Growing tired of the same fitness classes offered in every Westchester gym, Jodi DeCrenza of The Fitness Gallery in Hastings-on-Hudson decided it was time to take things up a notch by adding some unique and fun classes to her roster. “I wanted to have classes that you can’t find anywhere else,” DeCrenza says, “classes that work your overall body, to give you the biggest bang for your buck.”
One of her most popular new classes is African dance for children and adults. The performing art is rooted in Western African culture and engages total body involvement to the musical backdrop of energizing cultural rhythms. In an hour and a half, barefoot participants learn to perform vigorous routines as they follow along to authentic beats provided by the instructor.
“My kids love the class,” offers Juliana, a mother of two from Hastings. “The instructor is wonderful; it’s really worth checking out.”
One student reports that, while they learn dances like the Cuckoo and the Djembe, they start to feel the influence of the art “in their very bones.” Whether you are 6 or 60, DeCrenza says her mission is to help people who visit the Fitness Gallery “sculpt the ultimate piece of art—you!”
