Dayna Callaway – Founder – Director of Awesomeness

Describe your fitness background.

Growing up I was encouraged to try a lot of different things. I danced and played soccer. I loved to dance but was really more of a soccer player. I loved the team training and working out hard. 

When I first started my marketing career, fitness fell off the table. It wasn’t until my after my first pregnancy and subsequent weight gain (I was over 200 pounds) that I found my way back to fitness. I fell in love with group fitness classes. The group environment reminded me of my team training. I even found a soccer team and played throughout my thirties.

After I left my marketing job to focus on raising my blended family of 6 kids, I took my first group fitness certification at the YMCA to keep my brain active. As the kids got more independent, I started teaching and certified in yoga, health coaching, reiki, Pilates, barre and personal training.

When I found barre (on instagram), I knew I’d stumbled upon a calling, and I just had to share this mode of exercise with as many women as possible.  

What attracted you to teaching fitness?

When I took my first certification, I had no intention of teaching. It was more about giving my mind something to do. But then something clicked, and I wanted to teach as much as possible and pretty much ran myself ragged teaching at different facilities in York Region. It wasn’t until the pandemic shut us down that I really got clear on why I do what I do. It’s all about creating and fostering connection and community. That’s the glue that keeps people coming back to Groove Barre. Oh yes, and a great workout. 

What do you love about barre?

Barre opened my eyes to how to train your whole body in all the planes of motion – front to back, side to side, and the rotation. I loved getting a whole body high intensity workout with ZERO impact. Finally I’d found a workout that made me feel good in my body. 

How do you motivate clients? Describe your teaching style.

I’ve worked hard to create a safe space at Groove Barre where everyone feels confident to choose the options that work them and no pressure to be perfect. Part of this is embodying this myself. Sometimes I put down my weights. Sometimes I go left when I cue right. We coach progress over perfection and if all else fails, I am a very enthusiastic counter!

What is your favourite barre move?

My favourite is first to second position plié with feet in parallel – aka squat narrow to squat wide. This is a great move to layer on more and more options to challenge the muscles and to get the heart rate up!

What barre move do you love to hate?

Back extension work. My backbend is pretty weak, so as a teacher, it’s tempting to hide my weakness. I’m working on this! 

What kind of music will we find in your class?

Electronic dance music all the way. Occasionally some throwbacks, weird ones, but mostly hits!

What is your favourite prop to use in class?

I absolutely love to work shoulders. As we all carry the least amount of body fat in this area, it’s relatively easier to get muscles here to “show.” The best tool I have to challenge your shoulders is the long thera band.

Are you a dancer, non-dancer, or a secret dancer?
I am a secret dancer. Leave me alone in a room with music, and eventually you’ll find me dancing!

Sherry Hugh – Director of Great Energy

Describe your fitness background.

I have been a volunteer group fitness leader for close to 8 years, and I teach fitness classes with the City of Markham focused on Muscle conditioning, Barre, HIIT and boot camps.

What attracted you to teaching fitness?

In university I joined my first gym and was inspired to teach because of an awesome step teacher.  I knew that I would teach when the time was right which was about 8 years ago.  I started teaching Barre and loved it, followed by muscle conditioning and boot camps.  I also love yoga and Pilates and have recently begun training on a reformer.

What do you love about barre?

I love the focus on small and large muscle groups and find that it’s a new challenge every time.  I also love moving to the music.

 How do you motivate clients? 

I lead with a smile, encouragement and sometimes corny jokes! #sorrynotsorry

Is there anything else you want to share?

Really love the community vibe at Groove barre and how every brings their A game every time! Look forward to being a part of the community.

Shannon Wong – Director of Dance Musings

Describe your fitness background.

From a young age, I trained as a competitive gymnast, dancer, and as a ballerina. But when I went off to university, I lived a sedentary lifestyle. My mom forced me to go to a barre class at a YMCA. After I took my first barre class, I really enjoyed it and by happenstance I stumbled upon a barre studio in London, Ontario and started teaching there while I was doing my Masters. I taught there from 2017-2020 and kept teaching online during the first year of the pandemic. I recently moved to Markham and wanted to get myself plugged into another barre studio.

What attracted you to teaching fitness?

I’ve choreographed my friend’s first dances at their weddings, and I find that dance is more useful as an adult than many would expect. Plus, it’s a way to socialize on the dance floor! So naturally, I love sharing that experience with others which has attracted me to teaching barre fitness which I see as an extension of dance.

What do you love about barre?

I love the focus on small and large muscle groups and find that it’s a new challenge every time.  I also love moving to the music.

How do you motivate clients? 

