BIG NEWS! We are back at Blossom Wellness Studio for fall-winter-spring!
We are back at the beautiful, light-filled Blossom Wellness Center studio in downtown Montpelier.
Join this vibrant, welcoming, hilarious class that’s a workout, a party, and a celebration!
Check out the details below for how to sign up for class at our beautiful studio.
Yes, Zoom is always still an option!*
*But you need to sign up before 7 am Saturday to attend via Zoom.
Join the noisiest, friendliest, most hilarious indoor dance party in town.
And then, if you like, join the “Third Half” of class to refuel with tea and eat snacks together at a local coffee shop!
Sign up before 7 am Saturday to attend via Zoom.
And voilà! You’ll receive the link by email at 8 am.
If you sign up after 7 am, I won’t see your email in time, and you won’t get the link.
Let’s avoid this huge bummer-for-all - but, if you do happen to miss the 7 am Zoom cut-off, please consider signing up ahead of time for next week, or coming to the studio instead.
During the Camp Meade season, please check here every Saturday morning before you head out, to make sure we are Outside Together.
From summer solstice to fall equinox, we dance together outdoors at beautiful Camp Meade!
Come dance together with a lively crew of mischief-makers under the sheltering white pines on the beautiful grassy field.
And then enjoy a Red Hen treat together, if you like!
On funky weather days, how do I decide whether we’re outside+Zoom or Zoom-only? Well, mostly it’s the weather and the condition of our beautiful grassy dance floor. I’ll almost always plan for dancing outside together if the temperature is between 32 and 90 degrees F, and the grass is un-slippery and un-muddy, and it’s not predicted to pour rain, or be windy or cold.
But remember: this is pleasure-centered fitness, so I’m seeking to create a maximally pleasurable experience for everyone, including me. I LOVE being together in person, and teaching outside under the sheltering white pines, so in general, that’s my default.
But if I wake up and for some reason my desire and my instinct is to teach via Zoom, even if the weather isn’t horrible, that’s how I’ll call it. Likewise, if the weather looks iffy but my instinct and desire is to teach outside, I’ll go with that.
And yes - all of this is just another expression of my commitment to a pleasure-centered, instinct-driven, thoroughly satisfying life.
Hooray! By Special Request, On-Demand Dance Fitness is back!
Enjoy a full month (or a whole year!) with an ever-expanding library of favorite classes, with a variety of playlists, from old favorites to fresh jams.
As a thank you to the steady-rocking On-Demand crew, now there’s an option to enjoy a whole year at an incredible value (12 months for less than the price of 9).
Sign up to reserve an in-studio spot at Blossom.
This lovely, friendly 2nd-floor downtown studio has airy, bright, and playful energy and a rich and gorgeous sound system. It’s an incredible place to dance together and I am grateful to be there!
For everyone’s safety, comfort, and freedom of movement, Blossom studio attendance is firmly capped at 20. Yes, you are always welcome to try dropping in! But if class signup is full, Blossom also has a lovely wait-list option that works incredibly well, so it’s definitely worth it to get on the list.
Also, there is sometimes a last minute spot open right before class (like, as in, at 8:50 am) because someone who signed up but suddenly, last-minute, cannot attend - so even if you find yourself without a reserved spot, it may still be worth a gamble to show up around 8:45 and see if there’s room.
Yes, Blossom has a sliding scale, $10-$17!
Yes, Zoom is always an option! If you’d like to attend by Zoom, please sign up below before 7 am Saturday. Remember, if you sign up after 7 am Saturday, I am in class prep mode and not able to monitor email, so you will not receive the link for Zoom class.
Joanie, Andy and the Blossom crew are wonderful, the studio space is bright and cheerful and gorgeous, and the stereo is BANGIN’. Blossom’s teachers are exceptional, and you will find an amazing selection of classes in addition to ours!
I can’t wait to sweat together (and say Happy Saturday to downtown Montpelier)!
To make it even sweeter, there’s yoga at 10:30 am if you want to capitalize on an amazing movement practice double-dip…or head to the famous “Third Half of class” at a local coffee shop.
Please do check here every Saturday morning before you head out for in-person class - right here is where I post any changes, by 6:30 am Saturday.
