I'm trying to make a serious effort to lose weight, and I want start doing more cardio, since at the moment my only form of exercise is ballet and Pilates. However, I know that some cardio exercises, such as running, isn't good for ballet dancers, since it can be hard on the knees and also messes up your turnout.

So, what are some cardio routines I could do to help me lose weight, without messing up my ballet technique?

can i get in good shape in a month?

in a month im leaving to competition and we are competing with a very strong and fast 5 minute jazz number and i find myself tired and out of energy after like 2 minutes, can i get in better shape and have more energy until i leave for the competition? my dance teacher will give us all a list of what kind of food we will have to eat for the next month in order to get us all in better shape but i think thats not enough,suggestions?

Update : I am teaching a hip hop class for high school students at my school. I want to be prepared so I got a little notebook and I'm trying to write out lesson plans for each class. So far I have warm-up, isolations, a few across-the-floor exercises, and a combo. I was just wondering if anyone had any suggestions or any good exercises for a hip hop class? Thanks!

How do I teach a medieval dance at a party?

I'm having a medieval-style party with dancing, and I want to do some medieval dancing, but I don't know how to do a medieval dance let alone teach one. I wonder if there's a way to teach the 18 or so people at the party how to do a medieval dance; preferably involving dancing in a ring and weaving in and out of each other. In The Fellowship of the Ring, hobbits danced a fairly simple dance at the beginning in the party, and it looks like it wouldn't be to hard to learn. Is there a way I can learn the steps to a dance like this and teach it to the people at the party?