This month we’ll be learning a seductive chair routine. We’ll warm-up with a few sexy cardio numbers to get the heart pumping before moving into the lower-impact chair portion. This will be a perfect class for those with sensitive knees who prefer not to spend much time on the floor. However, you may still want to wear long pants or leggings as there will be options for a few floor moves that incorporate the chair.

Come dressed in comfortable work out clothes and bring your heels to put on toward the end of class. There are bathrooms at the studio if you need to change before or after.

Frisky Fridays Striptease Aerobics

• What: An hour of ladies-only down and dirty dancing that will get leave you sore the next day.
• When: January 27 from 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. (Other upcoming dates: February 24, March 23 and so forth on the fourth Friday of the month).
• Where: The Arts Parlor, 1170 S. Broad St. 
• Admission: $10 drop-in, one class card punch or FREE for members.

Get there: Take the Broad Street line to the Federal stop and the Arts Parlor is right near the stairway exit. Any bus that goes down Broad will get you there as well. Drivers can find free street parking in the area.

Questions? Email info@phillydancefitness.com

The fun kicks off on January 2nd with a two-hour Zumba party led by your favorite Philly Dance Fitness instructors.

Then, a little later in the month, we’re holding our first-ever “Taste of Philly Dance Fitness” party. We’ve loaded our 2012 schedule with tons of new classes – here’s your chance to sample them in all in a jam-packed two-hour session of ballet, piloxing, hip-hop, jazz, Zumba and cardio bellydance. We’ll even throw in a few of our favorite routines from our signature workshops: “King of Pop Hip-Hop,” Frisky Fridays, “Gleekercise” and “Just Dance: Lady Gaga Hip-Hop.”

Both workshops are $15 in advance or $20 the day of and at the door, and include refreshments. Likewise, both will be suitable for all dance levels. All you have to do is come dressed to work it, shake it, move it, DANCE!

Here are the details. Click the title to purchase tickets online:

Jamming in January: New Years’ Zumba Party!

• When: Monday, January 2 from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
• Where: The Arts Parlor, 1170 S. Broad St. (Near the Federal stop on the Broad Street subway line).
• Tickets: Get yours now and save

Jamming in January: Taste of Philly Dance Fitness Party

• When: Sunday, January 22 from  2 p.m. – 4 p.m.
• Where: The Performance Garage, 1515 Brandywine St., Philadelphia.
• Bring: Dance shoes/sneakers (socks work too) as street shoes are not allowed on the dance floor at this studio.
• Tickets: Get yours now and save

Don’t delay on that resolution to stay in shape this year – we’ll get the sweat going right away!

Impact Jazz

Add a dramatic flair to your dance workouts with our high-energy twist on contemporary jazz. New instructor Kathy Silvestri will get your heart pumping with different themes each week, from Fosse to Disco. Like most of our programs, no experience required. However, this class will include options to layer in turns, leaps and other moves to challenge more advanced dancers.

Impact Jazz at Major Moment, 1624 South St.
When: Tuesday nights from 6 p.m. to 6:50 p.m.
Launch Special: Only $5 on Jan. 3!  RSVP on Facebook to get in on the deal.

Pilates

Looking for flat abs, a perfect booty and “high-definition” muscles? Pile on a serving of our new Power Pilates program. This mat-based class packs an extra punch into a classical Pilates floor routine with a dash of extra sculpting and cardio work. Again, no prior experience required but instructor Deborah can give advanced modifications to those who want them.

Power Pilates at the Arts Parlor, 1170 S. Broad
When: Monday nights after Zumba, 7:30 p.m. to 8:20 p.m.
Launch Special:  Only $5 on Jan. 9! RSVP on Facebook to get in on the deal.

Piloxing

Get the toning and aerobic conditioning of boxing, muscle sculpting of Pilates and the fun of dance all at once in this high-impact program. New instructor Timaree Schmit will maximize your calorie burn in Piloxing, which alternates between cardio and strength-building exercises. Bring a mat if you have one. No need for shoes, but you can wear them, or socks with treads, if you prefer not to go barefoot.

