Where Pineapple Dance Studios, Covent Garden, London
Hi Mark! How did we do today?
I actually think you did really well, a lot of the people we get don’t know
their right from their left, but you actually have co-ordination!
Yeah we can throw a few shapes! How would you describe your dance style?
I’m all about the fun, and the sexiness [Mark has become the first Pineapple
instructor to have a 16+ age rating put on his classes due to their
raunchiness… ooh-er!]
Which celebrities have you worked with and who’s been your favourite?
I don’t have favourites, I love them all. I’ve worked with Jodi Albert,
Florence Welch – I helped Florence with her movement, she’s not a dancer,
but she’s got this amazing body and didn’t know what to do with it. Patsy
Palmer was fabulous, she’s a real scream.
Which celeb’s moves would you most like to steal?
They come to me for moves…
Ok… which celeb would you most like to work with then?
Beyoncé. I’ve met her father [Matthew Knowles]. He’s very scary. But I’d just
love to work with Beyoncé – she’s amazing. The One Direction boys are fun
too, I’d love to do some choreography with them.
So. It’s party season, and we’re all hitting the dance floor in our glad
rags. Any tips on looking good as we move?
Don’t dance big! You see it all the time at office parties. There’s always
that one man knocking over everyone’s drinks with his arms. But you should
dance into yourself. It’s all about being confident in yourself.
Mark’s five top exercises for getting you trim
Bingo wings, begone!
Stand up straight, tummy in, bum tucked under. Hold your arms out horizontally
at shoulder height. Flick your hands down from your wrist. Repeat 40 times.
Then rotate your hands and flick up from the wrist 40 times. Rotate your
hands down again and do 40 reps of a grabbing action and finally do 40 reps
of a flicking action!
A nice tight bun
If you can’t do squats because you have bad knees, this one is a great butt
firmer. Stand up straight against a wall or a desk, tummy and bum tucked
under. Place your feet at a 90 degree angle. Squeeze your butt and inner
thighs together, then lift up onto your toes and back down again. Do 100
reps a day.
Core, look at that plank!
Lie face down on the floor, lean on your forearms and elbows and balance on
your toes. Hold your stomach in and tighten your bottom. Hold for a count of
100.
If you want, you can make it harder by lifting one leg up straight, and
holding for 10 seconds, then repeating on the other leg. Do three sets each
side.
Abs-olutely
Sit upright on the floor, legs out in front of you with your feet on the floor
and knees bent at 90 degrees. Lean your body back straight so it too is at a
90 degree angle with your thighs, tucking your pelvis under and pushing your
tail bone down into the floor.
Tense your stomach and pulse your hands up and down by your side quickly,
breathing out each time you pulse your hands down. Do 100 of these.
For pins like a dancer
Lie on the floor on your side with your legs on top of each other. Lift your
top leg up straight and bring your bottom leg up to tap the top leg. Do
three sets of 20 on each leg.
- To find out about Pineapple’s classes, visit Pineapple.uk.com
