Eleven years ago I moved to this area. I had a 3 year old boy and a baby girl on my hip at the time and was hoping this would be the place I would land for awhile. After the long search for the perfect house we finally moved in and I immediately got to know my next door neighbor - you might know her - her name is Suzanne;) We both had 3 year old sons and a bit in common and we hit it off right away.
One day she was telling me about her part time job as a fitness instructor and told me I should come check out her BodyPump class. I had never set foot in a gym. I was always so intimidated by them - "what if I can't do it?", "what if I am not wearing the right thing?", "what if I make a fool out of myself?". I mustered up the courage to go mostly to impress my new friend - I didn't want her to think I was a wimp.
My heart racing I did my very best to follow the choreography and have good form using these things called weights :) After one class I was hooked. Her teaching ability truly inspired me to push myself and I could not believe how FUN it was!
When I had a few classes under my belt I decided to venture even further into the unknown and try a class that Suzanne didn't teach. There was this dance class on Wednesday nights that sounded intriguing - I always enjoyed dancing at parties but I had never (ever) taken a single dance class in my entire life. "Oh well, lets try it. If I make a fool out of myself I don't have to go back". Two of my now mentors were the instructors of that class. I must admit the first class was challenging and I left feeling a little frustrated but found myself trying to remember the moves once I got home. I also found myself thinking about it all week so that when Wednesday rolled around again I was ready to give it another try. Somehow those instructors motivated me to try harder and kept me coming back for more. Eventually, I was going every week and loved that I could learn a whole dance routine.
Fast forward to today. After many certifications in different formats of fitness classes my love is truly dance. I have a deep appreciation for anyone who can dance and especially those who have helped me learn how to dance along the way. There is something so freeing and passionate about moving your body to inspirational music. I have now tried to follow in my mentors footsteps by creating a constantly moving, multiple style, fitness dance class - the Mash Up. Please come give it a try on Wednesday nights at 6:30. I want to share my passion with you and help you fall in love with dance as much as I have.
