Have you ever gone out dancing and then realized the next day that you’re exhausted? And sore? (If you haven’t, you’re missing out.) That’s because those epic dance moves of yours are great for toning, not to mention cardio. So listen up class, because this week I’m giving you the best assignment ever: an epic dance party.

But that sounds so easy. Too easy to be a real workout, right? Wrong. After a few minutes of all-out dancing with total abandon, you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about. Dance however you want, to whatever song you want, coordinated or completely ridiculous. But keep moving and get that heart rate up! You can invite friends if you want, but I’ve found that sometimes you just need to have a solo dance party. It’s a great stress reliever, and the perfect study break activity. It’s also great for your small space, but be careful and try not to sprain your hand by smacking it into your bedpost. Yes, I actually did that.

To get you started, here are a few videos for epic dance inspiration:

Garnet is a student at Columbia University in New York City. She is “that person” who starts dancing at a party when everyone else is standing around, and if there were a Facebook stalking Olympics, she would be a gold medalist. She also loves cheesy 90s music, and almost died of happiness when Vanilla Ice retweeted her. Once. Follow her on Twitter @garnethenderson.

I am 90s obsessed. To kind of a ridiculous extent. Don’t ask me why, because I can’t even really explain it. But it’s one of my goals to make other people appreciate the 90s just as much as I do. And what better way to do that than show you the best of one of my favorite 90s acts: Salt-N-Pepa. They got started in the 80s of course, so they’ve got all that awesomeness going on, too. But I remember them mostly as they were during my childhood in the 90s. I love their videos, and you should, too. Lyrics: yes. Dancing: yes. Outfits: yes. Girl power: yes. You’ll see what I mean. Read More »

“I’m a dancer.” “Well today, in rehearsal…” “Sorry, I can’t, I have dance.”

In any short conversation with me, you’re bound to hear at least one of those phrases. I’ve been dancing since I was three years old, and I’m still pursuing the dream I had as a little girl to dance professionally. I’m a modern dancer, which is why I was excited to hear that on this season of MADE, MTV will be making Laura Crow into a modern dancer! This is how MTV describes the episode:

Laura Crow is a hardworking perfectionist struggling with body issues as well as her relationship with her father. Now she’s ready to move past her problems and express how she really feels by being MADE into a Modern Dancer.

Uh oh. There we go: body issues. Eating disorders seem to have become an integral part of our culture’s idea of what it means to be a dancer. In just about every Hollywood movie about dancers, at least one of them has an eating disorder. The most recent example of this is Black Swan, in which Natalie Portman’s character is bulimic. Not to mention the fact that both Portman and Mila Kunis ran around for months talking about how skinny they got for their roles. Read More »

I’m a dancer, so you can bet that the second anyone starts to dance in a movie, I’m paying attention. Sometimes I go on YouTube binges where I spend hours and hours looking at dance videos. But I don’t just enjoy watching videos of professional dancers onstage – I love movie dance scenes, too. And believe it or not, great dancing pops up in unexpected places. Sure, Dirty Dancing and Center Stage have big group dances. But do you remember the dance scene in (500) Days of Summer? Check out these videos of some of the best movie dance moments. Read More »

Ah, home for the holidays. An escape from school. Your soft, cushiony bed instead of your cardboard-like dorm room bed. Food, family, and friends. Long, lazy hours on the couch. Am I right?

As Thanksgiving and winter breaks draw near, I think it’s safe to say that everyone is looking forward to a little time off. But wait… you didn’t think I was going to let you off the hook, did you? Just because you’ll be visiting home over the next few months doesn’t mean you can’t use some workout tips. You’ll most likely have a bit more space at home to work out, so take advantage of it! I’ve got some tips to get you moving around a bit more than you could in your dorm room, but don’t get too crazy – we wouldn’t want to destroy any family heirlooms. Read More »

Dear Beyonce,

I am a huge, HUGE fan of yours. I get giggly and excited every time you come out with a new single or video. I will watch even the most boring and endless award show if it means I can catch a performance of yours. And I gush to anyone who will listen about how great you are.

You’re one of the defining artists of my generation. I grew up with you during the Destiny’s Child days, and loved your badass girl power vibe. And you’ve only gotten better. You are a magnetic performer. I am constantly blown away by your incredible energy and your ability to engage an audience. Not to mention your talent for singing and dancing. You don’t fake it the way many pop stars do.

It’s for these reasons that I am so disappointed that you have developed a habit of copying other artists’ work. The most dramatic example of this problem came recently, when Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker pointed out that you had copied much of the choreography in your “Countdown” video from her earlier works Rosas Danst Rosas and Achterland. And not only choreography – you used costumes and camera angles that are almost identical to those in films of De Keersmaeker’s work. This video puts shots from “Countdown” and footage of De Keersmaeker’s company side by side: Read More »

Have you heard of “dick slang,” the newest dance sensation sweeping the nation? No? Well, watch and be all at once fascinated, turned on and disturbed.

I have tried to come up with so many things to say about this video but I just can’t do it. Really, it speaks for itself.

Watch at your own risk.

I often ignore live and “best of”  albums. Even from artists I love. What’s the point, right? I have all their music already – how many different versions do I need? But this week I decided to live on the edge a little bit and listened to both a live album and a “best of” album.

And ZOMG, I’m so happy I did!

Both Jason Mraz’s new live album and Snow Patrol’s compilation rocked my socks off. Yes, I said “rocked my socks off.” And, yes,  I already knew most of the music, but there was something new and exciting and different about hearing it all on a different album, in a different order, in a new way. I just want to hoard every CD/song/version they’ve got.

And then there was the new Dashboard Confessional album. A totally new album. It wasn’t live and it wasn’t a “best of”, but it somehow all sounded the same. In a good way, of course. Dashboard back again with the same great sound.  And you know what? It just might be the “best of “Dashboard. Read More »

Do you ever listen to music that’s completely ridiculous? (Editor’s Note: Does Miley count?) To the point that you start feeling ridiculous and maybe even hide the fact that you listen to other people? (Editor’s Note: Miley definitely counts.) Or just sorta wonder what’s going on in the artist’s head?

OK, so clearly I can’t hide what I’ve been listening to this week – and I’ve already admitted previously to liking Demi Lovato – but that doesn’t mean this week’s new releases didn’t have me scratching my head a bit. And while that’s actually kind of what I’ve come to expect from Weezer and Say Anything, I was a little thrown by my homegirl, Carrie Underwood. Don’t get me wrong, she makes some amusing music, but have you ever stopped to listen to the lyrics?

Why does Carrie Underwood hang out with so many crappy men? Girlfriend needs some help! Read More »

Does music ever just make you so inexplicably happy? Maybe you can’t even describe why you’re feeling so cheery when you hear a certain band or song, but you just feel like you’re floating on air. Only you didn’t have to inhale/snort anything to get there.

All the artists this week make me happy. Even when the songs are sad, I’m happy. And I think that’s a sign of a truly great artist; they can sing about the saddest things in love and still put a smile on my face. And sometimes you just need music to comfort you and make you feel good. Like during midterms after spending 6 straight hours at the library and you’re only a third of the way through your reading.

Yeah, that’s what this week is all about. Read More »