Barre was created by the ballerina Lotte Berk in London in 1959 (pictured above). But don’t be alarmed, you don’t have to be a ballerina to enjoy barre: I have never taken a dance class and I will be the last person you find on the dance floor during a ladies night out. But, I LOVE Barre!
Barre is designed to be a full-body workout, targeting your legs, arms/shoulders, and abs. We use small weights (or no weights at all) to fatigue the muscles with small, 1″ movements with high repetition.
After working each section of the body, we will stretch that muscle out to help increase overall flexibility (who doesn’t want that?!)
Barre is for everyone! Those who are just starting out and those you are fitness fanatics. We will help customize the movements to fit your ability. Just like any class, the more you come to it, the more comfortable you will be.
You will likely hear words like “tuck” and “pulse”, which are cue words to help explain what we want you to do. Tuck means to squeeze your glutes, roll your hips under to create a neutral spine and engage your abs. When we “pulse” think small, tiny movements, only 1″ in movement up/down, left/right, etc. We are looking for small, controlled and precise movements in Barre. But, don’t worry, we will help explain all of this during class.
Meet you at the barre,
Dawn
Photo courtesy of lotte-berk.com