Kelly's Barre Journey
What is the first image that pops into your mind when you think of a Barre class? I have to admit, when I first heard that term, I saw a literal ballerina. A girl in a pink tu-tu, with her hair in a bun, pink ribbon flowing down, pink ballet point slippers and pink tights... that was rather stereotypical of me! Rude too.
I reluctantly took a Barre class, "knowing" full well I wasn't going to like it, because after all, I am NOT a ballerina, nor have I ever been. I never even had any interest in dance or ballet. So obviously, this class was NOT going to be for me. I dragged myself in the room, and we had no actual Barre to use at the facility I was at, so, what exactly were we going to be doing? The girl leading the class, was a STRAIGHT UP dancer. Seriously, she is a professional dancer. She didn't have on any pink though, LOL. It was a different experience than I expected, um, yea, so I decided I'd try another one, with a different instructor to see. And, I got a different experience. She also didn't wear any pink...lol. Funny thing, pink is my FAVORITE color. I went back to another class with the first girl, and had a different experience again. Between the 3 classes, I actually enjoyed them all differently. I was kinda shocked to be honest. I am a group fitness instructor, so I teach fitness classes already, and was asked to sub for the first instructor... I was like, um wait, WHAT? I'm not a dancer, I don't know how to teach like you. She said don't teach like me, teach like YOU... I pondered that thought for a bit. Looked up all different styles of Barre classes, and began to understand a little more. Barre is NOT a ballet class. It doesn't have to be a dance centered class. It really is a fitness class, and I knew how to teach those. And literally the following week I was offered to go to a Barre Fitness training over the weekend locally. I walked into the training thinking, no way am I going to regularly teach Barre, because, I'm not musically inclined. The training I went to taught so many different options. I learned I didn't have to be a dancer or be musically inclined to teach a successful Barre Fitness class. I walked out of that training IN LOVE... Seriously, I had no idea how diverse and beneficial Barre could be. Shortly after I subbed her class and took my training, she asked if I could teach it permanently, because she got a job as a full time dancer for a professional sports team and teaching dance in a fancy boutique studio. I was scared but accepted. 2 weeks later, I was offered another Barre class at another facility. What did I just get myself in to? I'm not going to lie, the first few classes were a bit rough, unrefined, unpolished. My nerves were a wreck. My mind was telling me I can't do it. The fear of failure was real. Will I be good enough? Will people like me? Will I be successful?
I practiced my butt off, literally. I began teaching more Barre classes, like ME - not like anyone else, and my classes blew up. My body really began to transform as well.
Barre has become my all time favorite format to teach. It is so versatile and so beneficial for EVERY body! Barre is like nothing else, core focus, muscle endurance, building lean muscle without bulking up, balance, posture, grace & Total bad-a$$ery! The internal benefits of Barre are just as important as the external benefits. Not only does my body look great, I feel great. More energy, more relaxed, more centered, happier, & an over all sense of accomplishment. If you've ever, or even never wanted to try a Barre class you owe it to yourself to try one. You may find your passion. You may find yourself again. You may fall in love with the process. You may, just may fall in love with YOU.