Piloxing at Major Moment, 16th and South
When: Sundays from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Launch Special: Only $5 on Jan. 8! RSVP on Facebook to get in on the deal

Ballet

Maybe you never had the opportunity to take ballet as a child, or maybe you loved it but forgot everything you learned. Here’s your chance to get back into it, and do some serious core and lower body conditioning at the same time. Led by former Philadelphia Civic Ballet member Beverly Holskin. Unlike many of our other programs, you will work on form and technique.

Absolute Beginner Adult Ballet at Major Moment
When:  Thursdays from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Discount Pass: Since ballet is longer than our other classes, it is $15 drop-in and class cards may not be used. However, you can save with a monthly discount pass. New in 2012, passes also give you the ability to do a make-up class.

Note: Our existing Monday night ballet will now become an advanced beginner section to accomodate the students who’ve been progressing so much since we started the program in the fall. New students who have taken ballet in the recent past are also welcome to join in, just contact us if you have questions about skill level.

Hip-Hop

Trade your “workout” for a night at the club in our hip-hop program. Instructor Alicia DeBruhl will get your heart rate up with a follow-the-leader warm-up, then teach short combinations set to the latest pop and hip-hop tunes. While you’ll learn choreography, the focus will be more about torching calories than perfecting technique.

Hip-Hop at Living Arts Dance Studios, 81 Fairmount Ave.
When: Tuesday nights from 7:30 to 8:20 p.m.
Launch Special: Celebrate this new space with a $5 class launch on Jan. 3. Please RSVP on Facebook to get in on the deal.

Note: This is an existing class but it’s moving to a brand new location at the beautiful Living Arts Dance Studios in Northern Liberties. It’s a big, bright space with plenty of room to get into your groove. Even better, you can generally find street parking there because the studio is a few blocks east of the Second Street business corridor.For our Center City dancers who took hip-hop at Major Moment, don’t despair. Alicia will still teach hip-hop there at 8 p.m. on Wednesday nights. This class used to be Zumba, but we have some additional Zumba sections to make up for this change as well. See below:

Zumba

You can now Zumba with us FIVE days a week! Find exact locations for all of those classes on our Zumba page, but here’s a breakdown of the new sections:

Mommy without Me Zumba at the Arts Parlor, 1170 S. Broad St.
When: Tuesdays from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Alicia leads this adult morning class in the rear studio while our trained babysitter (and highly experienced mommy) Hermenia plays with the children in the adjacent front studio. $5 per child for babysitting service, but no need to have a child to come dance!

Zumba with Lael at the new Northern Liberties studio, 81 Fairmount Ave.
When: Tuesday nights from 6:30 – 7:20 p.m.
Launch Special: Only $5 on Jan. 3, then stay to check out hip-hop afterward! RSVP on Facebook to get in on the deal.

Zumba with Jaime at Major Moment, 1624 South Street
When: Tuesday nights from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
This section was added to accomodate students in the neighborhood who requested a later time for Zumba, now that the Wednesday class is converting to hip-hop. For those who prefer an earlier time slot, we’ll still have Thursday Zumba at 6 p.m. (Our Monday Art Museum and South Philly Zumba as well as our Wednesday Toning class also remain unchanged.)

Zumba at the Arts Parlor, 1170 S. Broad St.
When: Saturdays from 11 a.m. to noon
This is an existing class but like hip-hop, we’re listing it because the location has changed. This is a larger space and it’s also easier to find parking all along Broad Street or in the nearby lot at PEP, which is free during the weekend. Alicia and Deborah will alternate teaching this class.

With the exception of ballet, all new classes are either $10 drop-in, one punch on a class card or free with our new membership program. Choose whatever payment method works best for you. See you on the dance floor in 2012!

Introducing Mommy without Me Zumba! While you dance your calories away, a qualified babysitter will look after your children in an adjacent room.

Alicia DeBruhl will lead the dancing – and her two-year-old son is hoping there will be lots of other children to play with while all the moms are on the dance floor. (Dads are welcome too! Of course, you don’t need to have a child to come dance. The class is open to any adults. Like our regular group classes, pay $10 drop-in or use a class card. Babysitting service is an additional $5 per child.

