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Dancers Shape: The initial return

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Kenyatta Giddings Student Contributor, University of Texas - Austin
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Bernice Chuang Student Contributor, University of Texas - Austin
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Texas chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

This is a sponsored post as part of the “Fit for Summer” Challenge, presented by Dancers Shape and Her Campus Texas.

Friday, I took my first class at Dancers Shape as a Her Campus Texas blogger. As a former dancer, I was really excited to see the fusion of barre and Pilates during the Shape class. I arrived to my class about 10-15 minutes early as suggested, and shortly afterward began the warm-up. As the we progressed into the workout, I noticed myself feeling unusually lightheaded and dizzy, and alerted our instructor Toussaint that I may need to take it easy. However, I began seeing black spots and stopped hearing the music about halfway through the barre sequence, and decided it would be best for me to dismiss myself from the class. This is by no means normal during a Dancers Shape class; I hadn’t eaten a sufficient amount of food the past 48 hours. Note to self and others: Remember to eat before going to class. You are never too busy to eat!

Jennifer, the owner and lead instructor of Dancers Shape was really helpful when she found out I was having difficulty. Her Smart Water, Emergen-C, sunflower seeds, nuts, and peanut butter kept me from possibly passing out. She was more than delighted to talk to me about the importance of protein when engaging in rigorous physical activity, and filled me in on a few facts about the studio. For example, the exotic pictures from Vietnam and China that rotate on the TV screen, and all of the paintings of Austin landmarks were done by her business advisor.

After my first class I can already tell that simultaneously working different muscle groups prompts quick results. I look forward to this month long journey with Dancers Shape, and truly hope to get back into dancing shape.

The snacks that saved me, provided by Jennifer McCamish, owner and lead instructor of Dancers Shape
Kenyatta Giddings is a double major in Broadcast Journalism and Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas at Austin. She's a former toddler in a tiara from Dallas, Texas and enjoys recording voiceovers for Radio Disney, writing for various publications, and contributing her production and on-camera talents to an array of programs. In her spare time Kenyatta consumes herself with all things vintage shopping, entertainment media, and brunch. Follow her pursuit for fabulosity on Twitter @kenyattapinata and her favorite online magazine @HerCampusTexas.
Bernice Chuang is a fourth year double majoring in Broadcast Journalism and Communication Studies-Human Relations and doing the Business Foundations Program (aka business minor) at the University of Texas at Austin. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Bernice is a fan of good country music and yummy barbeque! At UT, Bernice is a resident assistant at an all-female residence hall and currently serves as a senator representing her residence hall, Kinsolving, on the Resident Assistant Association. She also leads a small group bible study for Asian American Campus Ministries and sings with her campus ministries’ a cappella group. When she’s not juggling her various roles and commitments, Bernice enjoys exploring downtown Austin, shopping with her fellow RA staff members, reading books on faith and spirituality, learning how to cook and tackling various dessert recipes, and spending quality time with friends.