Tuesday evening, we sent barre.[d] babe Lisa Bloch out with a glow – glow barre, that is! Lisa has been such an inspiration as an instructor at barre.[d] studio and while we’re so proud of her for graduating with her MBA from Darden, we hate to see her leave us! As we send Lisa off to her new adventure in New York City, we thought this would be the perfect time to ask her a few questions!
Tell us a little about yourself!
I was born and raised in suburban Philadelphia and grew up as both a dancer and competitive swimmer. Most importantly – I’m a Double Hoo! After finishing my undergraduate degree here in Charlottesville, I moved up to New York City for a little over four years and worked in finance. I’ve just finished up my MBA at Darden and will be returning to New York City in July to work in eCommerce at a Consumer Packaged Goods company.
How did you discover barre and barre.[d] studio?
I discovered my love barre in early 2012, when I successfully used the method to recover from a back injury. As an investment banker, I sat at desk for at least 75 hours per week, often more, and suffered from recurrent lower back pain. I could barely lift a light laundry basket! I tried a number of other fitness classes, but most were too high impact for my delicate back. Within just a couple weeks of starting barre classes, and with the help of some diligent instructors who taught me modification after modification, I noticed a huge difference in the strength of my back and quality of life. Since then I’ve been taking barre classes 3-4x per week.
Last summer I decided to transition from student to instructor and completed my AFAA group exercise certification. In September 2015, I trained with barre.[d] studio and began teaching. I love teaching (and taking!) barre.[d] classes for the musicality and creative barre sequences. Every class is a little different! There is also huge focus on form, which is key to effectiveness and safety.
Favorite barre move and why?
4th position! Hands down. With a ball between the thighs if you’re up for the challenge. Anyone who has taken my class before probably could have guessed that one! I love the inner thigh intensity with 4th position – and of course the move looks pretty.
Best barre song(s)?
Tough one. Depends on the part of the workout! My all-time favorites are probably “Ego” – DJ Escape & Johnny Vicious Club Remix by Beyonce for warm-up and “Take You Higher” by Goodwill & Hook N Sling for glutes.
You’re headed to New York! How will you continue practicing barre?
I own a portable ballet barre – so I can continue to practice in my home! I also plan to continue to teach barre once I get myself settled in NYC and am excited to check out independent studios to see who wants to incorporate barre into the mix.
Best of luck, Lisa! We’ll miss you at barre.[d] studio, but at least we know who to come to for barre lessons when we visit New York!
your best workout. promise. 