Wednesday, August 14, 2013

So you wanna be a Cheerobix Captain?


Do you lovelovelove Cheerobix? Do you ever think you'd like to take that love to the next level and learn how to be a Captain of your own squad? We are looking for enthusiastic leaders who love dancing with poms to join the ranks of our Captain Team!

What will you learn?

  • The Cheerobix Mission
  • Cheerobix Class Structure
  • Cueing with Excellence
  • Breaking Down Music
  • Elements of Fitness
  • Gathering your Squad
What will you need for the training?
  • Desire to deepen your Cheerobix knowledge
  • Movement teaching experience helpful, but not necessary
  • A positive attitude! :)
What will I need to complete my Captain Certification?

Once the training has concluded, you are considered a Junior Captain.  There may be some steps you'll need to take to be a certified Cheerobix Captain who is permitted to teach.  You may already have all these requirements under your belt, or you may need to do some homework to complete them. We will communicate with you by email or in person as to what you will need to do once the training is complete.  Here are some of the requirements:
  • Cueing with confidence and excellence
  • Able to learn videotaped routines
  • Physical Endurance
  • CPR certification
  • 20+ hours of Dance Fitness classes [this can include all of the Cheerobix classes you've already taken]
  • Enrollment in Cheerobix Captain Membership
Bonus:
  • Group Exercise Cerification
  • Liability Insurance [highly recommended]

What you receive with your training?
  • Training Manual
  • 3-month Cheerobix Captain Membership 
  • Post-training assistance in completing certification

What is the Cheerobix Captain Membership?

This keeps you certified as a Captain and provides you with the existing library of Cheerobix routines, as well as a constant flow of new material. You will get a Vimeo account that will give you access to these routines and updates as to when they are uploaded. You also will get a monthly newsletter with Cheerobix info, fitness education, or other fun information we think you'd want to know.  The cost is only $30 per quarter or $99 for the year

What if I have more questions?

No problem! Please ask! You can email Jena at cheerobix [at] yahoo [dot] com






Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Cheerobix class for charity!

We are honored and thrilled to be partnering with Avenues to Independence THIS SUNDAY for a one hour donation class led by our very own HOT LAVO.  Avenues is a local non-profit organization that assists adults with developmental disabilities by offering living arrangements, job placement and much more.

100% of the proceeds of this class will go directly to Avenues so that they may purchase computer stations for each of the seven residencies. We are so excited to be a part of such a wonderful aspect of this organization and really hope to see you there! Here are the details:

Sunday August 11th
Event time: 1:00-2:30pm [class from 1:15-2:15]
Indigo Studio
213 W. Institute Pl
$20 cash or check at the door, or Pre-register HERE [recommended]

Thanks to Caitlin Tinnon at Indigo for donating the space!

Your Spirited Leaders

Cheerobix is a magical dance fitness class with poms! You'll be drenched in sweat while you dance, prance and drop it low. This is your squad. Come cheer dance with us!


Matthew Hollis [Mattrick Swayze]

Matthew Hollis has been committed to fitness for over 6 years as a certified personal trainer and iron-pumping addict. He trains individuals, teaches various group classes and boot camps, and will whip your hot tail into gear. His no nonsense approach keeps his clients focused and working hard throughout every workout. Your results are his top priority, but lucky for you, he is also very charming and fun to have around. You can find Matthew teaching and training and Cheetah Gyms, Columbia College, Indigo Studio and corporate classes at Google!

Jena Ertel [the Jenarator]

Jena began her on-again off-again experience with poms in middle school and has had cheer in her heart ever since. A degree in Dance from Columbia as well as a Dance Education certification from UWM led her to over 10 years [so far] of teaching dance and movement of all sorts to people of all ages. Jena currently teaches group fitness and yoga classes and loves the booming sound of unison pom swishes. She is a certified yoga instructor and is constantly building her knowledge of anatomy and kinesiology so she can be the best educator to her students. If she is not practicing her body rolls and high kicks, you'll probably find the Jenarator smothering her little doggie and baby Emmitt with kisses or obsessing over flora or fauna of some sort.


HOW DID ALL OF THIS START??

Well, Mattrick and the Jenarator have been great pals for just about ever, meeting as dance students in college. They have performed together and separately for over a decade and have been cheering together for about 6 years.

In 2007, Matthew created a performance group/concept called the "Power of Cheer" based on his need to be his own best cheerleader. So began an honest, funny, raw series of performances done with two other men, and sometimes just he alone.

As the popularity of the Power of Cheer grew, so did the squad. A core group of 5 males and 4 females began to form and not only did Matthew create, produce and execute a hugely successful full-length evening performance piece, but this core squad also began performing full-scale pom routines and original cheers for the halftime shows for the Windy City Rollers, as well as pranced and kicked on a moving float for 3 consecutive Gay Pride Parades.

It seemed evident that the practice that went into rehearsing for these shows was so physically demanding, that it would make for a really fun, cardio-tastic form of group fitness. With that in mind, in summer 2010, Matthew was asked by the City of Chicago to lead a series of ‘Cheerobics’ classes in Millennium Park, which was wildly popular.

One night, Jena and Matthew were dancing around in an empty beergarden and he showed her some of the moves from these ‘Cheerobics’ classes and Jena got so excited she said, “We HAVE to do this. People would LOVE this! “

And now here we are. Present day. Jena joins forces with Matthew to co-create a Cheerobix curriculum and pedagogy to take to all the inner cheerleaders out there. Because it's fun to dance, its fun to prance, and darn it--its fun to play with pom pons!