Augustina Groop
HELLO
Augustina Groop
Since spring 2009, I've been obsessed with learning how to dance. I've been researching every intro dance class in the city and spend nearly every ses More...
Brooklyn, NY
Member Of...
I Heart These...
Feats Completed
Workout
Dance Cures Headaches!
A big headache on my last day of Caffeine-Free week, but at least it was temporarily assuaged by an awesome routine with Abby at Greenwich. We did a hip-hop routine to "Ditch That" by The Dream (a hip-hop routine that, of course, included writhing around on the floor and much sexy grinding). Hooray! Tomorrow I'm doing Bright Colors.
Place:
Equinox - Greenwich Avenue
Workout
Broccoli and Yoga
I had broccoli and rice for lunch today. I wasn't even planning to do the SW-e-AT challenge but then upon looking at the daily foods (beets! oatmeal!) I realized they are totally my favorites anyway!
Place:
Equinox - Columbus Circle
Workout
On My Way to Headstand in Yoga!
Went to Shana's Vinyasa Yoga class today at Brooklyn Heights. I thought the class was surprisingly challenging, and we went through a lot of different poses. And I got up in the preparatory pre-headstand "egg" (knees drawn into chest) pose! First time ever! Hooray! In conjunction with yesterday's strength training class, it's been quite a workout for my arms the past two days.
Class(es) Taken:
Vinyasa Yoga - Shana Whang
Place:
Equinox - Brooklyn Heights
Date:
Sun, 10/04/2009 (All day)
Workout
Strength at Soho
Checked out a great strength conditioning class this morning at my gym. The instructor, Angel, was very friendly and had us blasting through a 45-minute workout with no breaks.
Workout
How to Keep a Man, Courtesy of James's Dance Class
So, more sexy jazz tonight at Soho for James's dance class. Noticed lots of new people in the class I'd never seen before, that was interesting. I compared notes afterward with one of my friends on our favorite people to watch and we both totally have the same fave. Half the fun of going to dance class is watching those three or four spectacularly awesome people in the front.
Class(es) Taken:
DANCEology - James Ervin
Place:
Equinox - Soho
Date:
Fri, 10/02/2009 (All day)
Workout
Ballet Body at 63rd/Lex...No Moore!
Yesterday went to David Moore's Ballet Body class at 63rd & Lexington Equinox. That's one of the classes that always just makes me slap my forehead and ask myself "why do I even try"? The class description says "no ballet experience necessary" but that's so patently untrue.
Class(es) Taken:
Ballet Body - David Moore
Place:
Equinox - 63rd Street
Date:
Thu, 10/01/2009 (All day)
Workout
Wednesday Night Dance: NEW BRITNEY!
New Britney Spears song came out yesterday and Abby's already choreographed a dance to it! Yeah! And there was staging! Other than that, it was a pretty simple routine. Not sure if I'll go back for Thursday's class at 76th and Amsterdam, or if I'll do a ballet or yoga class tomorrow instead. Although I'm streaming it right now and it is making me want to go back...
Place:
Equinox - Greenwich Avenue
Workout
Absolute Beginner Ballet at 92nd Street Y
Went to the first class for the fall semester of Intro to Ballet for Absolute Beginners today. (Oddly, registration for this class is apparently sold out online, which must have happened in the past week or so. Yet I was still able to buy a drop-in class. Hmm.) The dance facilities at 92nd Street Y seem good, with the rubbery floors which I'm coming to realize are quite common for dance studios.
Class(es) Taken:
Intro to Ballet for Absolute Beginners - Susan Rosenbaum
Place:
YMCA - 92nd Street
Date:
Tue, 09/29/2009 (All day)
Workout
Mentally Gentle Yoga with Sam Chase
Checked out Sam's L2/3 Powerflow Yoga class last night at Soho. I'd never taken class with him, but had been hearing good things. He offered lots of variations and really encouraged people to tailor the class to what their personal mental, emotional, and physical needs were like that day.
Class(es) Taken:
Powerflow Yoga (L2/3) - Sam Chase
Place:
Equinox - Soho
Date:
Mon, 09/28/2009 (All day)
Workout
Fun With Yoga Straps
Checked out Debby Green's Iyengar Yoga class today at Brooklyn Heights. We spent the entire hour working on three moves (supported backbend, triangle, and tree), working with straps to ensure correct alignment. I wasn't always sure I felt what I was supposed to be feeling, but the teacher made a good effort to explain and walked around the room to check students' positioning.
Class(es) Taken:
Iyengar Yoga - Debby Green
Place:
Equinox - Brooklyn Heights
Date:
Sun, 09/27/2009 (All day)
- 1 of 8
- ››
Workout
Dance Cures Headaches!
A big headache on my last day of Caffeine-Free week, but at least it was temporarily assuaged by an awesome routine with Abby at Greenwich. We did a hip-hop routine to "Ditch That" by The Dream (a hip-hop routine that, of course, included writhing around on the floor and much sexy grinding). Hooray! Tomorrow I'm doing Bright Colors.