Mommy without Me Zumba

• Where: The Arts Parlor, 1170 S. Broad Street (near the intersection of Broad and Federal). Dancing in the rear studio, babysitting in the front studio.
• When: Tuesdays from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. starting in January 2012
• Cost: $10 drop-in for dancers or a class card punch; $5 per child for babysitting

Since we’re so excited about this new class, we’re offering a HUGE discount for the first few parents who pre-register for the month of January.  The first to sign up will get the entire five weeks of dancing and babysitting for one mom and one child - a $75 value - for only $30 – that’s 60% off! The next will get it for $40 and $50 – still a 33% savings! Snag one of these great deals before they’re gone!

If you have any questions about our babysitting service or the class, don’t hesitate to call us at (215) 645-2717 or email info@phillydancefitness.com

See you on the dance floor!

As our holiday gift to you, we’re throwing in a free gift certificate with any purchase of a Philly Dance Fitness class card between “Cyber Monday” and January 1:

Buy a 5 class card and get a $5 certificate.

5 CLASS CARD – Five classes for $40 (A savings of $10 or one entire class free!)

Buy a 10 class card and get a $10 certificate.

10 CLASS CARD – 10 classes for $70 (Best value: A savings of $30 or three free classes!)

Give the certificate as a present or save it for yourself, there’s no expiration date.
Class cards make a great gift too!

Sound dance-tastic?

Purchase your card with cash or check at any PDF class or online with the links below.
Cards purchased online (and bonus gift certificates) may be mailed to you or picked up at your first class.

Here’s the fine print:

• Class cards can be used for ANY Philly Dance Fitness Zumba, Zumba Toning, Hip Hop or other regularly scheduled 45-60 minute group class. Class cards are not valid for ballet or specialty workshops. Schedule is subject to change – please check www.phillydancefitness.com for the most up-to-date listing.
• Cards expire three months from the date when you first use the card.
• Cards may not be used more than once per class. In other words, you and a friend may not both use it to get into the same class.
• Card must be presented when you check-in for class. If you forget to bring it, you will be subject to the regular drop-in rate.
• Gift certificate valid on any future purchase of a class card or regular group class (including ballet.) Gift certificates are not valid for merchandise or special workshops.

Just contact us via phone or email to let us know about your referral, or mention it when you show up to class.

There is no limit to the referral program.  You can refer as many friends as you’d like, and you’ll get $5 for each.

Referral discounts can be applied toward regular group exercise classes, private lessons or parties. However, they cannot be used for special workshops, merchandise, nor in combination with any other offer.

Date: Friday, Dec. 9, 2011
Time: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Location: The Arts Parlor, 1170 S. Broad St.
Cost: $15 until 12/2, then the price goes up to $20

Space is limited to 20 participants, so reserve your tickets now!

As a side note, we’re working on the return of monthly Frisky Fridays classes in January – stay tuned for more details!

Weather permitting, we’ll hit the park with our portable sound system and high-energy Zumba tunes on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 1 p.m.

Deborah, Jaime and a variety of guest instructors will take turns leading your favorite routines. Best of all, it’s FREE, so bring your friends and come jam with us!

If you’ve been curious about dance fitness, this is the perfect opportunity to check it out. Stay for a song or two or stay for the whole time. Providing that we don’t get rained out we’ll stay in the park until about 3 p.m. Listen for the music to find us – we’ll set up in the central plaza.

Here’s a public Facebook invite that you can also pass along to anyone who might be interested.  Did we mention that it’s FREE???

See you then!

Piloxing is a cardio workout that combines the toning and aerobic conditioning of boxing, muscle sculpting of Pilates and the fun and sensuality of dance. The workout is formatted into intervals to maximize calorie burn and improve cardiovascular health. Classes are performed barefoot to better execute the moves and reap the benefits of the original disciplines.

It might sound strange, but we think you’ll love this high-energy class. Come check it out and let us know what you think.

Piloxing Introductory Workshop

When: Sunday, Oct. 30 from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.

