Laura Damschen is not a dancer. She is a normal person who just simply can't live without it. This LA County Kindergarten teacher found her passion for dance just over three months ago and lost 22 pounds in the process. Her fitness success stems from the pure joy and therapy that dancing gives her and she just can't get enough.
Laura grew up in Orange County and moved to Los Angeles one year ago to work in an inner city charter school. Moving to the big city gave her more opportunities to meet a diverse group of friends, try new things and stir up her creative side as well. Like most LA residents, she signed up for a gym membership to maintain her health goals. Being a teacher in the community, she enjoyed taking the group fitness classes. However, she disliked how every class felt "like a cattle call." Laura's curiosity perked up one night when she saw a Zumba infomercial. She had heard about the Zumba fitness craze but had never seen it done or had the means of trying it before. Her friend introduced her to Your Neighborhood Studio, where she tried her first Zumba class and immediately fell in love.
"The instructors [at YNS] are so talented, interesting, caring and engaging," she said. She felt an immediate connection with the instructors and loves the fact that they not only give corrections to their students but they also give high fives! "I'm not thinking about the workout when I'm in class...my shirt may be drenched in sweat but when one song ends, I find myself thinking, what song is next...let's keep dancing!"
She began her YNS addiction with all cardio-based “follow-the-leader-style” classes, like Zumba, Cardio Hip Hop, Cardio Carnivale, Cardio Bellydance and Cardio Disco. She since has worked her way towards more choreographed dance classes like Burlesque, Cabana Cabaret and Booiaka. Although, choreography is new to her, and she doesn't nail every step, she says she leaves each class with "a new sense of accomplishment." She aspires to keep expanding her dance vocabulary and technique.
Since her first visit to YNS in March 2011, Laura has lost 22 pounds. The dance classes she takes are her
sole workout on top of her Weight Watchers diet plan. She started attending 1 class a week at the studio and now attends 4-5 classes a week. Once the school year ends, she plans to spend her summer vacation dancing every day and adding new hobbies to her schedule like guitar and art/painting lessons.
Laura cannot imagine her life without dance. When she tells her friends about her new passion for dance, "they tell me I'm glowing," she said. No matter how hard or crazy her work day may be, she makes time for her dance classes. Dance is, in fact, her therapy. She further explained, "Someone made me feel bad one day and instead of turning to eating or sitting around feeling bad for myself, I came to dance at YNS." Her frustrations and worries melt away when she dances. Laura Damschen is living proof of the YNS motto: "When in doubt...DANCE!"
Do you have a similar success story? We'd love to hear more about it!
