Let’s Get Jazzy!
After the past few weeks of trying Zumba and REFIT, I decided to try “Jazzercise.” It is located 12 minutes from campus. It felt far even though it wasn’t, and it is close to the Lake Waco area. The booking process was a little confusing. You go through the national Jazzercise website and find the Waco location. The website was a bit glitchy, and it took me a minute to get to the Waco studio. Then you buy a class, but you don’t book online. You show up and show the receipt to be able to participate.
Courtesy of Cheree Gould
*Pictured above is the outside of the Jazzercize studio.
They offer four types of class formats: stretch, cardio sculpt, power sculpt, and sculpt. My friend and I attended the cardio sculpt class, and the instructor was Shelly. When we walked in, we were immediately greeted by Kathy, one of the ladies who worked with scheduling. She introduced herself and got us to sign a waiver before starting the class.
After we signed the waiver, we were introduced to the class of 13 other ladies, and they were all very excited to have Baylor students in the class. Like Zumba, we were the youngest ones in the class. But don’t be fooled; the class was not easy. Compared to other dance fitness, they involved dance moves such as a “plie,” “ball change,” and “casse.” The studio felt a little small at first, but there was enough space for everyone to be spread out.
Courtesy of Jazzercise Waco
*Pictured above is the inside of the studio. The others in the class stood on the marked spots to ensure everyone had space.
Like other classes, we started with a quick warm-up. Then Shelly incorporated more cardio, like jogging in pace and running back and forth. She included intricate choreography, and I sometimes struggled with the dance moves more than the intensity. Once I got the hang of it, I felt the workout! Towards the end of class, we all got weights and mats and went to the floor to do some core work. The cooldown was a little yoga, including the pose downward dog.
My friend and I agreed they had the best music compared to other studios! They played recent hits, and the ladies sang along and had fun. After class, the other students stayed and chatted with us about our life and classes. Shelly also came and talked to us about memberships.
Shelly informed us of Jazzercise’s student discount. For $45 a month, you have access to unlimited classes, and for a single drop-in class, it costs $20. At other studios I have visited, their membership packages make you usually have a three-month commitment. At Jazzercise, you only commit to one month at a time and can pull out whenever.
Even after leaving class, Shelly followed up with me and told me how she enjoyed having us in the class. The whole experience was overall very personal and welcoming. I first thought that all these dance fitness classes would be similar- but they all have twists that make them stand out. I would recommend this to any Baylor student; compared to other studios, they have a great, affordable price!
