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Bust A Move: At PMT Dance Studio, Breakdancing Takes Center Stage

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It's a dance craze with roots here in New York City.

You may know it as breakdancing, "b-boying," or "breaking," but now some are turning to the hip-hop dance style as a fresh new way to work out.

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At PMT Dance Studio in Chelsea, people from all walks of life are signing up for their break-dance class.

"We have people who have everyday working jobs, Wall Street, working in the service industry to working as artists themselves," founder Pavan Thimmaiah told CBS2's Chris Wragge.

Once studying to be a doctor, Thimmaiah says "breaking" saved his life.

"The studio inspired me to be a better person, to take better care of myself -- to be healthier," Thimmaiah said.

Roz Donagher loved dancing as a child. Now as a local bar and restaurant owner, she turned to break-dance as a way to get back into an old hobby.

"I feel like I work out more doing dance than I've ever done running five miles a day," Donagher said.

But as fun as it looks, the on-floor dance moves can be a challenge -- even for the physically fit.

"Any kind of dance really strengthens you, but breaking - you're using a lot of your muscles. you're on the floor a lot, so you have to use your core," instructor Vivake Khamsingsavath said.

Just be careful not to get injured.

"As long as you follow the instruction, and as long you're just paying a little bit of attention to what you're doing, it's very rare that anyone gets hurt," Thimmaiah said.

Once you get the hang of it, you can even show off your skills in performances and competitions.

A beginners' class costs $17, but you can save money by buying them in sets of five, 10 or 20.

And if PMT is too far away for you, check your area for other local dance studios offering similar classes.

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