Where: The Performance Garage, 1515 Brandywine St.

Bring: Water and a towel for floor exercises

Cost: $12 at the door or click here to reserve your ticket now

Please feel free to pass along the Facebook invitation to anyone you think might be interested.

Meet the instructor:

Timaree Schmit loves teaching, fitness and helping students love their lives more and more. While earning her Ph.D. is in Human Sexuality, Timaree began working as a fitness instructor, gradually expanding her repertoire to include Pilates, Kickboxing, Flirty Girl Fitness, Zumba, Spinning and various modalities of sculpting, circuit training and hi-lo cardio. Her raison d’etre is leading people towards enjoyable workouts that make them feel stronger, sexier and happier.

Learn more about piloxing with this video clip, which shows a variety of exercises you might do in the workshop

Not one, but TWO Philly Dance Fitness teachers will take you through 90 minutes of nonstop cardio routines set to Gaga’s greatest hits, including a break down of her music video choreography for “Judas.”

Ages 13 and up, no prior dance experience required.
Prizes for the best Gaga-inspired outfit.

$12 in advance or $15 at the door

• Thursday, November 3 from 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
• Sunday, November 13 from 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

The Performance Garage
1515 Brandywine Street, Philadelphia

Space is limited, so reserve your spot online now.

Can’t make the class? Book our Lady Gaga workshop for a private event.

Meet the instructors:

Kimberly Dolan-Hess – Kimberly has studied dance for more than 20 years and taught hip hop for 14 . Drawing on influences from breaking, popping, locking and pop music videos, she has produced several dance companies in the tri-state area. She’s trained under well-known choreographers such as Tabitha and Napolean (seen on the Fox television reality show “So You Think You Can Dance”), Marty Kudelka (choreographer of Justin Timberlake) and Dave Scott, choreographer for the movie “You Got Served.” Kimberly was awarded “BEST CHOREOGRAPHER”, “BEST TECHNIQUE” and “BEST ENERGY” for her dance company’s performance in the 2006 PhillyFit Magazine Dance Competition. In addition to her hip-hop background, Kimberly is certified to teach group fitness and Zumba.

Deborah Hirsch - Deborah, a self-proclaimed dance addict, is the owner and president of Philly Dance Fitness. She’s been dancing since she was a child, taking classes in every imaginable style she could squeeze into her schedule, from tap to flamenco. In college, she performed with Fusion, a student hip-hop group, and developed a penchant for ballroom dance. She found an outlet for her passion for movement in group fitness, becoming certified to teach Zumba, Urban Striptease, step aerobics, circuit training and target kickboxing. She also teaches wedding ballroom dance lessons, cardio bellydance, aqua dance, and several other fitness classes. Outside of teaching, Deborah loves collaborating with other choreographers to come up with creative events that will get people out grooving, from a free citywide Philadelphia Dance Day to workshops inspired by pop culture like this one.

Check out some of our inspiration:

Hip-Hop - Burn calories as you bust a move to hot hip-hop songs. While you’ll build short combinations of steps in this class, the focus will be more about having fun than perfecting technique. Like Zumba, no dance experience is required. Taught by Alicia DeBruhl

• Tuesday nights from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. starting October 11
• Major Moment Studio, 1624 South Street, Philadelphia
• Our first class will be only $5! PLUS get a $5 coupon for another Hip-Hop class at the first class if you RSVP on Facebook in advance
• $10 drop-in or use a class card regularly

Zumba Toning - This class combines targeted body-sculpting exercises and high-energy cardio work with Latin-infused Zumba moves to create a calorie-torching, strength-training dance fitness party. Using Zumba toning sticks or light weight dumbbells, you’ll work every muscle group while you groove. Along with light-weight upper body resistance, you’ll work against gravity or the floor to define your leg and ab muscles. Please note that this program is designed to tone rather than build muscle for a “re-defining” total body cardio workout! You will need to bring your own 1-3 pound hand weights or toning sticks, or you may rent a set of toning sticks to use at class for $1. The toning sticks sound like maracas when you shake them, adding another dimension to the music.  Taught by Deborah Hirsch.

