O'Fallon Jazzed Up Over Jazzercise

As the energetic strains of  the Patti Smith Group classic Because the Night roll out of an open door into the still morning air of O’Fallon Plaza, it’s easy to hear the music all the way into the parking lot – not to mention the collegial banter.

“Any big plans for today?” calls out instructor Becky Tucker. “Anything fun?”

“Lunch,” replies one participant as the enthusiastic exercise routine continues.

“Doing my taxes,” says another. There are big smiles all around.

 Jazzercise isn’t just easy to hear. It’s also easy to feel. A great deal of energy goes into this combination of exercise and dance. A great deal of it comes out as well – and that’s just the purpose, said Tucker, who owns the studio.

“I have been in the fitness industry for about 30 years and Jazzercise is the only thing that kept my interest long enough,” explained the 48-year-old, as her class filed in for a Wednesday session. “The music changes all the time.”

Tucker’s business has changed as well. Over the past decade, it’s grown from a once daily class to 35 offerings a week with about 200 clients participating. Last summer, the enterprise got so big it found that it needed new quarters and moved into its present space. The 1,800 square feet of dance area provides plenty of room for students to spread out and move.

The Jazzercise now employs 11 instructors with two more on the way soon. She said clients typically attend the one-hour sessions about 3-5 times a week. Classes usually feature about 40 minutes of cardio work followed by the muscle toning segment of the program. Sessions are offered as early as 5:30 in the morning or as late as 7:05 p.m.

Tucker said the concept has attracted clients to her establishment ranging in age from 18-76.

“I think a lot of it is the variety,” said Tucker, herself a native of O’Fallon. “We have a huge assortment of ages, shapes, sizes, levels of fitness.”

The variety of music and fitness moves is impressive as well. Participants, who pay a monthly fee to attend as many sessions as they like, get a wide selection of sounds to kick and stretch to.

“You get dance. You get hip-hop. You get kickboxing, Pilates, yoga,” Tucker said. “It was just the most fun workout I’ve ever done. There was only one in St. Charles County at the time so I decided ‘hey, let’s open one in O’Fallon.’”

There are even special classes such as a Saturday session on body sculpting.

“In all our regular classes you are going to get cardio and strength training,” Tucker said. “Then we might switch it up and try and do a circuit with that or do an all-kickboxing class or just a funk class.”

Clients seem to appreciate the selections.

“I love it. It’s a way to exercise and have fun,” said Linda Rodewald. “It keeps me fit. My doctor loves it. My blood pressure is great.”

The 63-year-old O’Fallon resident said she attends six times a week.

“I’ve always exercised but this is one that I’ve found I keep coming back to and back to and back to,” she added.

Stacy Hearst, 46, of St. Charles, said she likes the camaraderie of seeing friends and working out with other women. Females make up almost the entire clientele.

“I started Jazzercise when I was 20 and that was 26 years ago,” she said. “It’s a great way to start your day.”

 Classmate Joan White said despite the demands of the routine she always leaves with more energy than she came in with.

“I’m not the type of person who can just get out there and do something by myself,” said the 52-year-old St. Peters resident. “But if I have a scheduled time to come and a group of friends here that I really like, it inspires me to keep coming every day.”

Those friendships are pretty obvious the moment you walk in the door.

“It’s really fun. It’s very personable,” Tucker said. “My clients aren’t just a number. We know everybody on a first name basis.”

She said that Jazzercise, a dance-centered cardio concept invented and franchised decades ago, sometimes gets a bad rap.

“Because it’s been around for 40 plus years, there’s a stigma that’s attached that says that it’s an outdated workout,” she said. “Really, they are always changing and evolving with fitness trends in the industry.”

White puts it best.

This really gets my body awake, gets me energized and gets me going,” she said.