MIKE JAMES REPORTS ON THE HOTTEST NEW EXERCISE CRAZE THAT HAS AMERICANS SHEDDING MORE THAN JUST EXCESS KILOS!

What pops into your mind when you hear the term "striptease?" Groups of men sitting around a dingy bar, staring at a long-legged woman in stilettos? Or maybe a sea of women admiring the washboard abdominals of male Chippendales bumping and grinding to Tina Turner's ╥It's raining men"? A more refined style of disrobing to music, far more tease than strip, is finding its way into fitness clubs across America.

A graduate of Boston University and an exercise instructor and personal trainer for 14 years, Jeff Costa is the originator of Cardio Striptease. He is also a former stripper at the Roxy Club in Boston and a professional dancer and choreographer. Costa brings all of this experience into his Cardio Striptease classes.

Is it just a matter of getting a group of exhibitionistic fitness fanatics into a room, putting on a popular tune and getting naked? "Definitely not," Costa says. "In my experience all dance classes have a certain amount of sensuality, no matter what a person's gender or sexual orientation. I noticed Pop culture becoming increasingly interested in what I call the 'new burlesque' -where every move and gesture is incredibly erotic and seductive. And, after seeing the success of movies like Moulin Rouge and The Full Monty. I thought about a class format that would push the envelope -not simply a jazz class with sexy movements -but one about sexuality of movement where people take their clothes off and see their body working. The whole point of Cardio Striptease is to learn to love yourself and your body right now, not wait until you have that perfect athlete's or dancer's body. We don't know what tomorrow will bring," Costa says.

Operating out of Crunch Fitness Centres, a wide chain of health clubs renowned for their innovative classes, Cardio Striptease has been a success since day one. "We didn't know if people would be willing to do this in a group setting, " Costa says. "1 believe that every person has a natural human desire to feel beautiful and sexy and comfortable in their own skin. We have segued that feeling into an exercise class and people love it."

There is definitely an element of exhibitionism in Cardio Striptease. Costa exhorts his participants to imagine themselves dancing for their lover or personal fantasy whether it be Brad Pitt or Jennifer Lopez, a significant other or some imaginary person.

The class participants range from 18-year-olds to senior citizens, couples and singles -gay or straight -professional dancers and athletes, to your average every-day gym junkie looking for something different in their exercise program. "While you may sometimes see a professional dancer or film celebrity, the majority of classes are made up of average people, mainly women. Our motto is 'no judgments' and Cardio Striptease is a flagship class that demonstrates this," Costa says.

A typical class starts with a 20 minute warm-up. Here Costa leads members through all the basic moves of a striptease including circular movements of the upper torso and figure-eights with the hips. Just like in a traditional dance class, there is a heavy emphasis on isolating all of the muscles and feeling and visualising them working.

The way it differs from a traditional group exercise class is that we do not do any passive static stretches. We are moving, right from the beginning. The movements are simple and repetitive. There is no complicated choreography in the warm-up."

After the warm-up comes eight step combinations across the floor. Here Costa helps people to find balance, correct posture and body awareness while moving in time with the music.

The second half of the class is an actual choreographed striptease performed to a well-known pop song. "I teach movements the participants can take back to their living room, bedroom or wherever and use to seduce their partner," Costa says.

After a couple of classes ... these same members start coming to class in cowboy boots, Victoria's Secret lingerie and all types of elaborate costumes.

To keep the class interesting, Costa changes the choreography every three to four weeks by introducing a new prop into the routine -a feather boa, a towel, a top hat, whatever is effective in providing some bodily cover to enhance the tease. This also introduces the very important "fun" factor. "With 50 people in a class the energy and laughter is an important part that keeps people coming back," Costa says.

Amidst all this primal sexual energy there are some ground rules. "Nobody ever gets totally naked. The operative word is tease, the aim is to get people to know what is beautiful on their own body and how to expose that in a sensual way. To see someone flash their hips, then cover up, to slightly expose some cleavage, drop their pants and pull them back up; there is a provocative quality that is a basic human drive."

No-one is forced to take off their clothes. Members can do the movements fully clothed, but after a couple of classes Costa finds that these inhibitions have disappeared. "These same members start coming to class in cowboy boots, Victoria's Secret lingerie and all types of elaborate costumes and props to help enhance the tease and the fun."

Cardio Striptease may include some flashing but it is no flash in the pan. Jeff Costa now .has trained instructors teaching in New York City, Miami, Boston, San Francisco and Atlanta. He has also presented to professional instructors in Moscow, Tokyo and throughout Europe. A home exercise video will be available in January of 2003.

Mike James, Manager, Fitness Centre, Health Services Department, The World Bank, Washington, USA.