I motivate my clients by showing them that we’re all sweating, feeling the burn, and each of us find parts of the class difficult. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses in fitness, but the great part is that with each class, we can expect to get stronger together. Lastly, movement is such an amazing blessing we get to take part in, and I want to motivate my clients by expressing how lucky we are to be able to move. It shouldn’t be a chore, instead, we should find joy in getting to move our bodies.

What is your favourite barre move?

I LOVE ‘rond de jambe’. When done properly, it can be a full body exercise. It requires such focus to properly activate all those tiny muscles in your leg, glutes, core, etc. and you can keep your upper body working by bringing your arms to a steady second position. 

What barre move do you love to hate?

I find that my feet aren’t as strong as they used to be. Especially having a bunion, I find that going up on relevé for an extended period of time can stress my bunion and cause pain.

What kind of music will we find in your class?

I try to find music that has 120 beats per minute and that tends to be pop or music of that nature, but my favourite music is early 2000s R&B throwbacks.

 Are you a dancer, non-dancer, or a secret dancer?

A tiny dancer (cue Elton John)!

Lorena Perry – Director of Spiciness

Describe your fitness background.

I always loved to move. As a kid, I was always dancing. I wasn’t in formal dance lessons, but I was always dancing. It wasn’t until university that I started with a more formal fitness routine. I started doing and then teaching aerobics. 

It was during this time that I also trained for my first trialthalon, and I was the first woman in my university to compete. I developed a love and appreciation for training, and for what my body was capable of doing!

What attracted you to teaching fitness?

I loved dancing and music, and teaching aerobics was exactly the right combination of FUN, and I loved to motivate others to move their bodies!

What do you love about barre?

I love the mix. Barre isn’t just one thing. I think I would get bored it it was just one thing, like running or swimming. But with barre you get the combinaton of dancing, Pilates, the work at the barre, doing the planks, having the props… Doing all of these things keeps it very excitng because it’s always changing – it’s never the same so we’re always challenging the body. 

How do you motivate clients? Describe your teaching style.

I share my energy, passion, and my smile. I love to encouage clients to work at their highest capability.

What is your favourite barre move?

Fire hydrant with the ball! This is a great move for building strength in the glutes, and flexibility in the hips, and adding the ball increases the spiciness!

What barre move do you love to hate?

Planks. When I first started at Groove Barre, this is the move that challenged me most. I would be shaking, and questioning the purpose and point of this exercise, hating it the whole time. Now I’m so much stronger, and I love encouraging clients to stick with this move, and see themselves get stronger too!

What kind of music will we find in your class?

A little bit of everything! Pop, Spanish, even rock sometimes. And I take requests!

What is your favourite prop to use in class?

The Pilates circle. We can do so much with this one, simple prop!

Are you a dancer, non-dancer, or a secret dancer?
Dancer! Not a professional, but in my heart, I am a dancer.

Andrea Adams – Director of Killing You with a Smile…in a Good Way

Describe your fitness background.

As young child, I did not participate in sports or fitness. I started a passion for fitness at the age of 16 when I got my very first gym membership at an all Women’s circuit boutique. I found that I loved the way exercise made me feel, how welcome I was in the environment, and how my overall physical fitness level improved.

I am FIS certified with CanFitPro, and hold qualifications in cardio/functional training, barre, yoga sculpt and HITT/tabata, and POUND. I have been an active instructor ever since 2018. 

What attracted you to teaching fitness?

I love sharing my passion for exercise and the benefits it delivers with others, while building a community. With the incredible health results I have achieved, I am so eager to share those with others so they can feel the same type of happiness and success!

What do you love about barre?

EVERYTHING! I love the dynamic and isometric exercises, the shaping and toning and the core strengthening. It changes the physique of the body completely, and allows you to exercise muscles you don’t even know you have. With this, we work on physical grace and mind and body focus.

How do you motivate clients? Describe your teaching style.

I love to remind my clients that we are all in this workout together, and you have full permission to listen to your body during the class. I also remind them that this will set you up to be able to improve mobility, stability, flexibility, posture and longevity. I am very diligent in cueing, leading the class with different types of choreography to help prevent plateaus and providing modifications to suit all participants.

What is your favourite barre move?

My favorite barre move are multiple types of pliés, for lifted legs and a beautiful booty!

What barre move do you love to hate?

I love to hate planks and push-ups.
These are exercises that we NEED in our routine for upper body and core strengthening. As much as they are CHALLENGING, they are only beneficial and help us to be stronger! 

What kind of music will we find in your class?

Dance music, remixes, some 80s and 90s classics!

What is your favourite prop to use in class?

My favorite props are small weights, the ball and the barre.

Are you a dancer, non-dancer, or a secret dancer?
I am a non-dancer; however, barre makes me feel just as beautiful!

