Does Kahla have the moves to be a Backstreet Boy? Spoiler alert: No. (Original image: Getty)
Circa 1997, you couldn’t get through a single episode of Video Hits without encountering a pack of floppy-haired babes crooning about the girl they’d stop at nothing to get back (or something or other).
From the Backstreet Boys and N*Sync to Human Nature and 5ive, all these boy bands had common threads: heartfelt lyrics, a liberal splash of auto-tune, questionable fashion sense, and above all, impassioned dance moves.
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This week, I did my teenage-self proud by learning some of those trademark moves at a ’90s Boy Band Boot Camp. Yep. That happened.
The lesson was led by Shannon Dooley, founder of the ’80s inspired freestyle aerobics class, Retrosweat. The Sydney-based actor/singer/choreographer/fitness instructor has a passion for fitness, fun and dress-ups, and she’s been branching out from her usual lycra-tastic workouts to offer ‘Retrosweat Routine’ — a series of classes teaching specific, themed routines.
Boy Band boot camp was the first of these classes, and in the hallowed words of the Backstreet Boys it was truly 'larger than life'.
To warm up, Shannon — boy band name 'Shane' — introduced us to some of the tenets of boy band dancing, like the 'Come over here, girl' chin tilt and the 'I need you, girl' fist pump.
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Unfortunately, I hadn't twigged that the dance theme extended to the dress code; so while I'd rocked up in a plain workout ensemble, my co-dancers had accessorised appropriately with backwards caps, chains and drawn-on goatees.
Post warm-up, we jumped straight into the routine Shannon had put together. All the classic moves were there: the spins, the ceiling points, the hip thrusts, the fancy footwork. (Post continues after gallery.)
Retrosweat: Boy Band Bootcamp
It was glorious — and also a lot harder than Justin Timberlake and co. let on. The transitions were speedy, there was a lot of tricky arm-leg coordination, and things got sweaty pretty fast. It's a damn good workout.
Also, it wasn't a case of simply going through the motions of the routine. Oh, no. Dancing like a boy band member requires emotion, and intention. A hip thrust is never just a hip thrust: it's an important communicative step in getting the girl, or getting her back after you've lost her, or pining for her, or saying Bye Bye Bye.
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However, there's also a major upside of boy band dancing: the moves apply to just about any album number. Shannon's routine was a perfect fit for breezy tunes ('Telling Everybody'), defiant anthems ('It's Gonna Be Mehhh') and heartfelt ballads ('I Want It That Way'). That certainly explains why all those '90s boy band music clips have all melded into one in my mind.
After performing the routine, we finished up with an almost uncomfortably sexual warm-down to Silk's Freak Me. Nothing like stretching out your legs while a grown man moans about wanting to lick your body and get freak-ayyy. That said, it was the most fun I've ever had during a warm-down — put it this way, I've never smiled that much after a spin class.
If there's one thing I've learned about myself from my boy band boot camp experience, it's that I'm not a natural-born pop star. How did these guys sing, dance, and look so swoony all at the same time? Such talent.
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In conclusion, my verdict on building up a sweat in a way that's fun, hilarious and '90s-themed? 'I Want It That Way'.
Have you tried any fitness classes recently? Tell us about it in the comments below.
To find out more about Retrosweat, you can get in touch via their website or Facebook.
