The Ballet Barre Workout

I half expect to relive a combination of "Flashdance" and high school drill team when I head to Pure Barre one weekday morning.

Because that's likely not the case, I leave the leg warmers and bodysuit at home, which is just as well, because 20 or so women are stretching in the south Fort Collins studio, mostly wearing stretchy capris, sports tops and ankle socks.

On the especially limber of the group, long, heel-covering leggings are telling of their dancer pasts.

While Pure Barre, its competitor Bar Method and a handful of classes offered at gyms and fitness clubs around the country all tout a workout designed from dance conditioning, practiced while standing at a ballet barre, they are not dance classes and they are not created for dancers.

"That's one of the biggest misconceptions," said Stephanie Spalding, Pure Barre Fort Collins owner and former dancer for the Washington Wizards basketball team. "We've taken ballet conditioning and made it safer and more effective for fitness and the general population."

At the core of each class are a series of isometric movements — all very slight, targeting one muscle group at

a time — followed immediately by stretches, to create a "long, lean physique."

Some of those movements and stretches are reminiscent of Pilates and yoga, while others incorporate that unique dancers' practice. Hands holding the barre for support or resistance, while standing beside or sitting under it, there are a lot of small tucks and dips, lifts, squeezes and pulses.

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For more information on Barre Training in MA, visit www.BarreSoul.com.