When you see these guys, you'd be thinking, 'man! I wouldn't want to meet them in a dark alley' but after taking their classes, I've realised that they are the loveliest, most hard working people I've met. The sensei (Sakakura San) is not there to make you feel like you have no hope in hell of dancing like him - but instead he really wants you to get the moves, and then add your own personality to them... This is so rare for a dance teacher.
They are always doing shows so they are bursting with energy and excitement every time I come to class. I'd say he's well on his way to becoming a Yoda.
If you want to see what Hip Hop Nunchaku dance looks like, I recommend you check out the videos on this site.
The best kickboxing gym in Japan. The guys there are devoted, true hard workers.
There are no structured classes, but there are Thai instructors there all afternoon and night, available to help. They will hold pads for you and polish your technique. The gym is really clean and well set up. The floor has been properly installed so it's good for your knees. There are 2 boxing rings and 16 bags, and great music playing. The change rooms are properly facilitated with showers, lockers, etc. If you forget to bring half your training gear like I always do, you can rent or buy clothes, wraps etc. There are gloves and pads available to use free as well. If you want to get into pro fighting, this gym is really well connected to K1, Titans and other big comps.
Most people are scared of Ihara Kaichyo - he is really professional with top standards. He commands top respect and manners are everything to him, however, if you show him that you really want to improve and you try your best - he will do anything for you. The best thing about the dojo is that you don't feel like you are the only insane person turning up every night training on bleeding feet and swollen ankles. Every couple of months there are pro fights for women held in the gym. I recommend this gym for women if you want to make it as a pro fighter.
Latin Dance studios are often tense, competitive, serious and severe places to frequent. What I love about Dance Latino is that it promotes fun first.
If you are into social dancing, the courses are structured really well, where you can start at beginners level and work your way into advanced. There are several studios in Sydney and you can turn up at any one of them to complete your course. They teach you Latin, Ballroom, New Vogue, Street Latin and also show you how to apply it to night club, pub/bar and wedding music.
There's nothing like training for a comp to improve your dancing skills out of sight. They will support you and prepare you for what seems like a daunting scary scene. As they, themselves made their way into the biggest world latin/ballroom comp (Blackpool), they know what it takes to push your way through the grades. Their main business is instructing multiple social dance classes, so there are not so many couples training for competition - this means the ones that are there are treated with special attention (which is difficult to find in this scene)... and unsurprisingly, they all do really well.
Because the group classes are so successful, the atmosphere is really exciting. The best thing about the classes is that people from the higher grades are allowed to participate in the lower classes so you get to practise with better dancers and improve faster.
Australia
home.iprimus.com.au/hurdle/martial_arts/Jodo
Japan
The Jodo teachers in Australia are unbelievably generous. You know you have hit on a true martial art when the teachers are in it for no financial gain. They have a wealth of knowledge about this "dying" Japanese martial art. Jodo is definitely not for heros, they make you 'wax on wax off' for months before you are even allowed to learn some moves. Most people drop out because of this - which means the people remaining are definitely people worth meeting. Jodo is a bit like chess, if you are into strategy and detail then you will get a work out. The best thing about these guys is that they are always travelling to Japan to brush up their skills and meet with the Grandmaster to keep the style pure and accurate.
Sydney, Australia
These guys are so friendly! If you are looking for good exercise with fun, I recommend here. Capoeira, the Brazilian martial art looks impossible to do, however, they start you on really simply exercises and you start gaining enough strength from these to go on and do all the fancy flips and hand stands. They are always performing outdoors around Manly and other nice places and they will bring you along to join in and have fun. The master, Mestre Cicatriz is from Brazil and he is so amazing.