A class at City Barre in Scott’s Addition (Photo courtesy City Barre)
Barre is an exercise program, most often taught in group class format, developed by German-born dancer Lotte Berk in the 1950s. Berk adapted the method from the kinds of stretches and positions ballet dancers use onstage and worked in elements of yoga and Pilates, resulting in a fitness regimen that tones muscles and improves flexibility with low joint stress. In a typical barre class, which last 30 minutes to an hour on average, small movements and isometric holds (contracting a muscle without visibly moving the joint) build stability and make muscles burn.
The primary equipment used is a ballet barre — a support rail commonly found in dance studios — but classes also add exercise balls, resistance bands and light hand weights to target muscle groups in the upper body, core and legs simultaneously.
“Barre is an all-over strength exercise,” explains Gretchen Solarz, the owner of City Barre in Scott’s Addition. “It targets one muscle group at a time, mostly using your own body weight and very small, precise movements to target and fatigue muscles, thereby gaining strength.”
The dance space at barReVA near Willow Lawn (Photo courtesy barReVA)
Polly Taylor, co-owner and founder of barReVA in Libbie Place Shopping Center on West Broad Street, notes that since many classes are set to up-tempo tunes, rhythm and mindfulness are also key aspects of the workout.
“The beat of the music gets you into the groove of the class, so there’s a good flow to the workout,” she says. “Every time you work hard and tap into those stability muscles, you have a moment of stretching afterward. The music goes down, the beat changes, and you’re reminded to be in the moment.”
Barre’s low-impact movements are easy to modify or adjust for all ability levels, Taylor adds. Clients at barReVA include expectant mothers and athletes of other disciplines healing from injuries. Even in the middle of a workout, amplifying or reducing the stress of any one move is part of the experience.
“It’s about being mindful and putting that mental energy into the muscles you’re working [out],” she says. “We recommend taking a couple classes to get the full feel of the flow, to get your brain to focus on the muscles and not everything else that’s going on.”
For Solarz, the close-knit community formed from the studio setting and shared workout experience helps to turn first-timers into long-term gymgoers. “You feel like a friend from the moment you walk in,” Solarz says. “We’re really big on knowing people; we’re a community, and we know everyone who walks in the door.”
It’s not hard to catch a class around town; some all-purpose gyms host introductory and specialized classes, while barre-only studios are opening or expanding every year. In addition to barReVA and City Barre, Pulse Barre hosts daily classes in Mechanicsville, and The Hot Yoga Barre, with locations in Henrico and Midlothian, offers barre and yoga classes in heated studios. The national chain Pure Barre also operates three locations in the region.
Barre Necessities
Devin DeLozier, an instructor at three Pure Barre locations in metro Richmond, shares tips to flex your way into fitness.
- Move precisely: “The movement is less than what you would assume. It’s a lot of muscle isolation, a lot of isometric holds. So much of it is building in yourself, focusing on what you can do.”
- Make it your own: “If you need to do shorter reps, or take your time lifting something, that’s an option. There’s no judgment — there are ways to work with every body type, every level of physicality.”
- Hit your limit: “You’re going to work your body to ‘the shake’ — that’s when your muscles are at the end of the rope. But you push past the shake, because that’s where you find growth. That muscle is getting stronger, just like you are.”
- Show up for yourself: “You’re in this room with people who you wouldn’t run into on a regular day, but you’re all there for the same purpose, and that’s where the community thrives. Everyone in the studio just wants the best for you, [for you] to show up every day for yourself.”
