You might expect a belly dance class in a yoga studio to be impossibly new agey, or to skimp on the high-velocity, highly specific muscle moves that make the dance such a killer ab workout. But Shannon “Shea Butter” Lewallen's Shimmy Shape-Up at Swerve Studio on Third Street strikes the right balance. Described as a “newly innovated full-body medium-low-impact cardio workout,” Shimmy Shape-Up offers solid instruction on the basic elements of belly dance — arm movements, hip and rib cage isolation, traveling steps and, of course, the shimmy — at a pace that's slow enough for beginners to follow, but not so snail-paced that you won't break a sweat. 8250 W. Third St., Mid-City. (323) 782-0741, swervestudio.com.

—Karina Longworth

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