Fortnite your way to fitness

• As the Fortnite craze continues to sweep the nation, David Lloyd Clubs introduces exercise class for teens and children dedicated to learning the incredibly popular dance moves featured in the computer game
• New ‘Emote Royale’ class is introduced to keep kids active as research finds children will spend 2 hours 15 minutes each day playing computer games this summer*
• From ‘flossing’ to ‘taking the L’, kids mimic game characters in unique class

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few months, you’ve probably heard of Fortnite: the computer game that’s taken the world by storm. And it’s not just the game that fans are obsessed with, it’s the dance moves too. Now, David Lloyd Clubs is encouraging kids and teens to swap their controllers for choreography, as it introduces ‘Emote Royale’: a unique workout class dedicated to learning the dance moves from Fortnite.

The victory dances that players use to celebrate within the Fortnite game – known as emotes - have become so popular that everyone from footballers to film stars have been attempting them in the real world. England’s Deli Alli has ‘taken the L’ in his goal celebrations and Will Smith and Stranger Things star, Millie Bobby Brown have been caught on camera doing the ‘floss’.

Whilst parents may despair at research revealing that children will spend an average of two hours and 15 minutes per day playing computer games such as Fortnite this summer, the game’s victory dances could actually be the key to ensuring children stay active and avoid too much sedentary screen time - and that is certainly the rationale behind the introduction of David Lloyd Clubs’ new class.

The ‘Emote Royale’ class teaches participants how to master the ‘floss’, conquer the ‘wiggle’ and perfect the ‘orange justice’ moves from the game. The class was developed alongside a team of 12-year-old child ‘consultants’ to ensure that it is by kids, for kids.

On arrival to the class a Fortnite-themed sound track plays and participants begin to tackle 12 dances inspired by the popular game including; the floss, orange justice, take the L, the wiggle, best mates, jubilation, hype, flapper, fresh, boneless, the worm and the robot. Starting with the easiest moves – the wiggle, best mates and jubilation – the class moves on to help kids learn the notoriously difficult ‘floss’ and ‘robot’ dances.

Once each move has been perfected, the class performs a routine of all 12 moves together and even warms down with dances from the game such as the slowed down version of ‘the eagle’ and the ‘storm salutation’.

With kids cramming the game in before school, during lessons and long past bed time, it’s no wonder that 56% of parents are worried about how much time their children spend playing computer games. The Emote Royale class uses the popularity of the Fortnite dance moves as a way to get children active in a way they will really enjoy, and means parents don’t have to take to banning computer games, a tactic which 46% of parents have resorted to.

A spokesperson for David Lloyd Clubs says, ‘We know that kids – and some parents – are huge fans of the Fortnite game, but excessive screen time can pose a problem for kids, meaning they’re not as active as they should be. We're always keen to introduce inventive classes to our varied timetables and the ‘Emote Royale’ class has been developed by kids, for kids, to help keep everyone active this summer and bring the popular computer game to life in a fun, active and original way.’

The Emote Royale classes will be added to selected DL Kids timetables across the country throughout the summer holidays**. 

How to survive a Fortnite summer

• Make sure your kids take regular breaks from the screen, not just to get moving, but also to rest their eyes
• Try playing Fortnite with your kids. It’s possible to play as a team, which not only gives you a chance to understand the game, but also work as a team with your kids
• Battles in the game typically last 20 minutes, so if you’re asking kids to log off, try to accommodate time for them to finish their existing game as interrupting them mid game may upset them
• Be aware that kids can talk to other gamers of varying ages whilst playing online, make sure your kids know not to share any personal details with other players

- ENDS -

For more information please contact [email protected] or 020 7234 9150

Notes to editors:

*Research conducted on 1,000 parents of kids aged 7-17 by David Lloyd Clubs, July 2018.

**Contact your local club to find out if Emote Royale will be hosted at your club.

DL Kids Summer Holiday Club 

David Lloyd Clubs offers holiday clubs for kids aged 5-13 which offer an exciting mixture of swimming and tennis, team games and activities, arts and crafts - and a lot of fun. All whilst learning new skills and making new friends. What’s more lunch and snacks are included and your kids’ friends can join too. Full or half days available.

Find out more at: Visit the Summer Holiday Club page

About David Lloyd Leisure Group

The David Lloyd Leisure Group has 114 clubs - 99 clubs in the UK and a further 15 clubs across Europe, comprising its two brands David Lloyd Clubs and Harbour Clubs (of which there are three - Chelsea, Notting Hill and Kensington).

On 1 June 2017 it acquired 14 UK health and racquets clubs from Virgin Active as well as opened its third Harbour Club at Kensington following a £5.5m investment and redevelopment programme. It also announced it had exchanged contracts to buy The Park Club in Chiswick, London, The Academy Club in Harrogate, and Malaspina Sporting Club in Milan. In March 2018 it acquired City Green Sporting Club near Geneva.

It has over 600,000 members and employs around 8100 people. This includes an expert health and fitness team of over 2000 while it contracts the services of more than 680 tennis professionals.

Across all clubs, David Lloyd Leisure has over 190 swimming pools (of which half are indoor) and offers over 13,000 exercise classes per week. Every week over 25,000 children learn to swim at David Lloyd Leisure, 16000 children learn to play in the Tennis All Stars Coaching Programme.

David Lloyd Club’s racquets facilities are unparalleled with over 1080 tennis courts as well as over 400 badminton and squash courts. Additional facilities include health and beauty spas, club lounges with free internet access, crèches, nurseries and specialist sports shops.