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As a regular to body jam I am not enjoying the new way of introducing the easy moves 1st and then adding the 'advanced' moves later on. I find sometimes the 'advanced 'moves are easier in some releases than the 'easier' moves. The last few released haven't really worked us as hard as the older releases and I know my instructor explained that they are trying to make it accessible to everyone but the regulars seem to get bored of the new release a few weeks down the line and stop coming as regular. I would like to see the moves more challenging with options to make them lower but teaching the advanced moves from the start.

well your instructors should know the level you guys are at. i  have launched the past two releases using base as plus was not challenging enough. The theory is spot on but there needs much more complexity which i think is gunna happen in 50 and 51 from what i have heard?

I disagree.  I have found the new format releases to be just as challenging as the old format.

Some releases, new and old format, are more cardio intensive and others more chorrey intensive.

Taking BJ49 as an example, I like both the base and plus moves though I find it's a little harder to maintain a groove continuously with the plus moves.  So when I feel the funk slipping away, I just slip back to the base version until I find it again.

Maybe some participants get bored because they're just mirroring the instructor.  They should break out and make each section their own.  Put their own stank on the moves.  Only glance at the instructor to make sure they're still in synch.

Again, by teaching the base first, participants have something they know very well to fall back on when the advanced groove slips away.  Make the plus moves more challenging by putting your own juju on them.

Rex

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Excuse me... May I motivate you?

Yes I think your right about making it your own once you know the moves, I'll pass that advice on to my friends. We do find that the latest released aren't as Cardio Vascular as BJ 40-45. We do have excellent instructors who do try to introduce the advanced moves as soon as they can but I like the challenge of the advanced moves. Still when I think back to how I felt when I first started I can see why they take it easy for the beginners but it just means the regulars don't have a as challenging class.

I think it all depends. I think 49 Base is extremely challenging. You have to work on your stamina and on your precision to keep up, especially in the House Block.

I think that with 47 & 48 Gandalf & crew were still trying to figure it out, with mixed results (I mixed out 48 as soon as humanly possible!) and it felt like 49 was the first release where the concept truly met execution.

Honestly, Jam will always be a bit of a strange bird and the format where it will be hardest to please everyone. People who are looking for an advanced dance class are not necessarily focused on the calorie-burn potential but the average gym-goer wants to work out hard without feeling awkward. Depending on where you teach, a class like Jam is a hard sell. When both Zumba and Combat are the classes that pack in the most people, I'm not sure sometimes about the future of Jam in my club. So when the moves are made "less challenging", even though its not interesting to me, I know it's what will get people to not only come but STAY through the whole class.

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analyse capitalism choose revolution demand chocolate

While I agree that as an instructor I get "bored" more easily with some of the newer low options, I also find that I have people in my class that I have never seen before. Yes, the challenge lies in keeping the "regulars" enganged and wanting to find their fitness "high". But that concept is ALL in the hands of the instructors.

Take BJ 49: the main feel of the first half is very jazzy and "dance studio" oriented. Most BJ regulars don't take dance lessons outside of our JAM classes and therefore feel very insecure with moves they don't really understand. (Which is how new people feel all the time!) I have heard many people complain the first few days of launching this release. "I don't like it", "I can't get the jump-thing at the end", "It's not challenging enough", etc. But when we stuck our ground and continued to coach the members thru the first half they eventually got it and ended up loving the "dance-studio" feel. Likewise, the people that have never been to a JAM class before had the time to pick up the moves without worrying about feeling "stupid" or insecure with their own personal limits.

The same applies to all new releases. Sure, I don't like some of them. If I hear "Chaka Kahn" one more time I might go off the deep end. But that doesn't and SHOULDN'T matter to us. Challenge your members to "jump higher", "see if you can go across the room". There is always room for improvement.

JAM will always be a tough class to promote and sell. Fitness people want calories and sweat, dance people want new moves and style. But if YOU, the instructor, have fun everyone else should too. THAT'S what keeps this class alive.  

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Those who dare to dream, dare to do. -EF

I've been doing jam for years and years as a participant. I think Gandalf pitches the classes exactly right. There appear to be a few posters on the forum clamoring for advanced choreography but as others have already pointed out, advanced dancers are NOT even going to be in a body jam class - they go to specialised dance studios.

Body Jam is not a class for advanced dancers, it is a class for people who want a cardiovascular workout that is dance-based. When people master the moves they can then, as others have pointed out, add their own flair to each move and also put more energy into each move therefore increasing their cardiovascular workout.

Of course there is no harm in instructors trying to add in plus moves but if as an instructor you look around and the class clearly isn't able to do it, I suggest you revert back to the base pretty fast or you will begin losing numbers. All an instructor has to do is look at your class - if they can't do the advanced moves forget about it and stick with the base. The test is the bulk of your participants.

Where the plus moves involve lots of extra spins, as a participant alarm bells ring for me. I've been doing aerobics for a lot of years and will not risk anything that can cause injury or strain on my knees. So too many extra "plus" spins are not worth it for me. And even if they are shown to me as a plus option, I will stick to the base for safety reasons.

I'm just concerned that there appear to be a few whingers in the forum whereas as a long term jammer participant, I think Gandalf has it exactly right and he should stick with what he knows and has done so brilliantly for 20 releases. Body Jam 51 is surely one of the best releases he has ever done.

As I've said in another thread, Body Attack and Body Combat feature simple choreography and are more mass market classes appealing to men AND women whereas Jam appeals IMO mainly to women and gay men outside of the New Zealand market. So there is not the same core mass market numerically as the other class formats as outside of New Zealand IMO very few straight men do Jam and I base that on having done many Jam classes in Sydney [Australia], Toronto [Canada], London [England], Paris [France] and Auckland [New Zealand]. Jam has an important dance-related role on the timetable but there will never be 10 Jam classes a week like there are Body Attack or Pump. And that's ok. It's wrong for people to judge the success of Jam by the Pump/Body Attack and Combat yardstick. It is a different kettle of fish entirely. The idea of gym timetables is to have a mix of classes to cater to a wide variety of members.

Interesting analysis, Juliew...  I didn't give much thought about the demography classifed by personal preferences, when I uploaded my reply to your post in another thread...  Today is holiday in Japan, and I'd like to post a relaxed one this time...

I don't know, but you may be right.  When I did BJ50 first time, I wondered why G did not combine famous Finally 1996 remix to the 2008 one.  He might have been aware of the demography and amused them by this particular Ce Ce Peniston number, but avoided the too obvious...if there wasn't a copyright barrier, I guess.  I am just a party lover back in 90's, and at that time, I heard that CCP was the knock-out number in UK gay club scene.  You may recall an Academy (costume design) winning Australian movie called The Adventure of PRISCILLA, Queen of the Desert, which was the one HollyWood copied later and failed miserably.

Anyway, to me, I don't know why, but numbers by CCP reminds me of Gloria Estefan numbers, especially those in EVOLUTION tour DVD, such as like "repeat the beat, repeat the beat, move my body, yeah, yeah, yeah,..." and Turn The Beat Around in the medley.   As BJ51 has the best Gloria number ever as someone (was it tiger75?) posted in another thread, I really look forward to doing it.

Finally, Juliew recommended instructors to be prepared for 51 by doing some earlier BJ numbers in another thread.  I also recommend watching the EVOLUTION DVD, just to have a thought about one possible target of BJ.  You may be impressed by how big the crowd of mid 90's party lover is and how Gloria treats her fans...lol