Today I am here with Kalon Co-Founder Emma, an ex-professional ballerina trained at the Royal Ballet School in London and currently a dancer at the Moulin Rouge - She is the creator of the company’s signature class ‘Kalon Cardio Barre’ and today we finally get the opportunity to find out a little more about her diverse and interesting career!
Hi Emma! Tell me, what inspired you to create this workout method and was there a link to your career as a dancer ?
My fitness training along with my dance career definitely helped me create the Cardio Barre method! I trained in Pilates, Yoga and Gyrotonics. I studied movement from an anatomical perspective and learnt what was safe for the body and what people needed to do to stay fit and strong. I took all the best things from my training to create exercises that were functional and safe and then added dance elements and fun music! Every movement is executed on the beat and the rhythm of the class never stops, which definitely was inspired by my dance career. I really wanted to create a method that was challenging but that people could have fun doing!
Why the name “Cardio Barre” ?
We chose this name as the pace of the class is fast-flowing with minimal pauses between exercises. The teacher explains exercises while keeping people moving allowing the heart rate to stay elevated throughout. The class is structured so that there are regular bursts of low impact cardio between high rep toning exercises.
Is it a class accessible to anyone, or do you need previous dance skills to be able to participate?
Yes certainly! The movements are dance based, but very simple and easy to follow ! The concept of high repetition movement means that there is time to understand them and feel them working before moving on to a new exercise. It really is accessible to everyone!
What makes Cardio Barre such a fantastic workout? Which muscles are being used and what kind of results can you hope to get ?
Cardio Barre is a total body workout! You can expect to work : arms, legs, glutes and abs in every class. The nature of the high rep, low weight exercises fatigues the muscles meaning you build long lean muscles. The class is designed to define our feminine shapes, and sculpts the body in all the right places and you can expect to see results after only a few classes! Every cardio barre class is different so your muscles are never allowed to get lazy or bored achieving maximum results.
Tell me a little about the structure of a class ? What should I expect before I get there?
Cardio barre lasts one hour. You start warming up the body for about 5 mins , you then work the arms intensively for 10 mins. The bulk of the class is at the barre through ballet based exercises where we work all aspects of the legs and glutes along with cardio based movements. You finish the class with a 10 min section on the mat that focuses on the abs and glutes. We always finish class with a proper stretch and relaxation!
Why would you advise someone to choose this discipline over any other sport ?
I think it would be great discipline to try, if you like music and dance or are looking for a different twist to your exercise routine. The method is based on disciplines that build muscles to make your body healthy, strong and pain free. The repetitive nature of the movements ensures aesthetically pleasing results. The fun dance element helps with co - ordination and the playlists make it light hearted and fun !