I started attending Bokwa classes last year by chance. The fitness school I attended incorporated some Bokwa moves in another class and I soon found myself quite enjoying doing Js, Ks and Ls.

And no, thankfully, the letters don’t stand for jumps, kicks or lunges – though one does end up doing a bit of all these in Bokwa without realising it. Indeed, this is the essence of Bokwa: the classes don’t require you to remember sports names or routines, nor do they require you to count steps like a traditional dance class.

Bokwa steps are structured and based on the forms of letters and numbers

Bokwa is a new dance exercise making waves in England and America, and is slowly becoming popular in Malta too. The moves are a blend of hip-hop and step aerobics with influences of South African-style dance. To a certain extent, it can be compared to Zumba in that it is a blend of aerobics and dance elements in a fun and accessible format.

Bokwa steps are structured and based on the forms of letters and numbers. So with the ‘L’, for instance, you move in an L-shaped direction, and the same for the other letters. The music played is popular radio hits, which adds to the fun element and, as with all dance classes, it motivates you to keep on dancing. Well, that and your teacher, who encourages you to try again, or continue if you are struggling.

Watching my teacher do Bokwa properly was actually my motiv-ation because, admittedly, done by a simple beginner, the routines can seem overtly simplistic. But they are not. Once you grasp what the letters mean, you soon find yourself enjoying the freedom of knowing quite a good bit of choreography.

The classes are interestingly suitable for people of all ages as they allow you to move at your own pace – to a certain degree, of course. They are a great cardio workout as they combine cardio conditioning, strength training, coordination and flexibility. If you really work hard, it is reputed that you can burn 1,000 calories. I’m a bit sceptic about this huge amount of calories, but you do definitely get a good workout.

Bokwa was created by Paul Mavi who teamed up with TV and fitness entrepreneur Johan Verheem in 2012. The dance concept was initially set up in the UK, and then moved on to the US. In the space of just two years the dance classes have become quite a hit with over 4,000 certified Bokwa instructors in the UK and classes available in at least 30 US states.

The name is an amalgamation of ‘boxing’ and ‘kwaito’, an Afrikaans word for a style of South African music and dance, although there is no actual boxing involved in the routines, and no kwaito either since Mavi removed these elements because dancers found them too complicated! Bokwa classes are a good form of exercise for both beginners and more seasoned exercisers. If, like me, you would rather watch a kettle boil than spend half an hour on a treadmill, Bokwa serves as a fun form of exercise. I also like that you exercise in a group, which beats running against nothing (or your imaginary friend) on that treadmill.