DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION BORED BY YOUR WORKOUT? DITCH YOUR TRAINER FOR A CHOREOGRAPHER.

Byline: SEMHAR DEBESSAI

>LA.COM 

Treadmills are cool (not).

You do know you're not going anywhere, right? Sure, you may be getting a more-than-decent cardio workout, but are you having fun?

Yes, fun. You know, that thing that causes you to smile? Or did you forget about that in your manic attempts to simultaneously increase your pace and incline while trying not to lose your balance -- or your page in the latest issue of Us Weekly?

Let's face it, keeping yourself preoccupied with who's married to whom this week is the only way you can get through this stationary sprint toward that anticlimactic workout summary.

With that said, let's dance.

Dancing is fun -- and it's exercise. Yes, both. And believe it or not, you don't have to be a pro or an overzealous teenager to get the results you desire.

Speaking of results, do you know the amount of strength developed while taking a pole-dancing class? Santa Monica-

based dance instructor Isabelle Pampillo does.

"There's not one part of your body not working," says Pampillo, who spent years in the fitness industry before starting her namesake dance academy. Aside from physical benefits, Pampillo cites the women-only class as a chance to "get in touch with (your) sexuality in a safe environment."

Even if confronting that side of you leaves you red in the face, Pampillo encourages bashful beginners to join anyway. "Explore the reasons why ... all the more reason (to participate)."

So if you're stuck in a workout rut, try spicing up your routine with one of these flavorful dance options. They're high-intensity, low-stress, and have the added benefit of leaving you with a little more than a good burn where it counts. Bet your treadmill can't do that.

Semhar Debessai [phone];

[e-mail]

POLE DANCING

>Type of workout: Full-body strengthening.

>Description: Despite all her years as a fitness professional, Pampillo just couldn't get over one thing. "I never enjoyed doing push-ups," she says. But it's in pole dancing that she found an affinity for upper-body workouts. "It's amazing for all body strengthening," says Pampillo. "I think we've all gained a new respect for strippers." But no need to change professions. If it means choosing between your inhibitions and achieving your fitness goals, consider leaving the former at the door. These all-female classes get a comprehensive lesson in this unorthodox dance via "naughty" floor exercises that require plenty of upper-body strength. "It's like yoga," says Pampillo. And believe it or not, that's not a stretch. Like yoga, it improves strength and flexibility through slow, fluid movements.

>Beyond the physical: Its physical benefits may be pretty much where its similarities with yoga begin, and end. Unlike yoga, "Pole dancing is about pleasing your significant other," says Pampillo. So it's like getting two (satisfied customers) for the price of one.

>Where it's taught: There are pole dancing classes at studios throughout the L.A. area.

TANGO

>Type of workout:Abs/core strengthening.

>Description: "Tango has all the benefits of Pilates," says Pampillo, a former competitive dancer. When performed properly, the man pushes the frame of the woman at an angle. "You're walking backward and at an incline for 90 percent of the dance," Pampillo says. "It's all core." While walking backward -- which studies show burns more calories than walking forward -- abs must remain contracted to maintain balance. And while you're working on not stepping on your partner's toes, maintaining the required lowered stance (knees slightly bent) will keep your butt and hamstrings working as well.

>Beyond the physical: The forbidden dance? Nah. Just a great way to get a little closer. Especially ideal with a significant other. "It's an intimate, close dance," says Pampillo. "Heart to heart intimate." So suck in that gut and extend those hips -- and don't forget to pop some breath mints.

>Where it's taught: Tango is taught just about anywhere ballroom classes are available, including dance studios and through park and recreation departments. To contact the Isabelle Pampillo Dance Academy, call [phone], or go to www.isabellesalsa.com.

WEST AFRICAN DANCE

>Type of workout: Full cardio.

>Description: This high-impact dance involves a lot of leaping and squatting, building lower-body strength. But West African dance is known for being polycentric -- requiring full-body movement, with various parts of the body moving in synchronized motions to the beat. "Sometimes you're doing three or four things at once," says Nina Nimba, a 52-year-old instructor at Crenshaw Yoga and Dance in Los Angeles. "It's a total body tone." Repetition of dramatic, full-extension movements keeps the heart pumping and mind active. Nimba, who specializes in dances from Guinea, speaks on the versatility of the dance. "If you have some physical problems, you can modify your step," she says. So instead of a full squat, try a half squat. But Nimba assures that you'll get to the full squat eventually. "I've had people who could not cross their knees (before taking the class)," she says. "Now they can do that (and more)."