Madi Griffin – Director of Big Fun Energy

Describe your fitness background.

Long time group fitness participant turned certified instructor here! Fitness is something I really enjoy and I look forward to sharing what I love with others!

What attracted you to teaching fitness?

I love the idea of providing others an opportunity to enjoy moving their bodies and helping them feel their best both mentally and physically too. 

What is your favourite thing about bounce?

What’s not to love ?! Haha. Aside from how much fun I think we all have, I really love the mental and physical benefits of the cardio workout – without the hard impact on my joints. 

How do you motivate clients?

My goal is to create a super supportive, friendly and fun environment where everyone can move their bodies, get active and feel great about it. 

Is there anything else you want to share?

The mental health benefits of routine exercise are everything!! As someone with ADHD and anxiety, my mind can sometimes feel like it’s working against me. Being active and moving my body is the best way I have found to help to boost my self-esteem, ease stress/anxiety and improve my focus. 

Tracy Tigert – Director of Strength and Determination

Describe your fitness background.

Growing up my parents enrolled me in a variety of sports. My favourites were soccer, gymnastics, and cheerleading but I mostly loved and trained as a figure skater from a young age into my late teens. When I stopped skating I joined a local women’s fitness club and immediately fell in love with aerobic style group fitness classes. It seemed like a logical transition for me to be able to continue to move to music and maintain my activity level. I quickly became certified as an instructor teaching low impact, high impact, and step classes in Markham and while I was away University.

I graduated with a BPhEd with a focus in Sports Injury Management. That lead me to pursue a career as a Registered Massage Therapist (RMT) for 15 yrs. After leaving my profession to focus on my family, I also found more time for fitness again. I became certified as a Personal Trainer solely for my own knowledge which also lead me to participate in more boot camp style workouts.

A few years ago I found curling, a fun and very social sport that is surprisingly a great workout! Only recently was I introduced to Groove Barre by a couple of friends. Right away I was hooked, not only to the style and variety of challenging workouts but the friendly, fun, inclusive community that Groove Barre embodies.

What attracted you to teaching fitness?

I never thought I would return to teaching fitness classes after 20+ years. It was a bit scary yet exciting all at the same time to be up there leading a class again. The supportive atmosphere, energy and vibe of Groove Barre definitely played a role in my decision and I’m excited to be able share my passion for fitness and knowledge with others.

What is your favourite thing about barre?

I love the variety of exercises and combination sequences in Barre and Pilates and I love to push through the “burn” I feel in my muscles as I work them! I also love the results you get from light weights and high reps and I love the fact that it isn’t too much strain on my body so I can workout everyday.

How do you motivate clients?

First of all, fitting fitness into our busy lives is sometimes a huge task in itself so I applaud everyone who puts in the time to show up and participate in a class. I try to encourage clients to attend as many classes as they can when possible. This only builds up your strength and endurance to be able to perform the exercises with proper form to help you get the most out of the workouts and reap the benefits.

I would also love to encourage my clients to push through for those 1 or 2 more reps when they feel like they have to stop. I promise it will get easier.

What barre move do you love to hate?

First position plie to second position plie, back to first position plie with feet turned out but I’m working on it not feeling so awkward for me.

What kind of music will we find in your class?

Anything with a good beat keeps me motivated to move and it has to be something I can count to!

What is your favourite prop to use in class?

Weights and the ball! So much versatility and strength building benefits.

Are you a dancer, non-dancer, or a secret dancer?

I am definitely a home alone, grooving to a good beat kind of dancer.

Emma Tigert – Director of Ballet Form

Describe your fitness background.

Growing up, I trained as a competitive dancer and as a ballerina. I loved that dance kept me fit and active in an artistic and creative way. However, when I moved to university I needed to find another way to maintain my fitness without my dance training. I dabbled a little in the gym but the lack of structure and abundance of scary machines wasn’t really my cup of tea. Instead, I joined my school’s pom team, a dance spirit squad, and was elected to be a co-choreographer for the team in my 3rd year.

What attracted you to teaching fitness?

I have always been interested in health and fitness and was driven to pursue an undergrad in health studies. In this program, I had the opportunity to be an online fitness coach for individuals with disabilities during the pandemic. I really enjoyed interacting with my participants and watching them progress and grow which inspired me to think about teaching fitness post grad. As well, the program highlighted the sense of community and belongingness fitness programs can create. I am really excited to continue fostering an inclusive and empowering environment at Groove Barre.

What is your favourite thing about barre?

I love barre because it fuses ballet and fitness into one! It is the perfect workout for me as it keeps me connected to my love for ballet while also giving me a killer workout. I also love that barre is super accessible for all bodies. Barre uses light weights, is low impact, and many of the movements can be modified to meet the personal needs of each individual. I love that barre builds strength, stability, flexibility and endurance in a safe and fun way.

