Hip Hop 'N' Heels classes for Cork dance studio

Calling all the single ladies — and even those who’ve got a partner — it’s the dance class you’ve all been waiting for.

A dance instructor who’s performed on stage with pop star Jesse J wants to teach Irish women how to dance like a diva while wearing high heels.

While some of the skills are taught in burlesque classes here, it’s believed Claire Hattie’s new Hip Hop ‘N’ Heels classes, which have swept the US and Japan, are the first of their kind in Ireland.

Claire said she hopes her new classes at Cork’s Flava Floors dance studio will give Irish women the confidence to strut their stuff like Beyonce.

“It’s something very, very different, and hopefully fun,” she said.

“I hope the classes will help women feel better able to express themselves, to explore the more girlie side of their character.

“You become a different character in heels. You feel sexier in heels. The moves won’t be anything too exaggerated — just a few moves, a few kicks and a few rolls, to help them move and dance properly in heels.”

It is estimated that 90% of Irish women who go clubbing wear high heels.

But Claire said she has found that most of those women either don’t have the confidence, or the right skills, to bust the right moves.

Inspired by Beyonce’s on-stage character, Sasha Fierce, Claire hopes to help Irish women become “strong independent women” who are confident enough in high heels to strike similar poses.

Her classes start with tips on how to walk properly in heels, and some key tips on poise and balance. Attendees are encouraged to bring a low pair of heels for the early stages, before upping the height as the classes advance.

Once Claire teaches the basics, she will then move on to teach her students some sexy hip rolls, before stepping up to dips and grinds, and ultimately, aiming to master the technical neck flick and hair swing.

“Swinging your hair is a huge thing. But being able to do it properly is essential,” Claire said.

“As well as the whole fitness element, toning your legs and everything, the classes I hope will be a big confidence booster, so that women feel good about themselves,” Claire said. “It’s not about helping women to hook a man, but hey, if that happens, it’s a bonus.”

Claire, 33, has been dancing since she was three. She trained in London, danced in Cork’s legendary Sir Henry’s nightclub, and pursued further training in the Broadway Dance Centre in New York.

The first Hip Hop ‘N’ Heels class is free and each subsequent class costs €10.

* Details on the classes are available on Flava Floors Facebook page.