00:00Hey guys!
00:00It's Lucy Fink.
00:01That's just who I am.
00:02And in this edition of Try Living With Lucy, I am exploring another dance style.
00:07For this week's episode, I wanted to fly across the world, metaphorically, to an entirely
00:12new continent.
00:13One that I actually physically have never set foot on.
00:16Yet.
00:17Can you guess?
00:18Africa.
00:19I've always been particularly interested in Africa and African dance style because my
00:24boyfriend's father was actually born in South Africa.
00:27And even though I know that Africa is a huge continent with so many different countries
00:31and cultures, I've been hearing stories about his upbringing for years, and I've been drawn
00:35to learning about it ever since.
00:37Today I met with Coach Cass, a fitness instructor at Ailey Extension, who teaches the Kukua African
00:42dance workout alongside her mother, Kukua.
00:45I got into it because I was literally born into it.
00:48She was teaching a class with me and broke her water.
00:50Kukua in Swahili means to be, so Kukua Fitness means to be fit.
00:54This class encompasses different regions of Africa and allows you to travel Africa without
00:59your passport through music and dance.
01:01And that's the whole mission of Kukua Fitness, is to bring Africa to people and then bring
01:05people to Africa.
01:06Hello.
01:07Hi.
01:08Welcome.
01:09Nice to meet you.
01:10Nice to meet you.
01:12I'm so excited.
01:13Yes, be excited.
01:15Time for some Kukua.
01:15We are going to Africa today.
01:17We are.
01:17You don't need your passport, no security check.
01:19We're just going.
01:20Do I need shoes?
01:20No.
01:21You don't need shoes.
01:22No passport and no shoes.
01:23Exactly.
01:24This is like the TSA pre-check one.
01:26Exactly.
01:27Each region has specific dances to their culture and their country.
01:31We're going to go to the South African region, so I'm going to teach you a little bit of the
01:37Zulu high step.
01:38When you go to the southern region, very big movements with the legs and they lift their
01:42leg up to kick and come down.
01:44You want to bend your waist a little bit and so you go in, out, in, out, yes, in, yes.
01:51That is a core workout.
01:53Yes.
01:53If I've ever felt one.
01:55Here and here.
01:56Yeah.
01:56We're in Johannesburg right now.
01:57Yes.
01:58Yes.
01:59All right.
01:59So now I'm going to do a little bit of the West African.
02:03Round and circle.
02:04Yes.
02:04Round and circle.
02:05And up.
02:06Yes.
02:06Moving in a circle at the same time.
02:08And up.
02:09Yes.
02:09Go Lucy.
02:10We see you.
02:11We see you.
02:11Now we're staying in the West.
02:13You're here.
02:14Up.
02:15Then down.
02:17Bring it up.
02:18Then down.
02:19So these influences come from Ghana.
02:22Come from Senegal.
02:23This dance specifically is called Palago.
02:25So it's a happy dance, a celebration.
02:27So right.
02:28Yep.
02:28And down.
02:29Yes.
02:29And up.
02:30And you have to bring your head up and bring it down.
02:33Down.
02:33Yes.
02:33We're going to visit Ethiopia.
02:35Okay.
02:36So our shoulders, right?
02:36This is East?
02:38This is East.
02:39Correct.
02:40With the East Africa, specifically like Ethiopia, Eritrea, they like very different shoulder
02:45movements.
02:46Even in Kenya they shake as well.
02:48Right.
02:48Left.
02:49Yeah.
02:49Right.
02:50Left.
02:50Yes.
02:50Right.
02:51Left.
02:52Out.
02:52Yep.
02:52But you want to move your shoulders at the same time.
02:55Out and out.
02:56Yes.
02:56Seriously, it's burning.
02:58Yeah.
02:59In the Northern region you do more of a belly dance and Arabic influence.
03:03We did each move slowly at first.
03:05Slowly.
03:06Bring it down.
03:07And up.
03:08Oh, that's slow.
03:08Bring it down.
03:09And up.
03:10Four.
03:11We practiced.
03:12Three.
03:12And we practiced.
03:14And then we picked up the pace double time.
03:16And left.
03:17Right and left.
03:18Right and left.
03:19Three.
03:20Two.
03:20To the North.
03:21To the North.
03:22Go.
03:23Two.
03:23Three.
03:24Single.
03:24Single.
03:25Single.
03:25Hold.
03:25That's why.
03:26Single.
03:26Single.
03:27Hold.
03:27Yeah.
03:30And finally we were ready to perform.
03:32This is not the traditional kente cloth costs $3,000 a yard.
03:36But this is like knockoff version of course.
03:39But you wear kente.
03:40So stuff ain't cheat.
03:41When you're getting married you wear kente.
03:43Very profound cloth in Ghana.
03:45Typically people in her classes just wear comfortable workout clothes that they would
03:48wear to any other fitness studio.
03:50But you guys know me.
03:51And you know that I wanted to get into the groove.
03:54And as I learned from salsa dancing and Bollywood dancing, looking the part can really
03:58help with that.
03:59Yeah.
03:59I got a big head.
04:04I love it.
04:04Let me see.
04:05Can you move your head and we'll move?
04:06Yeah.
04:07Hey.
04:08Hey.
04:09We'll see you Lucy.
04:10Ah.
04:10Ah.
04:11Ah.
04:11Ah.
04:13Yeah.
04:13Yeah.
04:15Practicing.
04:16Ah.
04:17Ah.
04:17Ah.
04:18Making sure the headscarf doesn't fall.
04:22All right.
04:22Go Lucy.
04:24I told you African girl is size.
04:26I am.
04:29Oh.
04:29Woo ¡Woo!
04:30So ready!
04:31In four.
04:32Three.
04:33Two.
04:34was it first?
04:38Oh yeah.
04:41.
04:41No,
04:59no,
05:19African dance seems to be the base foundation for so many of the dance styles I've been
05:24trying recently so it was really special to take a class on the fundamentals of traditional
05:28African dance. With all African music when you hear that bass and that drum it just gets inside of you
05:34and yes she was able to follow me but she actually had her own flavor and vibes to it and
05:39that's what
05:39I love about everybody who comes to Taekooko African dance they come in and like oh I'm not
05:44sure and then as soon as that music drops African all the way.
