Hitting the dance floor with Lyn Pilch

Shake your groove thing. Shake your tail feather. Call it what you will, but if I’m doing it, my kids are most certainly rolling their eyes.
I’m talking about dancing, of course. As with most people, it’s something I did a lot of when I was young but haven’t done seriously in years.
What’s up with that?
By my thinking, dance is a universal urge. Turn on some music and we’ll dance in our homes or in public, in our hallways or in a dancehall. All we need is a decent rhythm and we all become performers.
At the risk of dating myself, I came of age during the era of “Solid Gold.” Motown and “Dance Fever” were hot. Diana Ross and the Supremes reigned, well, supreme.
On weekends, my girlfriends and I would don mini-skirts and white go-go boots, using toilet paper rolls as microphones, and ham it up in my family’s attic. To my amazement, we were never discovered. In fact, we all went on to respectable jobs where it was assumed we would not sing or dance in the halls or the lunch room (that’s what our cars were for), and we slowly, steadily forgot what it was like to dance.
So imagine my delight when I learned about Dance Fabulous (www.dancefabulousmadison.com), a new dance studio on Henry Street where I could take lessons, get in touch with my inner groove and recall a time when my hips were not attached like glue to my rib cage.
One chilly night in March, I ventured to Dance Fabulous and met with Lyn Pilch, a marketing executive who recently found the courage to open her own dance studio, so we adults could rediscover our love of dance.
Please join me as I dance with Lyn Pilch, hip-hop dancer and owner supreme of Madison’s new Dance Fabulous!

Anne Connor: Why Dance Fabulous? Why now?

Lyn Pilch: I was taking an intermediate hip-hop class at The Art of Dance [the business that previously occupied the space] and didn’t want to stop after they closed. I couldn’t find anything in town that fit my schedule and had the type of classes I wanted. Finally — with a lot of help and encouragement from friends and family, I decided to open a place that matched my interests. The hope was that I wasn’t the only person looking for a fun, drop-in studio with a wide variety of classes!

AC: How long have you been dancing?

LP: I danced around a lot as a young child — as most kids do — and took a formal dance class when I was 5. I was a cheerleader in middle school, where we did one dance routine per season. In high school, I played basketball my freshman year but decided to go out for the dance team my sophomore year. This was a shocker, as my dad was the high school boys’ varsity basketball coach and our family was pretty synonymous with basket ball. Fortunately, my family knew dance was a better fit, so they encouraged me to go for it. During that time I found how much I enjoyed dance and it got me more interested in arts and performance. I started going out for school plays and getting more involved in music. I even joined a traveling show choir, so dance opened up a lot of new options for me.

AC: On your bio you write, "Lyn Pilch is not a dancer." I beg to differ! That said, how is your background different from that of other teachers, and how does that affect the way you teach?

LP: I think I have an understanding of what people who are newer to dance — or getting back into it — feel comfortable doing. I like challenging my classes, but I want, more than anything, people to feel comfortable doing the moves regardless of their fitness level, size, shape or gender. Dance is for everybody and I want to make it accessible for all. I think about that when I put my routines together. Would my mom, who is in her 50s, and my sister, who is in her 20s, feel comfortable and satisfied doing this routine? I also think I’m able to break moves down for people so they don’t feel intimidated.

AC: Are students drawn to your class because you don't bill yourself as a professional, but rather as someone who simply loves to move?

LP: I hope so. I think the people who have been coming to my class enjoy the opportunity to move, learn a routine in an hour and feel a sense of accomplishment. The fact that no one is judging them and everyone — from me to the others in the class — wants to see everyone succeed and have fun adds to the experience.

AC: You teach something called the Kirstie class …

LP: [Laughs.] I got the idea from Kirstie Alley. She talked on “Oprah” about how she needed to lose weight but couldn’t come up with an exercise plan that was appealing to her until someone suggested dancing. I totally understood that. I love moving my whole body and not thinking about it, but I also love music. Dancing gives you the chance to focus on something other than the fact that you’re exercising. It really is a side benefit to all the fun, camaraderie with the other students and stress release you’re getting in the moment.

AC: Have you tried all the Dance Fabulous classes?

LP: I’ve tried all the classes except one: I haven’t done the Stretching and Toning for Mom and Baby — mainly, because I don’t have a baby! Still, women love it.
Yoga Remix and The Special are great strengthening, stretching and core workouts in a fun and relaxed environment. Intermediate Hip Hop is a wonderful challenge and really gets my heart rate up. I’m definitely sweating at the end of that hour. Belly dancing helps me isolate muscles I never think about in a cool and engaging way. Irish Step really helps me focus on my footwork and try something more about precision. My natural dancing style is pretty messy. Dance Dance Evolution makes me feel so much more graceful after doing it and the movements are so freeing. I leave feeling an inch taller. Dance Dance Party Party is a release, just a chance to dance around and try new things with no one paying attention — it’s the fastest hour and a half of the week — and I leave totally exhausted and re-energized.

AC: You danced when you were younger but gave it up. What's the story behind that?

LP: I rediscovered dance as an adult. For some reason, when I came from my small town to UW-Madison, I stopped dancing. It made me really look forward to weddings!
When I turned 30, I thought about how sad it was that I had completely abandoned something I loved to do, so my sister and I went on a quest to start dancing again. We were so lucky to find two great classes to get us back into it.

LP: I rediscovered dance as an adult. For some reason, when I came from my small town to UW-Madison, I stopped dancing. It made me really look forward to weddings!

LP: My skills have definitely improved through teaching and dancing. The cool thing about dancing is that the improvement comes quickly.

AC: Has your fitness improved?

LP: I’m definitely more flexible today than I was when I started. Even the other instructors have noticed!

AC: What are some of the benefits of dance as exercise vs. going to a gym to work out?

LP: I’m not a fitness guru, but I would say that for some people, dance is something they’ll stick with. If you love to dance, you’ll be more inclined to come to a class than to put it off for another day. You’ll dance because you want to, and you’ll be getting exercise.

AC: Does dance build confidence?

LP: There’s something about the freedom you feel dancing that makes you feel more self-confident. You may show up at a class feeling down, but by the time you’re done, you’re proud that you learned something, happy you moved around and more comfortable in your body. Plus, we have skinny mirrors, which helps [laughs].

AC: Your classes are for adults only. What was behind that decision?

LP: I don’t think a 50-year-old woman necessarily wants to dance with kids. She wants to dance with friends, or make friends where she goes to dance. [That being said,] we’ve had students from 18 to their mid-70s. Still, there aren’t places in town that offer dance-themed parties for kids, so we offer those on weekends. We threw a fun “High School Musical” birthday party for a 9-year-old girl, and to contradict what I said before, all the parents got up and danced!

AC: Are most students recreational dancers or are some pros?

LP: We have some experienced dancers who come to Intermediate Hip Hop and some of the belly dancing and Irish Step classes. The instructors are masters at getting everyone engaged, even if they’re at different levels. The vast majority are just folks who love to dance. Some may have been on a dance team years ago, and some just dance around their kitchen!