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| Jazzercise, Inc. | |
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| Type | Corporation |
| Founded | 1969 |
| Founder | Judi Sheppard Missett |
| Headquarters | Carlsbad, California  |
| Industry | Physical fitness |
| Revenue | $76 million for fiscal year 2005/2006 [1] |
| Employees | 147 corporate staff [1] |
| Website | http://www.jazzercise.com |
Jazzercise is a fitness program that combines elements of jazz dance into aerobic exercise. The name also refers to the company that develops and markets the program. The word is a portmanteau of "jazz" and "exercise".
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Overview
The Jazzercise program was created in 1969 by Judi Sheppard Missett, who is now the CEO of Jazzercise, Inc. Missett thought up the program while teaching traditional jazz dance classes in Evanston, Illinois. Missett moved to Carlsbad, California to start Jazzercise, Inc. and began training instructors. There are now 7,200 certified Jazzercise instructors worldwide. Instructors own franchises, and can operate their own studio, or they can "sub" for a studio owner and thus teach without having to open a studio. Jazzercise locations range from church basements and grade school gymnasiums to state of the art, stand alone studios.
Each Jazzercise class consists of a series of dance routines set to popular music. Yoga, pilates, cardio-kickboxing, and other fitness styles are incorporated into the routines. The routines are not very complex and each set incorporates routines that start with a lighter intensity, move to a medium level of intensity, peak at a high intensity and then move incrementally down to a lower intensity. The class finishes with strength training, stretch and flexibility and balance routines. The company regularly creates new choreographed routines and provides them to all instructors. Jazzercisers workout to music by a wide range of contemporary musicians and bands, like Coldplay, Rob Thomas, Gwen Stefani, Santana, Jamiroquai, Earth Wind & Fire, Michael Bublé, The Pussycat Dolls, Black Eyed Peas, and U2.
Class formats
Jazzercise has several different formats. Not all are offered at every location. Classes offered include the following:
- Jazzercise - The classic Jazzercise class is one hour long and consists of dance movements 'on the floor'. The class begins with a warm-up before about 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, followed by strength training. These classes may be supplemented with weights, exercise balls, or stretch bands.
- Jazzercise Lite - Particularly suited to newcomers, seniors, or pregnant women.
- Jazzercise Body Sculpting - A 40-50 minute workout with weights.
- Jazzercise Step
- Jazzercise Circuit Training
- Jazzercise Express - A streamlined 30 minute version of the traditional Jazzercise class.
- Junior Jazzercise - for children
- Jazzercise Personal Touch - Some Jazzercise instructors also offer Personal Touch classes which involve only three to five students. Personal Touch directs students in more rigorous weight training and body sculpting exercises than those which are offered in the larger classes.
- Jazzercise Team Dance - A program specifically designed for teens.
Jazzercise instructors are franchise owners or substitute instructors, and therefore have individual locations, class hours, and pass prices, relevant to the economy in the area in which the classes are conducted. Jazzercise classes may be found by accessing the class locator system on the corporate website.
Jazzercise in popular media
In Ron Howard's movie adaptation of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the Grinch's schedule has an hour blocked off for Jazzercise.
In the Mighty Boosh episode "Crack Fox", Howard Moon indulges in some jazzercise, but the clip shows the unusual use of a saxophone in his workout.
References
External links
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