The coronavirus pandemic has forced individuals, churches, organizations and businesses to be creative about still providing their services and offerings to the community.
Such is the case with Leslie Norton and Cindy Montagna, founders of Dance 4 Fitness, who have begun offering outdoor fitness classes, which are also available online.
Current outdoor offerings include a Dance Party, held on Tuesdays from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., and Dance and Tone, held on Thursdays from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. All classes take place at 74 Woodland Drive, Downingtown. A fee is charged per class.
"We rented the dance floor (at Lionville School of Dance) and before COVID we were teaching three days a week," Norton explained. "It was doing well, until (the pandemic) hit. Shortly after, when we were home, we wanted to help clients who have been with us for a while so they would not stop working toward their fitness and wellness goals."
After researching the technology, scouting out a location and holding a few free trial classes, Norton and Montagna began the outdoor classes in May. "We decided to stay outside because there are social distancing limitations and some of our clients want to be outside," said Montagna. "(People have to) mask to come and mask to leave. Once we are spread out and dancing, they don't have to mask."
"The group is enjoying being outside and socializing again in the community we have built over the years," Norton added.
To register for a class, individuals should visit http://www.signupgenius.com and enter the email address dance4fitnesslsod@gmail.com. Walk-ins are also welcome. In the event of rain, classes are held indoors at Lionville School of Dance, 11 S. Village Ave., Exton, with limited numbers based on the order in which participants registered on SignUpGenius. Classes are streamed live on YouTube on a regular basis, as well as on rainy days so that all may participate.
Norton is a certified Zumba and Zumba Toning instructor and a certified adult and older adult personal trainer. Originally from Colombia, she includes a Latin flair as part of the easy-to-follow choreography in class.
"We have a speaker like a DJ (uses) and it's up high and it's nice and loud," Norton noted. "We have a couple of laptops so we can record for the ladies who are at home. We offer the link of that workout or class so someone can pull it up, click on the link and work out whenever and wherever they are."
Montagna is a certified Zumba and Zumba Toning instructor and a certified adult and older adult personal trainer with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology and a master's degree in occupational therapy. She has been working in the occupational therapy field for more than 20 years. She works with patients and clients ranging from teenagers to older adults to help them recover from illness or injury.
Montagna noted that participants in the outdoor classes are of all ages and backgrounds. "We include everyone, and we can show variations of movements," she said. "We are able to accommodate different levels and abilities of people. It's a nice group and everyone is friendly." She added that right now only women attend the classes, but men are welcome to participate.
In addition to being passionate about exercise, the women have taken on community service projects. For the month of July, Dance 4 Fitness is holding a fundraiser for the Assistive Medical Technologies (AMT) Club, a group that designs, builds and distributes assistive medical devices for disabled children.
"We are specifically raising money for a 4-year-old boy named Jason who has impaired mobility so that he can enjoy an adaptive ride-on Jeep to help him play and zoom around," said Norton.
"We have Zumbathons and work with Chester County Women's Services to raise funds for them," Norton added. "We had a fundraiser for Path of Hope. At Uwchlan Hills Elementary School, they had a Family Night. We did the fitness portion."
For more information about the outdoor fitness classes and the AMT Club donation drive, readers may search for "Dance 4 Fitness LLC" on Facebook or email dance4fitnesslsod@gmail.com.
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