What is Nia?

I'm on a quest to try all the different exercise classes at the gym.  I missed the kickboxing class today so I saw that Nia was about to start and I quickly ducked inside before the door closed.  The class was full, but I thankfully found a spot in the back corner.  

Scanning the room, I noticed a huge array of ages, shapes, sizes - even amongst the men in the class.  Perhaps this is the class for me, I thought. Following my classmates, I put my shoes and socks off to the side and formally claimed my spot.  I'm not a big fan of going barefoot unless it's the beach or a freshly cut lawn, but I was game.  

The music started and before I knew it, I was surrounded by swinging arms and jutting hips while our feet marched a simple 1-2-tap step.  This was modern dance meets people who just aren't coordinated for structured exercise class.  The instructor was awe-inspiring as her fluid movements reminded me of a Cirque du Soleil dancer.  The rest of the class had a long way to go - myself at the head of the list.  

I tried to feel the drum beat in the rest of my body while my feet followed the pattern, but I felt like Elaine from Seinfeld as part of my body went in one direction and my arms in another.  I pushed myself to go in directions I wouldn't normally go, as per our instructor's guidance, but it wasn't pretty.  

Before I knew it, the hour was up and we were doing our final floor sweeps with deep breath.  I was sweating, I felt good, but I have no idea what just happened.