• Wednesday nights from 6 p.m. to 6:55 p.m. starting with a FREE launch on October 26, 2011 (RSVP here if you plan to come to the free demo on Oct. 26 and let us know if you need to rent weights.)
• The Performance Garage, 1515 Brandywine St., Philadelphia * (Bring non street shoes, dance sneakers or socks for the dance floor, please)
• $10 drop-in or use a class card

To further celebrate the launch of this new program, we’ll be offering a limited number of discount passes for November:

• Pay just $15 for the first three weeks of class (Nov. 2, 9 and 16th). OR
• Pay $35 for the first three weeks of class AND get your own pair of toning sticks. Deadline to register for this option (or if you just want toning sticks) is 10/5/11 as we will need to account for shipping time.

Jewmba - Forget your grandpa’s hora, JEWMBA adds some international spice to Israeli folk dancing. No pattern memorization or dance experience required. Just follow the leader and get lost in the music. And nobody’s judging if you take a wrong step.

• Limited engagement workshops from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the four Wednesday nights in October
• The Gershman Y in downtown Philadelphia, 401 South Broad Street (near the corner of Pine St.) Walk or take the elevator to the Levitt Auditorium on the third floor.
• Pre-register for the series and save or pay $12 drop-in per class. Note: Class cards will not be accepted as these are specialty workshops.

Our new adult ballet class also continues in October on Monday nights.

Note the new time and location this month:

I purposefully avoid talking too much about all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into running our programs because, well, I’d rather have you spend your time dancing. However, because of the unexpected, abrupt nature of this change, I felt it was important to explain exactly what transpired.

Some of you may remember that I had been planning a long-delayed honeymoon in September. As a general rule, our company takes the responsibility of finding a sub for any of our classes very seriously. We communicate the relevant sub schedule to the studio at least a month ahead of time so that we’re all on the same page

In this case, I communicated both my intended absence and full sub schedule in writing to Fitness Works management in July and followed up with several reminder emails in the weeks before my trip. The last time I taught the class on Saturday, Sept. 3, I reminded gym owner Joanne Renzi as well as the students that I would be gone for five weeks, but they would be in good hands with two of our teachers who had both team-taught or subbed that class before. More than 20 people showed up to dance – a huge crowd in comparison to other classes that were being held that Labor Day holiday weekend.

Four days later, shortly after arriving in Germany, I received an email from the instructor who was set to substitute for me. Joanne, the owner, had called to inform her there was no need to sub because she’d found a permanent teacher and no longer wanted to work with Philly Dance Fitness.

Taken aback and confused, I immediately sent emails and made multiple international phone calls to the gym to find out what was going on. I did not reach Joanne on her cellphone until Saturday evening.

She said that the woman working the gym’s front desk on Labor Day weekend had noted that some members were worried about my upcoming vacation because they didn’t know if they would have a consistent, quality substitute. She didn’t know how many people had said this or who, commenting that no one had ever complained about me or my teaching in the year that I’d been teaching there. In fact, she continued, if these concerns hadn’t been brought to her attention, I “could have gone on teaching that class” for a dozen years.

However, by her own admission, she did not refer to my numerous emails documenting that I did, indeed, have two consistent subs in place –both of whom had taught that class previously to rave reviews – nor did she make any attempt to relay that information to the students who were worried that I wouldn’t be there. Instead, Joanne Renzi decided to completely replace me and Philly Dance Fitness with Renee De Johns Renzi – who had never taught that group of students until this past Saturday.

I want to apologize to my Fitness Works students, first and foremost, for not being able to follow-through on my repeated promise that I would be sending two Philly Dance Fitness teachers to sub for you while I was abroad. Certainly, I would not have communicated that if the gym owner had told me of her plans, but I feel bad nonetheless.

If you’ve been coming to our classes regularly, you hopefully know that we always strive to provide the best possible experience, from motivating you to dance harder to clearly communicating any changes to our class schedule. Of course, our schedule is constantly changing but we do our best to give notice well in advance if a class is going to be canceled so that you can plan accordingly. We hope that re-instating the class in mid-October at our own, albeit smaller studio, will make up for that at least a bit. I’ll be looking forward to shaking it with you then when we get back from Europe.

