Each month we’ll be highlighting a new Dance Central fan in the Dancer’s Spotlight! These pieces will give us a chance to recognize some of our most dedicated and inspiring Dance Central community members, and give you a chance to meet your fellow dancers! We’ll talk with cosplayers, Fitness Challenge participants, artists, and more, so check back each month to see whose turn it is in the Spotlight.
Howdy to all those out there in the Dance Central Universe! My name is Sean, but most of the DC forum regulars probably know me as the DLC reviewing, fanfiction writing and, at times, trolling, Seanyboy99. I’m a 22- year- old (although it would probably be more accurate to say that I have been 10 years old for the past 12 years) recent college graduate, about to become a 22- year- old law student. When I’m not too busy reading (as an English major you literally read every book ever written. True story!) or writing, I’m usually playing around in some MMORPG / other video game, finding new music to listen to, or just finding ways to be the biggest geek I can be.
While I have never had any formal dance training, or did any other dance besides the Cha-Cha Slide in front of other people, I have always been interested in dance. I would watch people participating in the dance circle at school dances or contestants on So You Think You Can Dance and be awestruck at their moves. As much as I wanted to learn how to dance like those people, there were a couple of things that kept me from going after those dreams. The first is that I’m a rather shy person, and so fear of being faced with the whole embarrassing, “You’re a guy . . . and you dance??? LOL!!!” situation kept me from fulfilling that dream. The second thing that kept me from dancing was, well . . . I have always been pretty overweight . It’s hard enough going to a dance class when you’re shy, but throw overweight into the formula and just the thought of doing physically demanding activities in a group setting is enough to fill one with dread.
“If you were a gamer and you wanted to dance so bad, then why didn’t you just play dancing games?” you may ask. Well, DDR didn’t really keep my interest long enough for me to get better at it, and I didn’t play it regularly enough to get any health related benefits. Now enter Dance Central, stage right. Everything about DC appealed to my inner geek -, the colorful characters, the bright and shiny neon lights you see when you are playing well, and even the “Ding!” of Boomy when you earn a star. The best thing, though, was that it featured legitimate choreography! Play a game and learn to dance at the same time? Yes please!
One of the added bonuses of playing Dance Central is that it gives me a form of regular exercise, and not just any exercise, but FUN exercise! I think the biggest thing that caused me to cling to such a sedentary lifestyle in the past was that I never found any exercise enjoyable. I love Dance Central so much, that when I decided to begin my grand adventure to lose weight, I knew that it would be my main source of cardio. I also undertook some weight training. In terms of eating, I didn't really go on a diet (as in “YOU CAN ONLY EAT RICE CAKES AND CELERY!”) However, I did eat smarter (I discovered these sweet little red things called strawberries) and, more importantly, I ate less. And the results…
I went from weighing over 315 lbs. to a much more respectable 185 with just diet and exercise. The surprising part: it only took me a little over a year! It wasn't all smooth sailing though, because within the first two month of starting my fitness program, I got a minor knee injury while dancing. It was frustrating, being forced to rest when my goal was to get fit as fast as possible, but I just forced myself to take it easy so that I could get back to doing my fitness routine.
I learned a lot of things during my weight loss journey, so here are a few nuggets of wisdom to help other people wanting to lose weight.
Track your calories. You don’t have to go crazy trying to calculate every single calorie you eat and burn, but try to get a ballpark idea of how many you are eating (Read those nutrition labels and pay attention to serving size, yo!) vs. how many you are burning each day and make sure that you are creating a deficit.
Find an exercise / sport / physical activity that you enjoy. If you dread doing it, then it’s likely that you’ll quit your exercise program before you can get any benefits.
Think of “healthy” as being a lifestyle, rather than a diet / fitness plan. Being healthy doesn't mean working your butt off for a few months and then saying, “Finally reached my goal weight. Woo, I’m done!” You have to keep making healthy choices so that you can stay healthy. It doesn't have to be as extreme as when you were losing weight, but you can’t just veg out on the couch and eat fast food day after day.
Finally, (and pay attention, because this one is like life lesson stuff too): Don't worry about what other people will think or say, and never EVER let fear of embarrassment stop you from doing something that you want to do. No matter what you dream of: being thin, a dancer, a professional clown, the next Iron Chef or whatever, pursue that dream and forget about what your friends / parents /other kids in your class / anybody else but yourself thinks.
I could try to provide you with a “Super Sean Fitness Playlist!” but I think that the fitness challenges provided by Harmonix already do a great job of getting you fit. Instead, here is a playlist of some of my favorite Dance Central songs!
"The Way I Are" -Timbaland ft. Kery Hilson and D.O.E. (DLC)
"Just Dance" -Lady Gaga (DC)
"We Run This" -Missy Elliot (DLC)
"Get Busy" -Sean Paul (DLC)
"Tempted to Touch" -Rupee (DLC)
"I Wish For You" -EXILE (DC2)
"Don't Touch Me (Throw Da Water On 'Em)" -Busta Rhymes (DLC)
"O.P.P." -Naughty by Nature (DLC)
"Technologic" -Daft Punk (DC2)
"Yeah!" -Usher ft. Lil' Jon & Ludacris (DC2)
"Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" -Backstreet Boys (DC3)
"You Make Me Feel…" -Cobra Starship ft. Sabi (DC3)
"Moves Like Jagger" -Maroon 5 (DC3)
"On The Floor" -Jennifer Lopez ft. Pitbull (DLC3)
"Umbrella" -Rihanna ft. JAY-Z (DLC)