Where: DanceFIT Studio, 25 Monmouth St., Boston, MA

Gina Fay: Insert Every/Any Synonym for Awesome Here

Let me begin by saying that after taking Gina Fay's BalletFIT class, I have never felt less guilty about practically snorting the embarrassingly large burrito now residing in my belly. Wowee.

That. was. awesome (the class, not the burrito- the burrito had a little too much rice if you ask me...). Sorry, on to more relevant matters.

Meet (the lovely) Gina Fay:

After getting over the fact that I would be dancing my soon-to-make-Jessica-Biel-jealous fanny off on the top floor of a church, I climbed up the stairs to Dancefit.  There, in the studio, stood Miss Gina, fumbling with her iPod. 

Gina is ADORBS.  Clad in her hot pink leg warmers and matching tank, she warmly asked my name and explained what I should expect in the class- "It's an intense work out, but don't worry, you don't have to be super coordinated."

"Agreed" to intensity, but a resounding "LIES!!!" to the no-coordination-necessary bit.

Don't get me wrong, the class is UNBELIEVABLE (yes, it deserves caps).  Gina is a rockstar.  But, a little ballet background (or an elementary familiarity with French) and the ability to stand on one leg without toppling over are recommended in your talent-tool belt before trying BalletFIT.  Luckily, I used to dance, je parle francais, and my balance isn't totally remedial.

The Appetizer:

Fifteen minutes before the class, Gina offers a complimentary 12-minute workout.  Like, if you don't want to pay and just want to show up for the 12-minute workout, that's A-Okay by G.Fay.  Man oh man.  That 12-minute workout was enough for me to smell like the primate house at the zoo. 

• High-knee fast jog
• Burpees
• Plank
• Jump-rope
• Crunches
• AND REPEAT.

The Main Course:

When the actual class time rolled around, more students trickled in.  Everyone in the class was really young- I'd be shocked if anyone was over 35.  Gina started us off at the ballet bar, with some plies using weights.  Yowza.  You will hurt. 

We went on with all sorts of different bar exercises using weights before moving on to lots and lots and lots of jumping.  Pretty ballet jumping, sure, but still jumping.  It is hard to see this baby through. 

At this juncture in my review, I wanted to give readers a motivational tip to get you through the jumping, but I'm at a loss.  I even Googled "why would someone want to jump?" but the results were geared towards those with suicidal ideations. 

After bar exercises, we moved on to floor exercises: more planks, more kicks, more plies.  I am telling you.  You will feel a delicious amount of severe pain before you can finally relax.

And, Gina is AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME multiplied by one million.  Even though everyone in the class feels like they may collapse at any given moment, she is an unbelievable motivator.  What's more, she expects you to finish - "Higher! Don't stop!"  And, well, when someone expects you to do something, you want to deliver.  She also walks around the room and corrects everyone's form by physically moving you into the proper position.  Very helpful.

Ballet to B.O.B and Then Some:

The music in the class ranges from classical ballet tunes to contemporary pop during floor exercises.  I can't even tell you what a kick I got from Britney's "3" blasting from a church ("Merrier the more/triple fun that way/twister on the floor/what do you say?" Um, YES).  And, as far as Gina goes, I have never seen more graceful moves to B.O.B. 

I should mention that Gina is the owner/creator of this wonderful place.  Her class is creative, super fun, and challenging.  I can't say enough good things about this gal.  However, her praise ends here as I am now...collapsing...in...exhaustiooonn on...my...keyboarrddddd hkjlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll.

Find out more about Gina's studio at www.dancefitstudio.com.

Check out Gina's 'Superwoman Spotlight' on Liz DiAlto's blog.

Find DanceFIT on Facebook.

Have you taken class with Gina? Are you sore? Post below!

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