Jun 11, 2008 11:11 am US/Eastern
Ballet + Pilates = Bale'ates
New Exercise In A Class Of Its Own
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
Move over cardio striptease! There's a new exercise class that will shape and tone, define and refine without making you feel like you belong on a pole.
It's called Bale'ates (Balay-ah-tees) and it's a smart mix of pilates and ballet.
By combining the work of Joseph Pilates with the foundations of ballet, Kip Martin of Symmetry Dance Wellness, at 2013 Sansom Street, provides a non-traditional form of exercise that he says will make you look and feel good.
"Bale'ates offers a sense of refinement in terms of the way you move. It gives you a sense of well being and harmony," said Martin.
It also works your core, improves balance and builds strength.
"It targets a lot of conditioning for abdominal strength, but also emanates everything outward from the center."
While the exercise can act as a compliment to a dancer's training, it can also benefit non-dancers, as well as beginners.
"The class is progressive, so it starts out with a simple form of the exercise and then moves to more complex forms," said Martin.
Martin's loyal students say by the end of the one hour class, they feel refreshed and re-energized.
"If I had to get rid of everything else I did all week, this would be the one thing I would hold on to," said Ginger Dayle.
The best part? You won't need fishnets or stilettos ... just a little time to get refined.
To learn more about bale'ates classes and Kip Martin's Symmetry Dance Wellness studio,
click here.
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