Seen On Screen’s Beyoncé Masterclass: tried and tested!

Seen On Screen was founded by professional dancer Bonnie Parsons, who was a regular dancer on The X Factor Live Shows and has worked with the likes of Kelly Rowland, JLS and Florence & The Machine.

Bonnie has brought her showbiz experience to dance-lovers everywhere by offering classes that teach the choreography from top pop stars’ music videos – such as Britney Spears, Jason Derulo and Rihanna.

My class took place on the Southbank, but Seen On Screen also has classes in Tottenham Court Road, Spitalfields, Canary Wharf and Clapham. Walking into the studio was intimidating at first. The room was full of some obvious regulars, while others were shifting uncomfortably on the spot (just like me!) – clearly trying the class out for the first time. However, as soon as the clock struck three, all inhibitions went out the window. Bonnie instantly put everyone at ease by throwing us into a full on warm up and encouraging us to ‘get your skank on’. The women in the class were different shapes and sizes, but we all had one thing in common – we were ready to unleash our Sasha Fierce.

The warm-up featured classic Beyoncé moves to make everyone feel fierce from the get-go. As this was a Masterclass, dance moves were first broken down before we learnt any choreography. Bonnie enlightened us about how important ‘chinography’ – the art of raising or lowering your chin for some added sass – can be, as well as many other classic Bey moves, such as the hair flick and the booty pop. However, one of the highlights of the warm-up was definitely perfecting the Beyoncé walk. As we took it in turns to strut across the room in groups, we were encouraged to cheer and whoop the ‘strutters’ on. So fun!

The warm-up also included a five-minute sit-up challenge – as Bonnie pointed out that in order to dance like Beyoncé, you need a strong core. After the warm-up was done and dusted, it was time to move on to the routine. For this Masterclass, we were going to learn a routine to a compilation of Diva, Run The World (Girls) and Flawless – some of Beyoncé’s most badass tracks. If the music didn’t pump us up enough, the choreography definitely made our heart rates race. Seen On Screen dance classes are just as much about the fitness as they are about the dancing – you truly do work your entire body from head to toe.

As difficult as some of the dance moves may have seemed when Bonnie first demonstrated them to the class, after a lot of practise, two hours of dancing had shaped up into an awesome routine. Everyone was hot, sweaty, had probably drank about a litre of water each and was feeling absolutely fabulous and sexy to boot.

The aim of the class wasn’t to perfect the dance routine, but to go for it no-holds-barred, whether you mess up a little or not. I left feeling absolutely bootylicious and I’m already on the lookout for any future Seen On Screen dance classes that catch my eye. If you want to go to class where you’ll have an amazing time and boost your fitness, then be sure to check out these classes.

Visit Seen On Screen for the class timetable. Membership packages start from £75 a month, or you can book individual classes from £15.