{"id":5039,"date":"2023-06-27T04:14:35","date_gmt":"2023-06-26T21:14:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=5039"},"modified":"2023-06-27T04:14:35","modified_gmt":"2023-06-26T21:14:35","slug":"the-barbie-dance-workout-is-a-pure-dopamine-hit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=5039","title":{"rendered":"The Barbie Dance Workout Is a Pure Dopamine Hit"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"drop-cap text-big text-gray\"> <span class=\"drop-cap__first text-dropcap \">A<\/span>s we count down to the July 21 release of Greta Gerwig\u2019s live-action <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vogue.com\/article\/everything-you-need-to-know-greta-gerwig-barbie\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.vogue.com\/article\/everything-you-need-to-know-greta-gerwig-barbie\"><em>Barbie<\/em><\/a> film, something wild has happened. Many of us have gotten swept up in a giddy flurry. Women in their 20s and 30s are channeling their inner child in videos on social media, reflecting on their favorite <em>Barbie <\/em>movie from the 2000s (<em>The Twelve Dancing Princesses<\/em> ftw) or playing up to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/neon-activewear-barbie\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/neon-activewear-barbie\/\">\u2018Barbiecore\u2019 fashion trend<\/a> by donning the girliest, glitteriest outfit in their wardrobe.<\/div>\n<p>I\u2019m not ashamed to admit that I myself have been counting down to the release like a kid in the lead-up to Christmas. Now more than ever, I\u2019m drunk on all things Barbie. My wardrobe is a sea of pink, and Aqua\u2019s <em>Barbie Girl <\/em>has become the anthem of my summer. The only thing yet to be Barbie-fied is my workout routine.<\/p>\n<p>So, what better time to dig into the archives and give the Barbie dance workout from the early \u201890s a try? Mattel released the <em>Dance! Workout With Barbie <\/em>in 1992, and even though I never did it as a kid, my newfound excitement for all-things-Barbie convinced me to give it a go.<\/p>\n<div class=\"iframe-container\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=xH9kcjg9ATQ\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=xH9kcjg9ATQ<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The video opens with a grainy pink disclaimer: I\u2019m about to partake in \u201ca safe, enjoyable 25-minute routine of light dance aerobics intended for kids ages 5 and up.\u201d This should be a walk in the park, right?<\/p>\n<p>The camera pans to Barbie\u2019s dressing room, where we find the doll perched in front of her mirror. Straight off the bat, I\u2019m extremely jealous of her outfit: Hot pink leggings paired with a black and white polka dot two-piece and matching leg-warmers! In comparison, I feel a little underdressed in my oversized sleep shirt covered in coffee stains.<\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content \" style=\"\" data-module-init=\"related-content\" data-module-immediate=\"\" v-cloak=\"\">\n<div class=\"related-content__wrapper \" v-cloak=\"\" :class=\"{'is-loaded':isLoaded}\">\n<p> <span class=\"inline pr-6 text-seafoam-dark\">Related Stories<\/span> <\/p>\n<p> <related-content class=\"related-content__links\" parent-article-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/barbie-dance-workout\/\" current-title=\"I Tried the Barbie Dance Workout From the \u201990s, and It Turned Out To Be the Ultimate Dopamine Hit\" current-image=\"GettyImages-barbie-dance-workout-425x285.jpg\" v-on:parsely-posts-loaded=\"onPostsLoaded\" start-date=\"2022-12-26\" tag=\"div\" inline-template=\"\" url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/barbie-dance-workout\/\" secret=\"w5ztterVB03LGZJLfXS0hf3EvQBuFFIWew9hmVQxthU\" apikey=\"wellandgood.com\" limit=\"3\"> <\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"related-content__card mb-[10px] sm:mb-[20px]\" :class=\"{'related-content__card--full':posts.length === 1}\" v-for=\"(post, key) in posts\"> <a v-on:click.prevent=\"trackLinkGA($event, key)\" :href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/barbie-dance-workout\/post.url\" data-url-source=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content__link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content__card--image bg-tan\" :style=\"{ backgroundImage: 'url(' + post.image_url + ')' }\"> <img :src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/barbie-dance-workout\/post.image_url\" :alt=\"post.title\"\/> <\/div>\n<p> <\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/related-content> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>However, as Barbie turns to address me, I realize that something about her feels a little\u2026off. Her head jolts back and forth like a disjointed ventriloquist dummy, and her frozen, blank features look like they\u2019ve been molded out of Play-Doh. This rudimentary version of Barbie is a world away from the modern images we see today; the Barbie of yore is, well, slightly creepy.<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately, this malfunctioning puppet Barbie hands over the reins to Kim, a real-life instructor. Kim is standing center-stage in a studio that looks exactly how I imagined the gym in Barbie\u2019s Dreamhouse to look, surrounded by some much younger back-up dancers. I suddenly feel like Jennifer Garner in <em>13 Going On 30; <\/em>I have a good 20 years on all the other participants on-screen.