If the Shakra girls were on the rampage, I’d get out of the way if I were me. Which I am, in fact. On their new DVD, the three Shakra girls, Brownen, Hilary and Na’la, blast their way through a workout that the Americans would call “kickass”.It’s a stomping, kicking, punching workout, bursting with high energy. I think the marketing blurb actually describes it best. All that, plus the preview clip.

As a dance, it’s not my kind of thing, since I’m really involved heart body and soul in belly dancing. But as a cardio and strength workout, I can see how this would work because of the sheer move-move-move and energy.

The Shakra girls’ “Transfusion” dance has African, bhangra, belly dance and other moves all mixed smoothly together. The blend is remarkably smooth and that’s tough  because often people stick in a move from one dance into another in a way that makes it stick out like a sore thumb. I must say the whole effect makes me think it’s Bollywood on steroids and I’m sure people here would be able to pick this up in a flash. For me, it’s going to be a challenge. It’s a challenge I might take up though because I have no satisfactory cardio exercise going on. The cardio belly dance programmes I know look like cotton candy in front of this workout.

There are also stretches that most exercise-friendly people and dancers will be familiar with. The girls take turns to each you the moves and you do them along working up from “first gear” which is on-the-beat tempo, to “second gear” which is double time, right through to overdrive. Some moves that are too strenuous stop short of third gear though.You’re given safety tips — and I must say, they’re needed if you’re not used to such vigorous movement — and there’s a separate section to teach the moves.

I’ve never been very fond of dancing that isn’t pretty and feminine but this is really quite infections. And empowering. I rather like the idea of stomping dangerously around a bit. I like the idea of burning some fat even more.

Shakra’s Industrial Stength Dance Workout — Tribal Bellydance World Fusion is produced and sold by World Dance New York on Amazon. If you’d like to go with my favorite seller, that’s Oceanstate Media at oceanstatemedia.com. The video is a hundred minutes long all told.