Coimbatore ‘sweats the alphabets and dances the digits’ with Bokwa

COIMBATORE: Move over aerobics, Salsa and zumba, make way for Bokwa, the latest buzzword in the global fitness arena.
Three fitness centres have started offering Bokwa classes in Coimbatore since it was introduced in the city three months back. If the number of young people who have enrolled for the sessions are any indication, Bokwa is the new rage in the city.
Bokwa is a South African free style of dancing, which requires no choreography, unlike Zumba, but burns almost double the calories of a normal fitness workout.
Imagine burning 1,200 calories in 58 minutes by purely just having fun and moving to some foot thumping party music. That is what certified Bokwa instructors in around for Bokwa centres in Coimbatore promise. “The Bokwa slogan is sweat the alphabet and dance the digit’,” says one of the city’s Bokwa trainers, Shabhna Sriramakrishna who got herself trained and certified in Bokwa by German Bokwa mentor and expert Aline Vogel. “ Since Bokwa is catching up so fast and is in demand among my Zumba students also, I have started offering Bokwa sessions at least once a week,” says Shabna, who now gets at least four enquiries per week regarding Bokwa classes. She already has close to 45 people learning and practicing the fitness form under her.
This form of fitness does not follow any choreography. It is a South African style aerobic dance activity which derives its name “Bo” from boxing and “Kwaito” an African word for a South African style music and dance. All you need to do is draw English-language letters and numbers with your feet while performing a cardio workout routine. You also move your body to form Roman numerical like 3 or 2.
Because of its high calorie burning moves, Bokwa is popular among a lot of women for its quick results. “Most women who come to us want quick results like loss of weight or loss of inches. I know someone who lost 4 kg in a month. It is also not monotonous,” says another Bokwa instructor Hemalatha Subramanaim, who conducts classes in G V Residency and Nava India. “We can keep changing the dancing pattern so people don’t find it monotonous or boring,” she says. Subramaniam already has around 50 women learning Bokwa under her.
In fact the growing craze for Bokwa has inspired these Bokwa instructors to bring down LA-based fitness personality and the man who is considered pioneer in Bokwa fitness programme, Paul M Mavi Sr, to the city on December 5. The man along with other international Bokwa experts like Aline Vogel, Kim Vuong and Jenny Leigh will conduct an event titled “Bokwa Beat India” at city-based Dr G R Damodaran College. These experts will conduct a two-hour speciality class for almost 500 people. “This event to promote Bokwa is being conducted in Coimbatore even before other bigger cities because they feel the public here are more fitness conscious, are already interested in Bokwa and will enjoy a new concept,” says Bokwa Education Specialist Trainer, Prabhu Ram. “It is already popular in the United States, United Kingdom and many Asian countries. This event will give Coimbatorians a taste of how Bokwa is done internationally,” he says.
Bokwa as a fitness routine is also getting more takers among men from all age groups.