LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — Looking for classes based on traditional dance? FOX43 went to Lancaster to try Move It Studio's Salsa on 2 class and learn a few steps!
“Really [the class is about] finding your inner strength. It’s not about coming here to change yourself it's really about coming here to feel good,” said Marie Cleaves Rothacker, the owner and founder of Move It Studio.
Move It Studio Lancaster is a Latin-owned boutique gym in the heart of downtown. They offer a broad range of classes for adults, including barre, ballet, mambo cardio, and Salsa on 2.
Clients range from those with experience to those without.
“The main thing you will learn immediately is the basic step because that basic step is going to bring you in and out of every other step you are going to learn. I teach them arm movement [and] I teach them isolation. We [also] let them know that you don’t have to be a professional dancer, we are here to teach you how to move,” said Jasmin Pantoja, a dance teacher.
For Pantoja, movement, and music have always been a source of motivation, even when times were tough.
“I am somebody who [has] ailments, I am a two-time cancer survivor. I have been through it, but I still show up and you know when I am I let my students know I am hurting today but I am here, and we are going to do this,” Pantoja said.
Showcasing that Move It Studio is not only there for fitness but also friendship, through good times and bad.
“What has always been consistent is that Move It has been there for them throughout those changes. So, for me as a studio owner that has always been what it’s really about, it’s going to make me tear up, that is really the reason why we are here,” Cleaves Rothacker said.
In addition, clients have raved about muscle toning benefits and sauna access, as well as body awareness, uplifted spirit, and better sleep as a result of coming consistently.
“Dance, movement, music, anything, it’s good for your brain, it’s good for your heart, it's just good for your body,” Pantoja said.