Elon alumna dances her way to fitness

By Lilly Blomquist

Confidence and exercise don’t always go hand in hand. It’s easy to commit to a uniform routine in order to avoid standing out. However, with the latest trends in exercise, women are committing to sweating through their fullest expression of movement. The current spike in fitness icon popularity has allowed for women to train in confidence. Yet, this trend actually isn’t as recent as you might think. Let’s throw it back to the 1980’s, when big hair and leg warmers were all the rage. This radical decade gave us one of the most influential fitness trends of all time, jazzercise.

Jazzercise wasn’t just another form of exercise or dance, it was a revolution. Having fun with a workout became a craze. No longer were women committed to a boring, rigid routine. Instead, the movement gave them the chance to feel confident, powerful and fun while exercising. In fact, women began to use jazzercise to express themselves beyond a level of fitness. New outfits, dance moves and even hairstyles stemmed from the movement, allowing women to make their workout routine completely their own.

To top it all off, fitness icons pushed women to have fun with their exercise. Richard Simmons, a jazzercise icon, created an infamous video series that led men and women in fun, dance-workout videos. His content not only showcased a fun way to burn fat while dancing, but also featured women of all body types to encourage everyone to join the movement.

From Richard Simmons to Kayla Itsines, VHS to iPhone applications, women still love working out alongside fitness icons. After watching Elon alumna Maya Sank empower women through Instagram workout videos, we were curious about her experience in the dance industry and were eager to hear more about how she decided to use Instagram as a way to encourage women to express themselves through fitness.

It was a Friday night during the summertime in New York City, and Sank was feeling nostalgic. She and her friends were sitting in their apartment reminiscing on the carefree days of childhood sleepovers and dance parties in their pajamas. In the midst of reflecting, Sank decided to relive those youthful glory days by creating her own dance. She spent the evening conducting movements and teaching the new combination to her friends. The apartment transformed into an atmosphere of energy and enthusiasm, and by the end of the night, everyone in the room was out of breath but grinning from ear to ear.

Through that dancing experience, Sank realized that she had a talent for choreography and a passion for teaching others how to move. She had spent her entire life dancing, and in that moment, she decided to share her dance talents and accomplishments with others in hopes of inspiring them and establishing her reputation as a dancer. Sank launched an Instagram account in July to showcase her choreography and capabilities with a large audience.

“Instagram can be a resume for dancers,” Sank said. “If you put up a video and promote it, the right people can see it.” What started as a social media initiative to establish her brand quickly escalated into a business. Now, Sank rents studio space in New York City every week to teach adult beginners two different dance classes, Maya Moves to Dance and Maya Moves to Sweat.

For the first five months, Sank taught only Maya Moves to Dance, which combines 15 minutes of stretching and 45 minutes of choreography. With this class, Sank simplifies dance and teaches choreography in a fun and entertaining way so that anyone can pick up the movement, establish an appreciation for dance and gain confidence after learning a new skill. This past January, Sank decided to add another class called Maya Moves to Sweat, which combines 30 minutes of sculpting and 30 minutes of choreography. She launched this class to emphasize the fitness aspect of dance because Sank realized she could attract more participants with an effective, calorie-torching workout.

Since dance fitness classes are a booming industry, Sank decided to cater to her audience so that her company and brand could grow. Unlike other dance fitness classes, however, Sank incorporates her own unique element. “What sets me apart from a lot of the dance fitness classes is that I teach a combination of dance,” Sank said. “I have my own individual choreography.”

Sank also stands out from other fitness classes because her approach to working out is relaxed, encouraging and carefree. She demonstrates that fitness can be fun and enjoyable and still provide physical results without pushing her class participants to the extreme or following a super rigorous regiment. “I’m introducing dance to people and showing them that they can get a great workout and not have to do a million burpees,” Sank said. “It’s a different approach to workouts, and it’s something that everyone can do.”

Since the class is for beginners, Sank teaches in a lenient way. If someone cannot follow along perfectly or master a move, there is no stress. Sank encourages everyone to go at their own pace so that they make the class their own. “I don’t want people to be intimidated by dance,” Sank said. “I want them to know that if they just keep moving and keep jumping, they’re getting a great workout and having fun.” With this new class, Sank hopes her class attendees will be able to learn new choreography and immerse themselves in an upbeat environment while keeping their heart rates up and feeling their muscles ache.

By combining her easygoing approach to fitness, her cheerful personality and her skill as a dancer, Sank creates a welcoming environment in which people enjoy one another’s company and feel comfortable expressing themselves. She strives to build relationships through this platform. “I have this huge high after class, and everyone is so excited that they’ve finished, and I just need to meet these people,” Sank said.

While Sank plans and teaches these classes, she juggles managing her Instagram account to engage her viewers and increase web traffic to her page full of aesthetically pleasing photographs and upbeat dance videos from her classes. Sank also collaborates with brands to build a following and make a profit. For the future of Maya Moves, Sank hopes to teach pop-up dance classes at other companies and continue to work with brands to promote her class. Sank wants to continue to establish her brand so that she can one day dance in broadway or become a background dancer.

Follow @maya.moves on Instagram to watch her captivating videos and dance along to her upbeat choreography!