February 25, 2014.

*       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *      *       *       *

Video Dance Jam

Class in Brief

Inspired by his love for music video choreography, Allan Avendaño developed his open-level Video Dance Jam cardio dance class for Equinox West Hollywood, an upscale members-only fitness center in the Sunset Plaza.

A makeup artist by day, Allan still finds the time to put thought and love into teaching his class. Video Dance Jam has developed a loyal class community of Equinox members.

Both men and women enjoy Allan’s sexy, funky routines, and members say he’s great at breaking the moves down so everyone can get the dance. This jazz funk-influenced class is a great place to get in touch with your inner Janet Jackson or Britney Spears!