i did take a class at the Djoniba drum and dance center by union square. first of all, the instructor....she was a substitute, but the regular instructors star pupil i collected. The regular instructor i heard is soooo mean, very forceful and demanding. 0 tolerance for anything but strict attention and hard work on learning this technique. I like this type of instructor, so it went well with me.
Second, the dance.....so hard. It was a beginner class, but the muscles you use are so not what i'm used to. The barre excercises were very similar as reg ballet, but then some parts were very different. Some parts, you don't use your turnout, you'd use straight leg, which felt weird to have to remember to relax. Then the flat back and the pulling forward of your chest was different and difficult to figure out. Also, the shoulder rolls, you'd put your hands on your hips and push your elbow forward as hard as possible while rolling the shoulders....it felt weird and were sore for days after. Also the rhythm was new and i had to get used to it on top of all that remembering to conform so i didn't get yelled at....lol. All in all, i really really enjoyed it. What i was looking for was to get away from the classic ballet but to learn a specific technique. No shoes were used by the way, which i prefer anyway.