Place:
Equinox - Greenwich Avenue
Workout
Broccoli and Yoga
I had broccoli and rice for lunch today. I wasn't even planning to do the SW-e-AT challenge but then upon looking at the daily foods (beets! oatmeal!) I realized they are totally my favorites anyway!
Place:
Equinox - Columbus Circle
Workout
On My Way to Headstand in Yoga!
Went to Shana's Vinyasa Yoga class today at Brooklyn Heights. I thought the class was surprisingly challenging, and we went through a lot of different poses. And I got up in the preparatory pre-headstand "egg" (knees drawn into chest) pose! First time ever! Hooray! In conjunction with yesterday's strength training class, it's been quite a workout for my arms the past two days.
Class(es) Taken:
Vinyasa Yoga - Shana Whang
Place:
Equinox - Brooklyn Heights
Date:
Sun, 10/04/2009 (All day)
Workout
Strength at Soho
Checked out a great strength conditioning class this morning at my gym. The instructor, Angel, was very friendly and had us blasting through a 45-minute workout with no breaks.
Workout
How to Keep a Man, Courtesy of James's Dance Class
So, more sexy jazz tonight at Soho for James's dance class. Noticed lots of new people in the class I'd never seen before, that was interesting. I compared notes afterward with one of my friends on our favorite people to watch and we both totally have the same fave. Half the fun of going to dance class is watching those three or four spectacularly awesome people in the front.
Class(es) Taken:
DANCEology - James Ervin
Place:
Equinox - Soho
Date:
Fri, 10/02/2009 (All day)
Workout
Ballet Body at 63rd/Lex...No Moore!
Yesterday went to David Moore's Ballet Body class at 63rd & Lexington Equinox. That's one of the classes that always just makes me slap my forehead and ask myself "why do I even try"? The class description says "no ballet experience necessary" but that's so patently untrue.
Class(es) Taken:
Ballet Body - David Moore
Place:
Equinox - 63rd Street
Date:
Thu, 10/01/2009 (All day)
Workout
Wednesday Night Dance: NEW BRITNEY!
New Britney Spears song came out yesterday and Abby's already choreographed a dance to it! Yeah! And there was staging! Other than that, it was a pretty simple routine. Not sure if I'll go back for Thursday's class at 76th and Amsterdam, or if I'll do a ballet or yoga class tomorrow instead. Although I'm streaming it right now and it is making me want to go back...
Place:
Equinox - Greenwich Avenue
Workout
Absolute Beginner Ballet at 92nd Street Y
Went to the first class for the fall semester of Intro to Ballet for Absolute Beginners today. (Oddly, registration for this class is apparently sold out online, which must have happened in the past week or so. Yet I was still able to buy a drop-in class. Hmm.) The dance facilities at 92nd Street Y seem good, with the rubbery floors which I'm coming to realize are quite common for dance studios.
Class(es) Taken:
Intro to Ballet for Absolute Beginners - Susan Rosenbaum
Place:
YMCA - 92nd Street
Date:
Tue, 09/29/2009 (All day)
Workout
Mentally Gentle Yoga with Sam Chase
Checked out Sam's L2/3 Powerflow Yoga class last night at Soho. I'd never taken class with him, but had been hearing good things. He offered lots of variations and really encouraged people to tailor the class to what their personal mental, emotional, and physical needs were like that day.
Class(es) Taken:
Powerflow Yoga (L2/3) - Sam Chase
Place:
Equinox - Soho
Date:
Mon, 09/28/2009 (All day)
Workout
Fun With Yoga Straps
Checked out Debby Green's Iyengar Yoga class today at Brooklyn Heights. We spent the entire hour working on three moves (supported backbend, triangle, and tree), working with straps to ensure correct alignment. I wasn't always sure I felt what I was supposed to be feeling, but the teacher made a good effort to explain and walked around the room to check students' positioning.
Class(es) Taken:
Iyengar Yoga - Debby Green
Place:
Equinox - Brooklyn Heights
Date:
Sun, 09/27/2009 (All day)
- 1 of 8
- ››
The user hasn't yet posted any reviews.
I'll third that! Have you ever taken Terrell's class at 85th and 3rd? He's so nice and energetic, and it's a bit less crowded than JB's class.
Posted in response to: URBAN REBOUNDING --> Jump Your Way to Exhilaration!
The song is "3" ... Perez has it up here:
http://perezhilton.com/2009-09-29-new-britney-take-a-listen
Posted in response to: Wednesday Night Dance: NEW BRITNEY!
Oddly, it seemed like they had wooden floors that had been COVERED UP by the rubbery floors. I hadn't even noticed until the teacher cautioned us not to walk on the uncovered edges of the room because the floors there were so slippery! Weird, right?