Adult Beginner Ballet – Improve strength, flexibility and poise with this classic dance form. Ballet, sometimes described as “medicine for the body,” is the root of so many contemporary styles. You don’t need to know what a “jete” is or be able to hold an arabesque to enjoy this class – you’ll learn as you go. Taught by Beverly Holskin.

• Monday nights from 5:45 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• Major Moment Studio, 1624 South Street, Philadelphia
• $15 drop-in. Class cards may not be used.

Along with ballet, please join us in welcoming the following teachers:

• Ballet/Kids Creative Movement instructor Beverly Holskin, also the owner of Major Moment Studio.
• Zumba instructor Lael Leach, who will be teaching Thursday nights.
• Zumba/hip-hop instructor Alicia DeBruhl, who will be teaching Wednesday nights.

We’re constantly working to add classes that fit your interests and schedules – so please feel to pass along any requests! Stay tuned for more hot workshops and classes later this fall.

As always, you can refer to the full, up-to-date schedule with addresses and maps on our site.

In addition to dancing, we’ll have raffle prizes, snacks and drinks afterward for those who are interested.

We even made the news. See this fabulous article in the Philadelphia Inquirer and this one, with video links, in the Metro.  We supposedly appeared on the 10 p.m. local television news as well, though we were too busy dancing to see it.

Find videos from the workshops here. There are also a few clips from the evening performances, which featured the Estilo Dancers, bellydancer Valerie Rushmere and lindy-hoppers Kerry and Yosef.

We can’t wait to do it all again next July! Until then, catch any of the Dance Day teachers for a class at their respective studios, and keep that dance party going till 2012!!!

Deborah, Jaime and a variety of guest instructors will take turns leading your favorite routines. Best of all, it’s FREE, so bring your friends and come jam with us!

If you’ve been curious about dance fitness, this is the perfect opportunity to check it out. Stay for a song or two or stay for the whole time. Providing that we don’t get rained out this time, we’ll stay in the park until about 3 p.m. Listen for the music to find us – we’ll try to set up somewhere in the central plaza.

Here’s a public Facebook invite that you can also pass along to anyone who might be interested.  Did we mention that it’s FREE???

See you then!

Per state statute, 54 Pa.C.S. 311 (g), we’re posting this as the required public announcement of our intention to file an application to register Philly Dance Fitness as a fictitious name.

June’s right around the corner and that means it’s time for another Dancing $ocial special from Philly Dance Fitness!

This time we’re featuring our Tuesday night Zumba class in Ardmore. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, this is the perfect opportunity.

We’re offering a voucher for the FOUR Tuesdays in June for only $25! That’s a deeper discount than any of our class cards.

Take advantage of this incredible deal by purchasing your voucher online. Just bring the PayPal receipt to class on June 7.

BUT act fast because we’ve only got 10 coupons available! If the deal sells out, everyone who bought the deal will also get a bonus FREE Zumba class with Christine. That’s a total of five classes–a $50 value–for $20!!!

PiYo is held on Wednesdays from 6:45 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Studio 1831 in the Fairmount neighborhood (1831 Brandywine St., Philadelphia). Just bring your PayPal receipt to class–it’s that easy!

If you haven’t tried PiYo yet, now’s your chance!  Tone your muscles just in time for swimsuit season by combining core and strength exercises with hot dance moves and music. Check out our PiYo page for more information and videos about this high-energy class.

Best of all, a portion of the proceeds from every class goes back to PEP, which serves upwards of 300 adults and children with disabilities every year.

Special thanks to student Lauren D., who came up with the idea to partner with PEP. Lauren’s husband’s grandmother (say that three times fast) was among the group of women who founded the nonprofit agency in 1969.

After the free launch, the classes will continue under our normal pricing: $10 drop in, or you can save by purchasing a multi-class card. Save $10 by purchasing a 5 class card for $40, or save a whopping $30 by purchasing a 10 class card for $70.