How do you motivate clients? Describe your teaching style.

I motivate my clients by reminding them that we are on our fitness journeys together. With every class I teach and attend, I am discovering my own fitness style, learning new moves and sequences and building up my strength. I want to create an environment in my class where clients feel comfortable to work at their own pace, listen to their body and needs, and focus on progress rather than perfection.

What is your favourite barre move?

I love any exercise with an arabesque or an attitude. They bring me back to my ballerina days!

What barre move do you love to hate?

Any overhead exercises with that band. I’m still working on improving my shoulder strength. Let’s work on it together!

What kind of music will we find in your class?

We will move to dance pop remixes with a couple classic throwbacks mixed in as well.

What is your favourite prop to use in class?

I love to use the sliders for that extra burn at the barre. And of course, I love using the barre!

Are you a dancer, non-dancer, or a secret dancer?

Definitely a dancer!

Abhi Vivek – Director of Calming Inspiration

Describe your fitness background.

In University I was a gym-goer. After graduating I had been on and off with my fitness for a few years until I discovered Groove Barre. I fell in love and it has helped me stay consistently active. 

What attracted you to teaching fitness?

Being able to create a happy, safe, and comfortable space for people to work on themselves, and being able to share something I love!

What is your favourite thing about barre?

I love how these workouts involve movements that get into all the little muscles you didn’t realize you could engage. I love feeling the ‘barre burn’ and pushing myself mentally to see how much of it I can take. Is that weird? Oh well, I love it! 

How do you motivate clients? Describe your teaching style.

When I attend workouts I love being in my own head, focusing on the music and me vs me. I want my class to have the space to do that as well. My teaching style is on the softer side, basic cues, and gentle encouragement. Don’t worry, the workout itself will be anything but soft! 

What is your favourite barre move?

I love anything in Arabesque! Pulses, rainbow lifts, lunge to arabesque…the list goes on!

What barre move do you love to hate?

Planks! I still do them but just know I am not enjoying them. 

What kind of music will we find in your class?

Hip-hop, Pop, Rap, R&B, Afrobeats, Top 40 

What is your favourite prop to use in class?

Bands, blocks and heavier weights!

Are you a dancer, non-dancer, or a secret dancer?

Secret dancer!

Shala Amin – Director of Sweet Yogi Vibes

Describe your fitness background.

I first became interested in fitness as a teenager. Later, while raising my two children and working at our family flower shop, I decided to pursue a personal training certificate through my local YMCA in 2006 where I worked for 5 years as a trainer and also volunteered leading classes. In 2011 I received my professional yoga certification through East to West Yoga. I have led Aerobics, Pilates and Yoga classes for over 15 years at the YMCA and other local gyms. 

What attracted you to teaching fitness?

When I joined the YMCA I initially had no intentions of becoming a fitness instructor and was only planning on enrolling my children in the various programs offered. While my children were occupied having fun and making new friends I had some time to start exercising myself. The staff at the YMCA encouraged me to volunteer as a fitness instructor because they saw how much passion and dedication I had for attending their classes. Eventually this volunteer work led to a paid position and my career in fitness took off. I love motivating my students to push themselves to their own personal limits while also providing modifications that are tailored to their abilities. Seeing them succeed in reaching their movement goals inspires me to keep teaching.

What do you love about barre? Or yoga? Or Pilates?

I love the deep burn of a barre class on my legs to help with toning. My favorite part of a pilates class is core strengthening, and I like to round it all out with yoga to help me maintain flexibility and my mental health.

How do you motivate clients? Describe your teaching style.

I believe that in order to stay committed to fitness, you have to want to adopt an overall healthy lifestyle and do it for yourself. There is no competition between students in a class and I encourage everyone to pursue their own personal best each time they show up. I offer modifications and alternatives to the various movements I teach in my classes to enable each participant’s personal best. I motivate my clients by reminding them to be present with their bodies and have acceptance for where they are at each day. I encourage patience and continuous practice to improve. I also love to encourage having fun as the number one priority in my classes!

What is your favourite yoga pose?

My favourite Yoga pose is downward dog and child’s pose. These poses help me to release tension and relax in between more challenging poses.

What yoga pose do you love to hate?

Balancing poses! Especially crow and eagle pose. I continue to try to improve my balance with each class I take!

What kind of music will we find in your class?

Top 40, piano music and easy rock

What is your favourite prop to use in class?

Yoga blocks are the best! I love the extra support they provide to help me achieve difficult poses.

Are you a dancer, non-dancer, or a secret dancer?

I do love dancing and watching others have fun dancing!