Children with mini Gita at Ranchi Gymkhana Club during a summer camp. Picture by Prashant Mitra

Ranchi, May 21: The capital’s hip and happening are all set to shake (a leg) and shed the flab.

Physical fitness committee of Ranchi Gymkhana Club is organising a dance session for couples this summer to get themselves back in shape through enjoying themselves.

Chairman of the committee Kamal Jain said: “The concept of fitness dance is completely new in the capital and we want to cash in on the craze. By organising such a dancing class for a couple, we will help them get in shape and let romance be in the air also.”

The eight-day course, which is to begin from Sunday, encompasses a variety of dance forms based on their utility. “During the course, we will teach couples four types of dance styles — ballroom, belly, salsa and flamenco. While ballroom dancing helps in exercise of thighs and buttocks, salsa releases toxins via sweating. Belly dancing helps prepare women for childbirth and increases flexibility, the flamenco increases memory power and prevents cardiovascular problems,” he said.

Apart from this, the sways, turns, swirls, swings and bends will help them burn lots of calories, said Namita Srivastava, a trained fitness dancer from Calcutta. Srivastava will be conducting the classes here at Ranchi Gymkhana Club.

On being asked about the idea of combining dance with fitness, she said: “More than an exercise, dancing is fun. People enjoy dancing. And there are no side effects of this kind of activity unlike other high impact exercises like running and jogging for instance. These exercises sometimes lead to breathlessness and hypertension for many.”

Srivastava added: “The most important reason for organising this session is that spouses can dance with their partners and make love blossom again while exercising.”

The club, which is organising a host of other activities for physical fitness this season, has also built a mud walking track of 500m with milestones at every 20m. Here, flowering plants will be grown and mellifluous bhajans will be played in the background after dusk for evening walkers.