Jump, wave and wine your way to fitness with soca!

FORT GREENE (WABC) -- When you walk into La Shaun Prescott's soca dance class in Brooklyn's Cultural District, the first thing you get handed is a colorful handkerchief-or to put it simply, a rag.

The rag isn't just a cute way to incorporate your favorite colors into your outfit, it actually serves two major purposes: one) calls to wave a rag are part of nearly every power soca song you will ever hear and two) while you jump, wave and wine (move your waist and hips to a song's rhythm), you'll be happy to have cloth handy to wipe away the sweat that will be running off your body like a river by the time class ends.

This is exactly why soca dance class is such a great workout says Prescott, "It's really a high energy cardio workout and you get all of that in the class while having fun." Saragine Edouard, a newcomer to the class, agreed, "It was really, really fun and exciting (I was) sweating like a sinner in church and it was a lot but it was great."

Soca is the faster, more upbeat offspring of calypso (the name means soul of calypso). Both genres originated in Trinidad and Tobago and can now be found throughout the Caribbean. It's also been making major inroads in the United States and around the world. In fact, Prescott, through her dance company, Elle NYTT, rose to fame while touring as a choreographer and dancer for Machel Montano, one of the biggest soca artists in the world.

Touring and creating high-impact, exciting routines that electrify huge crowds in places like Madison Square Garden, takes ENERGY! And Prescott has it in spades-she zips throughout the class hyping up students all while flashing an infectious smile. She credits her energetic nature to her Trinidadian roots. "In the Caribbean we are such energetic people, it's insane! People see me and they say 'oh my God, you're so energetic, you're so energetic' and that's our culture, that's who we are."

The class harnesses that dynamism into a cardio workout that gets your heart pumping, your hips moving and whips that core into beach-ready shape, says Everett Johnson, associate branch manager of Elle NYTT.

"La Shaun always promotes a fun class, whether it's your first time or your umpteenth time... just like you take regular exercise and you want to switch up how you do your regimen, throwing a soca class in would definitely help you because it teaches you to move different parts of your body and really accentuates the core, it's all about the core but having fun with it."

He also recommends it for those who already dance soca but want to take a class with others who love the genre, either way "it's a great experience."

Johnson happens to be one of the few guys in the class but he encourages more men to participate (pointing out that Prescott creates choreography specifically for men as well). "I strongly encourage more men to come out, there are tons of women here who are having fun...it's awesome, it's totally amazing."

The benefits of soca dancing extend beyond fun and fitness says Shola Roberts. The soca veteran and Elle NYTT performer believes the class also leaves attendees feeling good about themselves. She wants to reassure people who might be hesitant about taking the class: "Don't feel intimidated, we're all fresh and new...just enjoy yourself, just be free. You love the soca music that's what drew you to the class so use that as motivation and inspiration to keep pushing."

Keep pushing could also be La Shaun Prescott's motto! She recently completed her MFA in dance at NYU and is returning to Trinidad to teach dance classes there and put on performances for the Elle NYTT season. Classes at the Mark Morris Dance Center (home to the Mark Morris Dance Group) will continue while Prescott is abroad with NY-based members of her dance company teaching. But this will not be the last you see of her in NYC.

Smiling broadly she says, "I'll be back and then it continues, and it continues, and it continues. Soca never ends!"

For more information on classes with Elle NYTT visit http://www.ellenytt.com/classes/classes/

For more information on the Mark Morris Dance Center visit http://markmorrisdancegroup.org/the_dance_center