New year, new dance, new workout wear? Discovering 5 Rhythms and Ula Sport

Too bad it’s January, snowing and freezing out there. Because in Nosara, Costa Rica, I discovered not only a new dance, but a fashion line to go with it, which does not quite work on the Montreal streets until July – and even then it’s iffy.

Nosara, on the Nicoya peninsula, is yoga hippie central. The costume: loose baggy pants – dhotis, palazzos, cargos –  and stringy tops, when you’re not in a bikini and sarong or basic yoga pants and bra top.

So two things happened: I discovered 5 Rhythms dance, a kind of freeform yoga rave, pioneered by the late Gabrielle Roth.

Think of the costume of choice as California casual unleashed. It’s like a pure form of the athleisure trend, but there’s no tech fabric in sight, and certainly no graphic prints. (I wore ikat pyjama pants from Anthropologie in a heavy cotton, quite unbearable in the 100-degree heat under the dome of a shala (new word for me!), atop a mountain overlooking the sea at sunset. (Breathtaking, but no pix were allowed.)

Meanwhile, a few days later, shopping the dusty, molasses treated roads of Nosara, we came across a boutique at the Sunset Shack. Inside, all those flowy, loose garments by Ula Sport, a Brooklyn based line. I coveted a pair of drop crotch pants, with open sides for aircon – but at $150 reluctantly gave them a pass, given the state of the loonie. I also passed on a clever bit of fabric that doubled as a vest or criss-cross top. A bit sorry, but… Also on offer, flowy long dresses, with and without backs, that are perfect for a night in the tropics.

Here’s a look from Ula’s collection – it’s the top I wanted, but in black.

Meanwhile, I did need some new workout clothes, so headed to Lolë, for basic yoga pants that tuck nicely into winter boots and, wait for it, a PINK racerback top.

The 5 rhythms, by the way, are flowing, staccato, chaos, lyrical and stillness. Check out chaos here.http://www.ulasport.com/videos#!prettyPhoto[movies1]/1/