The inventor of this fusion between aerobic and flamenco is the flamenco dancer Mercedes Moreno, who took her first steps in the world of flamenco at the tender age of seven. Career highlights include having worked as leading dancer with Rafael C�rdoba, Paco Romero and Rafael Campuzano. She has directed her own dance company and once put on the opera Carmen in Naples; with none other than the king and queen of Jordan in the audience.

Now she wants to bring flamenco to the masses. People should lose their fear of flamenco. This is not flamenco for the purist but a complete workout, easy, fun, and accessible to anybody, at any age, the dancer explains. Mercedes will also give you a brief introduction to the history of flamenco and you will discover such fascinating things as that castanets originally came from� Egypt, the skirts come from Crete and the hand movements originate from the dance of Hungarian gypsies and Hindus.

What exactly is Flamenco fit?
It consists of moving all your muscles and joints, and bringing out the feelings hidden deep inside your body. From the tip of your toe to the last hair on your head. You will learn how to position and move the sole of your foot, your instep, your heel, your knees, your thighs; how to do shuffle jumps, how to zapatear (a sort of flamenco tap), how to clap, how to move your waist, your hips, your shoulders... Always repeating the exercise in series of 16.

The classes last 30 minutes, starting with 7 or 8 minutes warm up consisting of flexing and stretching exercises. Groups are from 15 to 20 students, with one clear objective in mind: having fun. Don't be afraid, even the clumsiest of dancers can make some real progress. Also there are two levels to choose from, elementary and advanced. The music ranges from Rosario, Ketama, Los del R�o or Camar�n, to the wildest and most modern rhythms.

The difficulty of Flamenco fit is minimal. Even if you have never done any exercise in your life and you�re the kind of person who props up the bar when it�s party time, you�ll soon get the hang of it. Mercedes recommends doing it three times a week to get results in three months time.

Multiple benefits
It�s a low impact aerobic exercise which works all the body: feet, legs, thighs, buttocks, waist, hips, trunk, arms, neck and hands. By doing it you will learn to keep your spine straight, tone up your muscles and burn off fat while you keep a steady heart rate. You�ll also lose your inhibitions and you�ll feel able to dance and express yourself with graceful and coordinated movements. And it�s just impossible to get bored because the dance steps are so varied.

Basic equipment and information
To practise it you just need sports clothing, preferably made of cotton to aid the natural transpiration of the body; shoes should have a soft sole.

Now you know what Flamenco fit is, what it will do for you and how easy it is to get on. But where can you do it? In the Madrid gym, 24 Hour Fitness-Abasota. Tel. 915 19 34 50. Ask for Mercedes Moreno.