Barre classes challenge flexibility, muscle strength

Located Downtown in the Santa Fe Building on 6th Street and Main Street, The Main Barre has an immediate cool factor. The street was bustling with city sounds and nighttime energy when I arrived at the building for my 7:15 p.m. class. I was buzzed in the door and made my way to the elevator, expecting the studio to be a calm oasis in the middle of Downtown. Instead, I could hear music blasting as I rode the elevator up to the fourth floor studio.

Audra Skaates welcomed me into the studio, and I was amazed at the space — a beautiful loft with a grand view of the city’s skyline. The lights were dim, and an instructor was teaching a small class on the barre. The studio really was an oasis in the middle of the city’s cacophony, even with the blasting music.

Skaates opened the studio just after graduating from college. She was familiar with the area, as she spent her days teaching barre at other studios and nights bartending Downtown; Skaates jokes that her friends often tell her she went from one bar to the next. Despite initial reservations about the location, Skaates was eager to open her own place, and fell in love with the location. She saw the opening in the Santa Fe Building, brainstormed names for the studio during her shift at the bar, submitted her application when she got home that night and heard back from the building just hours later. With that, Skaates had opened the first barre studio in Downtown.

Part of what helped The Main Barre succeed during its formative years was Skaates’s tenacity and passion for her new studio. Determined to make The Main Barre a success, Skaates threw herself into the business side, handing out flyers and business cards and creating relationships with nearby businesses and clients. Though Skaates admits she wears many hats, her enterpreneurial spirit and ability to make relationships are what keep the studio a success today. Skaates knows almost every client’s name — if they’re a new face, she makes sure to introduce herself. The combination of her bubbly personality and passion for fitness is completely enchanting, and is a characteristic that is evident in her attitude toward her staff and her students.

The instructor of my class, Liz, immediately introduced herself when I walked in the door with a bubbly enthusiasm that mirrored Skaates’s. I hadn’t done barre before, so I was filled with both excitement and nerves; I knew from other classes that I wasn’t very flexible but was confident that I’d be able to keep up. Liz gave me the basics of what would happen in the class and told me not to worry if my legs shook during an exercise — that was a good thing. I wasn’t worried, as I didn’t think anything could be worse than the pilates class I had taken a few weeks earlier.

I chose a spot in the back corner, close to the mirrors so I could watch and follow the others in the class; little did I know my location became a benefit so I could watch myself too. Surprised to see two sets of weights next to my mat, it immediately became clear that this class would be more physically intense than I imagined. Liz started the class off with some stretching, incorporating several ballet moves and positions that brought me back to the dance class I had when I was six. The weights came into play during the arm section of the class, which incorporated more arm workouts than I knew existed. The end of the arm exercises was a welcome relief until Liz instructed us that it was time for legs.

The studio has two different barres, one for more experienced and adventurous students, and one for me. I am not flexible, so I took the opportunity to use the lower barre. The rest of the class effortlessly swung their legs onto the barres. I, on the other hand, carefully assisted my stiff leg into the same position, trying my best to hide my strain. Liz then had us do several leg exercises, as we folded our bodies into several positions, incorporating bands and balls into the workout. Though I was initially excited to use the exercise balls — they reminded me of dodgeballs in middle school — it quickly became clear that this was going to be the part of the workout I struggled with most. The rest of the class looked graceful and seemed to hold their ball between their knees with ease, while I was constantly adjusting my ball to keep it in place. This is where my experience with dodgeball actually came in handy, as I discreetly caught my falling ball several times before it hit the ground. It didn’t help that despite my initial confidence at the beginning of class, my legs were shaking like leaves.

I was most excited for the core exercises, which came next, as they’re my favorite part of my usual workout. We once again used the exercise balls, this time putting them behind our backs for some crunches and curls. I had fun toward the beginning of this section, as I kept up pretty well with Liz and the experienced students — until the workout continued. We did more curls. We did curls with our legs bent, with our legs extended, with our legs in the air and with legs alternating. I could not have been happier when Liz dimmed the lights, turned down the pop music she had been blasting and announced it was time to rest, relax and stretch. I took a minute to reflect the class and came to a conclusion: Though I definitely wasn’t a dancer, I wanted that dancer’s body. And I knew that The Main Barre would give it to me. In my one class, I fell in love with barre, the challenge it posed and the environment Skaates had created.

A single class at The Main Barre costs $20, with various other packages offered. The studio provides morning and evening classes Monday through Friday, as well as a few morning classes on weekends. Currently three different classes are offered for a variety of workouts: The Main Body, Candlelight Flow and Rock Hard Glutes & Abs.

Jennifer Drysdale is a senior majoring in communication. Her column, “Gym Class Hero,” runs every Wednesday.