Yes! I am proud to continue the tradition we began in 2020: a portion of every ticket for every class I teach goes directly to organizations working to heal some of the many harms of systemic racism in the U.S. Please see below for details on what we’re funding this year.
Looking to expand your movement and dance repertoire in beginner-friendly, welcoming online dance classes? Try the gem that is Tony Yemaya’s Orisha Dance class, or one of the other fabulous dance fitness selections, at Cumbé Center for African and Diaspora Dance.
And please consider checking out virtual classes with my teachers, friends and colleagues Zoor Galant and Anna Marchenko, Marlex Pagalunan, Jonathan Benoit (especially his Sunday Blast series), Rita Cohen, Adela Teodora Iacob, Mojo Brown, or Loretta Bates (who also teaches a beautiful belly dance class every other Saturday at 11 am).
Pro tip: If you ever want to double up with a delightful, demanding belly dance fitness class at 11 am Saturdays, the great Loretta Bates teaches one of my favorites (nearly) every other week. It’s quite different from Zumba, and quite good.
More info: https://lorettabates.com/virtual-classes/
CHECK IT OUT!
And the mini-workout class? Well, no pre-recorded class can compare to the vibrant energy and good vibes that you give and receive in a live class where we’re dancing together in real time with the most supportive, hilarious and mischievous people around. (Also, Mauricio sometimes talks to cue the next movement - which you will absolutely not find in our class. I cue with my face and body.)
But it’s still super fun! And if you’re feeling nervous about coming to your first class, or you want to get a feel for some of the musical rhythms, this is a great chance to play!
Mauricio Camargo, who’s teaching, is an expert - and I can tell you from personal experience that his live class is light-years more fun than this recorded one. Just sayin’: come to class. :)
Zumba Home Office put together a couple of fun new tutorials that introduce some of the basics of the foundational movement vocabulary and musical rhythms that we dance to every week in class: cumbia, merengue, salsa, and reggaeton!
Warning: the tutorial video is really nothing like a Zumba class.
There’s lots of talking and directions, and is more like my Foundations class or dance drills, instead of our lead-and-follow, repetitive, music-led, deeply connected anything-goes approach at live class.
But if you’re nervous about trying your first class, or if you come every week but want a breakdown with fun visuals, give it a try!
If You’re Surviving Domestic or Sexual Violence: Free Classes!
Hey! If you’re surviving domestic or sexual violence, first of all, I’m so sorry that someone is treating you badly. You are not alone, and you don’t deserve it.
I welcome you to come to class as my guest, and I finally figured out how to create a special link so you can do so! I believe in the transcendent healing power of liberatory dance fitness, especially in a group that’s filled to the brim with playful good humor, goodwill, mutual admiration, and unconditional support for each other, just as we are, with absolutely nothing to change or fix. Getting our mojo back when someone has been abusive to us can be transformative, and liberatory dance fitness can be one of the joyful tools of our own healing. I welcome you to try it out!
So if you’re a current or recent survivor, and you’d like to to try class as my guest, please feel free to use this button to register for free. If confidentiality is a concern, you do not have to enter any identifying information other than a first name (so I know what name to say hi to you with at class) and an email (so you’ll get the Zoom link). Just put an X in the other blanks on the form if you need to, and feel free to fib about what town and zip code you’re in, if that feels safer for you. It goes without saying that I never, ever share your info with anyone else, or mention who uses the Solidarity Pass, or ask you any questions about your situation. We’re not here for that - we’re just here to shake our booties together to great music in excellent, supportive company - and to receive all the benefits from doing so. I look forward to dancing together on the screen or on the Green!
https://www.vtnetwork.org/get-help/
What We’ve Funded So Far
In 2020 and 2021, we kept our focus on ending white supremacy by giving to Black Lives Matter. In 2022-2023, we diversified our donations to support 3 broad areas of focus, which are aligned with our class community and constitute an explicitly anti-supremacist agenda: joy, education, and freedom. We’ve shared funds with:
nature-based Black joy and leadership programs through Outdoor Afro,
the Kenyon Access Initiative, which funds full scholarships for under-represented students with financial need to attend a selective liberal-arts college (my alma mater) - and our contributions were 1:1 matched, doubling our impact!
and the Equal Justice Initiative, which is working for to end mass incarceration and excessive punishment, challenge racial and economic injustice, and protect basic human rights for the most vulnerable.