With an extensive background in ballet, Suzy Kaitman can’t get enough dance. So when the former Alberta Ballet dancer went on to work as a personal trainer after completing a degree in ballet at the University of Calgary, she found herself missing the moves she started discovering as a toddler.

Combining her passions for fitness and dance, Kaitman has developed an exercise program called Ballet Fit, one she says will appeal to nondancers and dancers alike and promises a fun full-body workout. What makes it stand out from the numerous ballet-based classes out there is that there’s much more to it than the barre.

“It’s not a barre workout,” says Kaitman, whose studio, called Ballet Lounge, will be opening at the end of the month at 1340 Granville Street. “We do barre, we do centre [exercises away from the barre, in the middle of the room], I teach you how to jump. It’s pretty much a really funky, revolutionized adult ballet class set to really awesome music—electronic dance music, mostly house and techno. It’s super high-energy and has an upbeat vibe.

“The classes are progressive and there are several levels,” adds Kaitman, who moved to Vancouver nearly five years ago. “It’s not intimidating. Actual dance classes can be very scary for recreational dancers or those people who like dance but just want to get fit.…We want to create an environment where we’re all beautiful, we can all dance, and we can all have fun. We really celebrate each other’s successes and encourage each other.”

Participants will learn classical steps like pas de chat, pas de cheval, glissades, arabesques, and grand jetés. What makes ballet-based exercise so effective is that it works the entire body.

“The whole foundation of ballet technique is it creates those long, lean muscles,” Kaitman says. “Look at dancers—they have the most amazing bodies in the world. With proper technique and form you can develop those same long, lean muscles, and there’s lots of additional core work. Balancing when you don’t have the barre to hold on to is a whole other challenge that works your core. Properly holding your arms works your back muscles and your shoulders. And since classes are fast-paced, you get a cardiovascular workout, too.”

Ballet Lounge will offer several other types of classes aside from Ballet Fit, including yoga, Pilates, and conditioning classes for dancers, as well as contemporary-dance and hip-hop classes.

Kaitman will also be doing a fitness demo at the upcoming Wellness Show. The three-day event features presentations by Harbour Dance Centre, Barre Fitness, Dreams Gymnastics, and the ZV Crew, which specializes in Zumba, among many other local companies and instructors, in addition to exhibits and seminars all about healthy living.

Another aspect of ballet-based workouts that Kaitman says appeals to people is the focus required; a Ballet Fit class gives people a chance to let go of their worries for a while.

“You’re working your entire body, but what’s also great about ballet is the body-mind connection,” she says. “It’s sort of like yoga—you have to be in the moment and be present the whole time.”

The Wellness Show runs February 12 to 14 at the Vancouver Convention Centre (999 Canada Place). Visit the Wellness Show website for more information.