Monday, November 12, 2012

Cheerobix on NBC's 1st Look!



Hey Squad! Jenarator here. Just want to give a big thanks to the 1st Look crew for putting together such an awesome segment about Cheerobix!  Little did we know that the show would be aired outside of Chicago and we have gotten a great response from cities like NYC, Dallas, and LA!  [And now my 6-month pregnant self will forever be immortalized--oy]

To view the segment, click HERE

Thanks to our awesome squad for cheering in front of the camera and giving great interviews. We love you!!

xoxo
The Jenarator

PS..For any future squadmates that live outside of Chicago, if you would like us to come teach a class/schedule a teacher training where you live, let us know where you live, where you work out, and any other info that could help us get the CHEER to you!





Posted by The Jenarator at 12:07 PM

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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!