<\/p>\n<p>Kim wastes no time and launches straight into the warmup with some high-leg marches on the spot. The moves at this stage are pretty basic\u2014mostly stepping from side-to-side, with some cheerleader-inspired arm movements sprinkled in. I look embarrassingly similar to how I do dancing in the club when the margaritas haven\u2019t quite kicked in yet: Playing it safe with an awkward, predictable two-step. However, as warmups go, it\u2019s a pretty entertaining one. My heart rate is rising and I\u2019m loosening up with some full-body stretching, all the while being spurred on by classic \u201890s electro-pop.<\/p>\n<p>This feels like a piece of cake\u2026but I\u2019m abruptly jolted out of my comfort zone when the actual workout begins. Kim starts by walking us through the first official move in this dance routine: The Barbie Basic. The camera cuts to Barbie, who explains that we\u2019ll be leaning a lot on this move because \u201cit lets you catch your breath.\u201d Now, maybe it\u2019s just me and my lack of dance skills, but I found The Barbie Basic to be anything but. I became a blur of flailing limbs in the process of trying to figure it out.<\/p>\n<p>This rocky start sets the tone for the next 10 minutes or so, which, to be honest, I spend in a state of utter chaos and confusion. Kim is a fiery ball of energy who puts even the most motivated of SoulCycle instructors to shame. She whizzes through each move at the speed of light with limited explanation.<\/p>\n<p>As each new sequence is introduced, I become disoriented, begin sweating bullets and repeatedly smash into every piece of furniture within a five-meter radius. There\u2019s no two ways about it: This routine is far more technically complex than I could\u2019ve imagined.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>This routine is far more technically complex than I could&#8217;ve imagined.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>I\u2019m beginning to suspect that the little girls behind Kim are professionally-trained dancers who have been practicing this Broadway-standard choreography for months. (I discover later on that one of them is actually none other than <em>the <\/em>Jennifer Love Hewitt!) They\u2019re all doing a fantastic job of showing me up, that\u2019s for sure.<\/p>\n<p>I can distinctly picture my 10-year-old self sobbing in frustration while attempting to master the intricate footwork behind The Attitude or The Bunny Flop. It\u2019s easy to see how this workout could quickly descend into tears and tantrums for the average pre-teen\u2014even I\u2019m struggling to keep my cool.<\/p>\n<p>However, after a few faltering fumbles as each new sequence is introduced, I gradually get the hang of it. Once I\u2019ve accepted that I need to rewind the tape a few times to learn a new move, I\u2019m Hot Stepping and Street Tapping along with the rest of them in no time.<\/p>\n<p>At the halfway point, I\u2019ve finally found my groove. I\u2019ve thrown any trace of perfectionism out the window, and now I\u2019m dancing along with reckless abandon. I\u2019m giving my all, performing my favorite sequence so far: The running man (or rather, \u201cThe Jammin\u2019 Jogger\u201d). A wave of pure serotonin washes over me, as I begin to chant \u201cFashion Statement!\u201d along with the music.<\/p>\n<p>As someone who typically dreads cardio, I found this workout to be a refreshing change to the usual. You break a decent sweat without even noticing because you\u2019re too busy perfecting your moves and keeping up with Kim. The high energy and nostalgic vibes are so palpable that they practically emanate from the screen.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>You break a decent sweat without even noticing because you&#8217;re too busy perfecting your moves and keeping up.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The workout closes with a freestyle section, at which point the girls on screen break out of formation with a series of pirouettes, jumps, and kicks. If the workout had opened with this, I would\u2019ve switched off my TV then and there. But now, having left all inhibitions behind, I have no issue matching Kim\u2019s feral energy. I\u2019m dancing like nobody\u2019s watching, and it\u2019s gloriously liberating.<\/p>\n<p>I have to admit, the <em>Dance! Workout with Barbie <\/em>turned out to be quite the emotional rollercoaster. It was far more physically (and mentally) taxing than I expected, especially for a routine intended for those \u201cages five and up.\u201d But I suppose it teaches kids\u2014and fully grown adults like me\u2014an important lesson: It\u2019s okay to trip up and make mistakes, as long as you can give it your all and laugh at yourself along the way.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As we count down to the July 21 release of Greta Gerwig\u2019s live-action Barbie film, something wild has happened. Many of us have gotten swept up in a giddy flurry. Women in their 20s and 30s are channeling their inner child in videos on social media, reflecting on their favorite Barbie movie from the 2000s &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5041,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5039","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5039"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5039\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5041"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}