At a Glance:
Website: http://www.swervestudio.com
Address: 8250 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048
Length: 55 minutes
Price: 1 class/$18, 10 classes/$155, month unlimited/$155 ($100 for new clients!)
Sweat scale: medium
Energy level: high
When Danielle Cuccio reached out via Instagram about taking one of her classes, I did some research and found that not only is she a private yoga instructor with her own wellness company, but also she writes a blog, The Beauty Blender. Danielle invited me to either Yoga Booty Ballet or Power Flow Yoga. We all know that I am not yoga’s bigger fan, so I opted for the one that included the words booty and ballet thinking it would basically be a barre class…I was completely wrong!
Pre Sweat
Swerve is located on 3rd St. across from Aura Cycle. While there is a small parking lot in the shopping center, it is usually full. I parked at a meter on 3rd because I couldn’t find any unrestricted parking in the neighborhoods. After signing in and filling out a waiver, the woman at the desk walked me over to the other room where the class would be held. Not knowing what to expect, I brought sticky socks, but noticed immediately that everyone was wearing tennis shoes. I informed Danielle of my mistake and she said it was not a problem; people do the workout however they like. The class was packed and I was excited for what was in store.
Sweat
If you’re looking for a high energy, fun workout, this is your class. After a moment of peace and time to set an intention, we headed right into the “booty” portion of class: 30 minutes of dancing to loud, club-like music. I followed Danielle as best I could and tried to take her direction, “dance like you’re in your bedroom”. The lights were turned low so I don’t think people saw my uncoordinated moves. After each song we look a couple seconds to catch our breath and grab water.
After the bootylicious portion was over and I felt like I had enough new moves to take me through the weekend (ok, the month), we went into the ballet portion. I was expecting something similar to barre, but was thrilled that we were actually dancing like ballerinas! Think barre class but instead of moving from 30 reps of one move to 30 reps of another, we flowed from one plié to the next! I know this sounds silly, but it was revolutionary.
Next, we grabbed mats for some core work, doing a variety of crunches. We finished with yoga and stretching, ending up in shavasana where Danielle had us reflect on our intention from the beginning of class.
Post Sweat
You’ll be energized for a night on the town after this class! Read my post sweat tips from The Bar Method, Aura Cycle, and AIR Aerial Fitness for some great after class activities.
With my mom at Joan’s on Third
Tricks of the Trade
- Bring an already filled water bottle. I saw at the front desk that they charge $1 to fill up.
- If it’s your first time and you’re a little ungraceful like I was, find a spot towards the back. I found myself looking at the girls in the front to copy their moves.
sweat and repeat 