Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to visit The Extension Room and take their Barre101 class (thanks Conceptual Event Society!). This wasn’t my first Barre-type class but it very much differed to what I’ve done in the past.

Barre101 at The Extension Room involved coordination between your arms and legs. I used a 1lb weight (don’t laugh! I’m weak!) to tone my arms as they awkwardly flowed through ballet-type movement. More on Barre101 later!

The studio, conveniently located at 30 Eastern Ave, is a beautiful, large, mirrored space with different height ballet barres (great for us shorties!) and a standard ballet floor called a Marley.
ALSO – something I think is super important for a fitness studio in Toronto to have –  FREE parking. There is a variety of free parking around the studio. How awesome is that!?

The Extension Room offers 9 different classes, for both men and women, with or without a dance background. This is an amazing feat for The Extension Room, you get your cardio, sculpt, flexibility, and your core all under one roof.
Barre101 is an hour long class that guides you through traditional ballet barre with a fitness twist. You’ll feel it in every inch of your body, as it isolates each muscle and works it, helping to develop strength and balance.
What’s different about The Extension Rooms Barre101 vs the others is the barre is not being used as just a prop. The class stays authentic to the premises and principles of classical ballet.
You can find each class and it’s description HERE

If you’re interested in trying out The Extenstion Room (which I highly recommend you do!), they have a 2 Week Introductory Trial for $40. You can try out as many of the classes as you want during those 2 weeks.
Drop-In rates and Memberships can be found HERE

The Barre101 class I took was taught by, owner and founder of The Extension Room, Jennifer Nichols. Jennifer has an extensive training in ballet. She graduated from the Quinte Ballet School and Les Grands Ballets Canadians de Montreal. She’s danced with Banff, has done post-grad work with The National Ballet School, freelancing with different companies and choreographers, and started her own production company – Hit and Run Productions. To date, Hit and Run Productions as created works for TIFF, Telus, PUMA, MAC Cosmetics, Nike, CTV, Kanye West’s “Afterglow” Party, CTV, and The Rolling Stones!Every instructor at The Extension Room and legitimate professional dancers. For more on instructors, click HERE

Being a Yoga buff, I thought barre would come so naturally to me. I didn’t think it would be difficult or that I’d feel any sort of pain afterwards but I was extremely wrong.
Barre101 at The Extension Room will have you sweating and, depending on your level of fitness, will have you walking like an awkward penguin the next day. For 2 days my inner thighs burned like nobody’s business.
I’m definitely interested in trying other classes and feeling the burn.

Have you been to The Extension Room or tried any Barre classes? I want to hear about your experience. Leave a comment below!