>Beyond the physical: Given its roots, traditional African dance tends to be an extension of the everyday activities or ceremonial occasions in the culture -- and rooted in supernal (or spiritual) meaning. "The energy lifts you," says Nimba. "It will definitely build up your spirit."

>Where it's taught: West African dance classes are available through dance studios, cultural centers, park departments and dance companies throughout Los Angeles. To contact Crenshaw Yoga and Dance, call [phone], or go to www.crenshawyogaanddance.com.

BELLY-DANCING

>Type of workout: Muscle toning.

>Description: This centuries-old art form has been adapted for American audiences, but its physical benefits are as undeniable as its Middle Eastern roots -- it's called belly-dancing, after all. "There is a lot of ab work," says Anisa, a belly-dance instructor for more than 30 years and owner of Anisa's School of Dance in Sherman Oaks. "It's very technical, but it's also a natural form of movement." And it's much more natural, and exciting, than the mechanical up-and-down of traditional ab workouts. Incorporated into the dance are figure-eight movements (lower body), shimmies (upper body) and ... camel work. "(It's) movement using just your belly and pelvis."

>Beyond the physical: Whether practiced alone or in front of an attentive audience, "(belly-dancing) is a really neat way for a woman to express herself," says Anisa. "It's sensual more than sexual."

>Where it's taught:For a list of L.A.-area belly-dance resources, go to www.pinkgypsy.com, or call [phone]. To contact Anisa's School of Dance, call [phone] or go to www.anisadance.com.

SALSA 

>Type of workout: Total body cardio.

>Description: Another high-energy dance that is sure to make you sweat while fine-tuning your coordination -- it's fast and there's a lot of footwork. If you can't remember whether your hips turn left and your arms swing right on any given beat, no worries, that's what your partner is there for (assuming your partner knows what he or she is doing). Another partner plus? "You learn the framing (and) how to hold yourself," says Ron Jason, resident choreographer for Paramount Pictures and a dance instructor at the Sports Club/LA in Beverly Hills. "You learn upper body (positioning) a lot more than you would (solo)."

>Beyond the physical: More than any of the other dances, with salsa you can show off your moves at one of the many salsa hot spots around town.

>Where it's taught: Salsa lessons are available at ballroom dance studios, salsa clubs and at many health clubs. To contact the Sports Club/LA in Beverly Hills, call [phone], or go to www.thesportsclubla.com.

Ready? Five, six, seven, eight ...

If you're wary of showing off your dance skills (or lack thereof), don't worry. The sweet thing about a dance-exercise class is that almost everyone else on the floor is uneasy, too.

Whether you're intimidated by the music, or that overachieving show-off in the front row, the fact remains, your only competition is yourself.

"Once you get past the fear ... eventually, you will get it," says Sports Club/LA dance instructor Ron Jason. You're going into it for yourself and once you realize that, he says, then the fun begins.

Consider these tips from Jason on how to choose and prepare for your ideal dance-exercise class:

>Observe: So much to consider! The music, the teacher ... the lighting. Whatever strikes, or doesn't strike, your fancy -- in the end, it's up to you.

>Keep time: Got rhythm? "That's half the battle," says Jason. But if you're challenged in that area, you're not alone. Try listening to music that you enjoy and practice clapping, snapping or counting to the beat. Consider this a warm-up exercise.

>Focus on you: Once you're in, try not to pay attention to others around you (unless it's to avoid running into them). "Know that you can get something from the class," says Jason. And that something is different for each person, so take your time and learn you.

>Go to the back: Standing in the back will allow you to familiarize yourself with the pace, and participants, of the class. Sure, you'll make mistakes, but as you'll also see, others will too.

>Hands up: To get the ultimate cardio workout, Jason suggests keeping your hands above your heart as much as possible. "Whenever you do that, it elevates your heart rate, and you'll break more of a sweat."

>S.D.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) DANCE STEPS TO FITNESS

Exercise your options

(2 -- color) The drummer sets a lively pace for African dance class at Crenshaw Yoga and Dance Studio in Los Angeles.

(3 -- color) It's all in the hips in a salsa class at Isabelle Pampillo Dance Academy.

JOHN LAZAR>LA.COM

Box:

Ready? Five, six, seven, eight (see text)