February is All About * FITNESS *

It looks like I will doing a whole lotta working out this month to prepare for a busy Spring with Burlesque Moulin and SF Carnaval with the Hot Pink Feathers!
Here are some of the places I go to get in shape (and where you will NOT see me wearing 5 foot long lashes and high heels! OH NO!!) … Hope you can join me for a fabulous and fit February (and BEYOND!!)

* SF Fitness in Oakland : I am so pleased as punch that I live walking distance to this gym. I am not one to really lift weights or use machines but what I love about SF Fitness is that they offer a wide variety of group fitness and dance classes! Here are some I go to on a weekly basis * http://oakland.fitnesssf.com/schedule

• Salsa with Yismari : This is one of my favorite classes to go to each week! One thing I love about this class is that the students are die-hard and are of all ages! I could possibly be one of the youngest students that attends every week! Yismari teaches Salsa at SF Fitness *4* times a week and many of her students are regulars that go to every single class!! I usually only have time to go to 1, occasionally 2 per week … The great thing about her class is that we learn a new combination every two weeks. In each session, she builds on a routine, breaks it down, and then drills each step for every 8-ish count.  By the end of class you are traveling, chacha-ing, turning, kicking, pirouetting, step-ball-changing, mambo-ing and rumba-ing like a salsa master. It's so great to see how happy everyone is during and after this class even though we are all dripping with sweat! WOO-WEE!!!
• Iyengar Yoga & Vinyasa Yoga : Another reason why I am so happy is that this gym offers lots of Yoga classes at various times throughout the day. Everyone knows the benefits of Yoga, and for me it is a time for me to meditate, clear my head and NOT think about all the shit I have to do! Iyengar especially helps me with alignment and feeling more balanced and calm. I like to go at least twice a week. 
• New Class * Tabata Cross with Jet Noir : My fellow cast mate from Burlesque Moulin Jet Noir - who I like to call the "physique magnifique" - is a fitness trainer all over the bay area, but he is here every Thursday night to help build lean and strong bodies! Make sure you come through! Feel the Burn!!! And also check out his new blog * http://jetsetweekly.blogspot.com 

* Entangle & Sway - Pole Dancing and Fitness : Thanks to my beautiful, candid, vivacious friend of 12+ years Patricia - I discovered this studio located in the Laurel Heights area of San Francisco. Prior to last year, I dabbled and dropped into Pole dancing classes and visited the very few studios around the bay … And then in 2012, it was as though studios had opened up left to right!! I have visited almost every one at some point or another and I am happy to say that E&S is where I go on a weekly basis! They create a great ambiance that includes mood lighting and a soundtrack of sultry songs that let you explore not just the pole but your own bodies! They have series classes to help you progress, as well as drop-in classes to keep the momentum going as you focus on perfecting skills, playing and/or getting your body fit and ready to climb, invert and do all those crazy tricks!  One of my favorite aspects of the dance classes here is that the instructors DANCE FOR YOU at the end of each class - to inspire you and show you how far you can potentially go and *grow* in your pole journey.  I encourage everyone to come by and try out their classes. This is a women-only, female-positive studio, which is another reason why I LOVE Entangle & Sway * www.entangleandsway.com

* Soja Mind & Body - Tai Chi Sword & White Crane Silat Kung Fu : OK… Sometimes those Living Social emails can drive me CRAZY filling up my inbox! But every so often something catches my eye and I jumped on a super cheap deal from Soja for 1 month of Unlimited Martial Arts, Fitness & Yoga classes! I have been eager to bring martial arts into my routine for quite some time but haven't had a moment to really research and visit studios. At least this gives me a chance to explore something NEW … and who knows? Maybe after this trial I will dive right in and train to become a true kick ass * NINJA WARRIOR ASSASSIN * www.sojamartialarts.com

* SAMBA!!! I will eventually devote a whole blog to my LOVE OF SAMBA!! Right now my regularly scheduled teacher Jazz Baptiste - is living the life visiting BRAZIL - the home of Samba … so until she gets back, I will be dropping into classes offered all around the bay! Samba Do Coracao, Sambaxe, Fogo Na Ropa and SambaFunk - just to name a few of the great dance companies in SF & Oakland that offer weekly classes. I love that every samba school has a different style, specialty, technique and/or story to tell … YES! Talking about Samba will require a whole essay as I am so passionate about it!! So keep an eye out for that in the near future * www.jazzbaptiste.com * www.sambadocoracao.com * www.sambaxedance.com * http://gofogo.com * www.sambafunk.com *

* Hot Pink Feathers Showgirl Academy : Sometime soon, I will also devote a whole blog to the Hot Pink Feathers! This month we are preparing for SF Carnaval & rehearsing for upcoming gigs … Make sure you go to the HPF website to join me and my fabulous Showgirl Sisters for opportunities to learn, perform, dress up, and discover the sensuous gem of a Showgirl in YOU!! I can't speak enough about the how much I have grown as a person and performer since taking my first Hot Pink Feather class with Kellita in 2007! So won't you come join me in the SHOWGIRL REVOLUTION!!?!?! I hope so ♥
www.hotpinkfeathers.com