Wellbeing
Originally published on Tuesday, 23rd November 2010
The Experientialist: Team Fitness
UJ takes on... Barre!
Ballet, by its very nature, looks easy, light and fluid. Not much thought goes into the actual logistics behind flinging yourself around a room on your toes, nor into the strength needed to switch from a squat into a pinkie-pointed leap with a few arm flounces in time to music. As UJ donned our FRAME leotards, tank tops and token headband, we sized up the bars and thought ‘Royal Opera House, keep your pants on - here we come.’
It became painfully clear within the first ten minutes that at least one of our group was not made for continuous bouncing at the bar, as the fire exit door was released to provide some much needed fresh air. This is serious cardio – and watching it happen in the mirror isn’t pretty viewing. Naomi, our lithesome instructor (who also teaches the rather fabulous trampolining pilates class here), looked ridiculously graceful as she led us through first, second and third positions, squats, leg lifts and funny little skippy moves to the tune of Michael Jackson’s Greatest Hits. Forget Black or White – we’re Red. The way it made us feel? Beat.
We move onto mat work (proving to many of the Pilates-goers that the Reformer has been tricking us into thinking we’re awesome at crunches and bicycles), where MaM promptly falls asleep, TR reveals dormant gymnastics skills and RH forgets which end her legwarmers are applied to. It’s a Swan Lake massacre; and now we have to get up and do a celebratory dance which, in all honesty, looks like a troupe of Fraggle Rock rejects hopping about behind a Prima Ballerina.
But who wants an easy exercise ride? Want to move with the ease of a dancer? Then you need to put in the pain, and considering the band of cripples who turned up at the office the next day, we reckon this is a pretty good in. We liked the music, we liked the laughs, and we’d definitely like long, lean dancer bodies. And there’s nothing like nailing a pada beret – even if it is to the wall.
INFO
Barre classes are split between: Cardio-Barre (higher intensity), Rock-Barre (balance, flexibility and co-ordination), Ballet-Barre (ballet and strength building) and Basic-Barre (beginner’s technique). Prices start at £10 per hour-long class, but UJ subscribers can try their first session at one of the above Barre classes for free! Simply quote UJ when booking (must be in advance). One free class per person, valid until 31st December 2010.
