Studio at Night
When I first landed in LA, before my feet even hit baggage claim, I was all over my iphone yelping dance studios. Moving from Detroit to LA, I was beyond excited to be in one of the dance meccas of the world. There are so many studios and drop in classes to choose from-it’s amazing! But like any dancer, I get bored easily. Don’t get me wrong, you will find me all over the west side several days a week taking drop in classes – mostly hip hop. But as I said, I was finding myself to be stuck in a meaningless dancing groove. I needed a change up and that is when I found the Movement Studio LA.
One day while searching Groupon looking for something fun to do for the upcoming weekend, I saw a deal for a studio that offered pole dancing, burlesque, barre class and much more. How perfect?! Something new and exciting and exactly what I was looking for to get me out of my dance rut. In Detroit I was a member of a dance team and lately I was desperately missing the excitement of competitions and performances. I hurriedly bought the Groupon and forwarded it onto my girlfriend and demanded she do the same.
The Movement Studio LA is located on Beverly Boulevard west of S. Martel Avenue. It’s a contemporary styled loft upstairs on the second floor. When you first enter, you smell tranquil flowers and immediately find yourself in a zen state. The owner, Elizabeth, greets you at the door with a warm smile and a hug. My first class was with Elizabeth – Pure Sculpt Class. She introduced herself to every girl and asked if anyone had any injuries or specific problem areas they wanted to work on that day so she could tailor the workout to meet each girls needs. During just the warm-up, I was instantly sweating and loved the fact that Elizabeth walked around and corrected each girls form to ensure we were getting the most out of our workout. In her class we sculpted our abs, worked our gluts and thighs, and even managed to have enough time kill my arms – all within an hour class! I left Movement feeling refreshed and sore and knew I would be returning again soon.
Every girl needs to channel her inner stripper and at Movement’s pole class is where you will find her. The ambiance at the studio that day was supreme sexiness, dim lighting, a roaring fire, and exotic music playing - a perfect storm for any girl to let her hair down and throw on her stilettos! It was an intimate class of 5 girls. After our warm-up we learned both floor work as well as various moves on the pole itself. The small class setting was ideal so each girl was able to receive specific technique instructions from our teacher. I also learned that pole dancing was offered thru their After 8 series. This is a series of classes that occurs after 8pm one night a week for six weeks. I was bummed to hear the class was now full; however their burlesque series still had openings and was starting the following week!
I cannot think of a better way to wind down after a hard day’s work then to grab some heels, a hat and your best Pussycat doll (or Marilyn Monroe) outfit and head into Sascha’s and Carolina’s burlesque class. Week one you learn the basics of burlesque. The remaining four weeks you spend learning a routine. Both Sascha and Carolina are extremely talented and work to make sure each person is dancing to their full potential, regardless if they are new to dance or been dancing their entire life. During the sixth week of class, everyone dresses up in full costume, has drinks and treats, and performs the dance for each other. The instructors even bring in their own props to really make the dance come to life! Everyone is so supportive of each other and it’s great to see how far each dancer has come from the first week of class. It is truly empowering. Many women in Los Angeles look to retail for therapy, as a recent import from Detroit give me burlesque therapy!
Movement Studio LA is great for a drop in class, 6 week series class, or even for a bachelorette party! Check out their website or call them direct. They are extremely helpful and will answer all questions.
http://movementstudiola.com/ or 323.424.7924
