Bootie Shaking

Booiaka: The New New Zumba in L.A.

Wherein Sasha P-R writes in from Los Angeles with the down low on a hot new class... -The Eds. Walking into a dance studio in Los Angeles often feels like stumbling onto the set of Fame. Everyones got leg warmers, jazz shoes and sexy-sporty dance pants. Choreography blows by you at break neck pace, but your fellow classmates bust moves like theyre in a Janet Jackson video. Looking around, you realize that most of them are, and/or they are a member of the Pussycat Dolls. And all you wanted was a little cardio. There is one increasingly hot dance hub in L.A., however, that's got your back if you're a mere mortal. Appropriately enough, it's called Your Neighborhood Studio. YNS is across the street from Smashbox Studios, in the old home of Debbie Allens dance academy, and it's keeping the faith with the motto, When in doubtdance!" The studio offers the full gamut of classes, including ballet, jazz, hip hop, and modern, as well as burlesque, street tap, Bollywood, and "strip hop." BUT, arguably the most popular class on the schedule goes down at 9:30 A.M. on Saturday mornings.... It's called Booiaka (pronounced: boo-ya-cah), and it was created and is taught by Tatiana Tamai. "Tati" mixes hip hop, Reggaeton, Brazilian and African dance to create a 50-minute non-stop dance routine. Theres no single move she relies on, but there does seem to be an organizing theme. Booiaka is about, you know, shaking theres a lot of chest and pumping movement," she says in a lovely Italian accent. "You work on your hips, you squat a lot. But my point is more mental than physical. Sometimes, especially when people arent dancers, they dont let go, they are not confident. Thats where I try to push them. How popular is the class? Students have started to meet for parties and meals outside of class, and Tatiana's website refers to the class only somewhat tongue-in-cheek as a "movement." What's going on here? Music is the key, she says. Im a hip hop lover but I use a lot of Brazilian style with a drum beat. Thats what makes people enthusiastic. You heard it hear first: Get into a Booiaka class. Zumba is so 2009!