Talking with other dancers and choreographers in the city, I realized that I wasn't alone when it came to my relationship with fitness clubs and workout gyms. A lot of dancers end up teaching Pilates, Yoga or Dance at NYSC, Equinox, Reebok, or most recently for me, the JCC(Jewish Community Center). And while I have seen some of the ugly politics that go on in these places, I still think that they can be great resources for NYC dancers. If nothing else, being on staff at a chain gym, guarantees that you will always have access to a clean bathroom, showers and lockers, which can come in extremely handy for people living out of their backpack during the day. Another thing, unless you are working in an administrative position, say, at the front desk or in sales, you have a great deal of flexibility and finding subs is relatively painless. Another benefit, has to be the facilities themselves. While there are always exceptions, NYC boast some of the most amazing workout locations in the world. The clubs are clean, beautiful and crawling with eye candy...but that's no reason to go to the gym right? wink wink Seriously though, its so important for pro dancers to stay on top of their game and be in shape. I'm telling you, its a fifty fifty game out there, casting directors are looking at your body, face, personality just as much as they watching your technique. Lastly, gyms provide a great perk that restaurant jobs can't match...rehearsal and practice space for FREE. I may be overstating this last point a bit, but its really beneficial to have a spot in the city to go and give yourself barre or work on choreography...since trying to do it Central Park only attract weirdos and creeps, believe me...I've tried. I've also done lots of recording in the gyms(one caveat, make sure you get management's permission to video). Since renting studio space at say STEPS costs $35 per hour, free gym space can be a great thing to have access to.
"Just Don't Give Up"
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