I work really close to Ailey so I want to try a class there sometime. I've seen some vids on YouTube of their street jazz class with Sam Harte and it looks like they have wooden floors. And I want to try Joffrey too. Are you still going?
I went to Dawn Hillen's basics class at Ballet Arts one summer Friday and it was pretty hard--about 60% of the students appeared to be able to do full splits!
OK, longest comment ever.
Posted in response to: Absolute Beginner Ballet at 92nd Street Y
Haven't gotten the spiel yet--maybe that comes at the end of the week? I did talk to someone in the locker room who said her special charter member rate was about $103, so I guess the regular rate would probably be $20-30 more than that?? Just a guess though...
Posted in response to: Trying Out YogaWorks with Sherman
This free yoga week thing is great, huh? Can't wait to hear what you think!
Posted in response to: Trying Out YogaWorks with Sherman
Great review! I've wondered about Jeremy's classes at Equinox but he mostly teaches on weekday mornings and afternoons at inconvenient locations. I'm inspired to try his Monday evening class at 63rd & Lex now!
Posted in response to: Jeremy Fahey At The Shala
Damn, I didn't see this until just now! Although I'm on severe budget lockdown at the moment so I probably wouldn't have been able to go (but I so wanna check out Ailey!). How was it?
Posted in response to: last chance to join us tonight at Intro to Horton
Nice shoes! I have these really dorky black Capezio dance sneakers that I bought before I realized that only old ladies wear them--sigh. I want to buy some sexy, colorful, possibly part-metallic hip-hop sneakers--I'm just worried about blowing a lot of money only to find out I can't handle myself in them!
Posted in response to: my brazilian dance shoes are the best purchase eva!
Wow! Thanks for this review, the class looks awesome! I always thought I should get a foundation in ballet and jazz before even trying one of those scary proper-name classes (Horton, Limon, etc.), but maybe I will give this a shot! Still haven't made it over to Ailey ... now more motivated than ever.
Posted in response to: Alvin Ailey Extension: Intro Horton
Wow. You are a BEAST with your multiple-multiple-workouts per day! I know what you mean though about the overlap between hobby and workout. I'm going through the same thing, doing as much beginner dance as possible while also working on flexibility and yoga, and still trying to fit in the occasional run or strength training or Pilates class. And dance isn't nearly as strenuous (at my level, at least) as Muay Thai or capoeira.
Posted in response to: Rest and Massage day!
Naw, but maybe I should have!
You should totally try out a class or two. I see you go to Crunch--they have so many great dance classes!
Posted in response to: Long, Flailing Arms and Legs=Unhappy Dance Class
Too true! I love that this site helps me embrace my inner gym rat!
Posted in response to: The Day I Spent Four Hours Working Out
Great post! Thanks for the tip--I will definitely be bringing some friends to this!
Posted in response to: Virgin Vinyasa
So far I've found classes online at PMT (Mondays at 9) and Alvin Ailey Extension (Saturdays at 4)--but have never been to either of these. They're not beginner classes, they're open level, so I'm nervous about just dropping in without any knowledge whatsoever of snapping/popping/locking. I will definitely report back if I go, though! I'm so curious...
Posted in response to: NYC Popping Week
Cool, thanks! I'll definitely check with them in the fall--would love to do ballet on a luxurious wooden floor.
Posted in response to: Day 34 - One for the road is a bad idea when you bike everywhere
Well, you're definitely right about the floors at BAE--they could stand some improvement. On the other hand, you can't beat those class sizes. Oh, and I had a question for you about Joffrey phasing out adult classes--on the website, it seemed like they were only cutting them for the month of August, and then the schedule was going to revert back in the fall. Do you know if that's the case?
Posted in response to: Day 34 - One for the road is a bad idea when you bike everywhere
Yes! They're two things that I avoided for so long because it takes so long to become good at them. But now that I've started, I find that I barely have time for any other kind of workout!
Posted in response to: Ballet + Yoga: Complementary as Peanut Butter & Chocolate
Ballet in Harlem? I thought I'd scoped out all the beginner ballet classes in Manhattan, but I guess I was wrong! (Unless you mean BAE?) Where was it? Did you like it?
Posted in response to: Day 34 - One for the road is a bad idea when you bike everywhere
I still love Molly Ringwald's dancing in this scene, so much.
Posted in response to: John Hughes On Dancing
Sure! I also just got an e-mail from Dance New Amsterdam announcing their fall intro to ballet workshop. At $180 for 6 classes, it's pricey, but each session is 2 hours long, so maybe that makes up for it a little?
http://www.dnadance.org/site/page-02permanent-classespermanent-classes/w...
Too bad to hear Joffrey is phasing out the adult classes. I had read some reviews online that said the basic beginner classes moved at a pretty fast pace, anyway. Which teachers do you like there?
Posted in response to: Week 5 of the Mark Morris Intro to Ballet Workshop!
- 1 of 2
- ››
on 2 years 32 weeks ago by Augustina Groop