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Esther Fairfax Archives - Page 2 of 2 - The Barre Blog

Sep 06
Jennifer Mathieu Henshall after a barre class

My Journey to Getting Certified in the ORIGINAL Lotte Berk Technique: How I found My Way to the Barre – Part 2

By Barre Culture, Lotte Berk, Lotte Berk Training No Comments

In this series of posts, our Southern US Editor Jennifer Mathieu Henshall shares her POV while on her journey to getting certified by theLONDONmethod in the original Lotte Berk Technique.

The year is 1999. I’ve just finished a particularly sweaty 60 minutes on the treadmill and am ravenous. As I head back across campus to the townhouse that I share with my four college roommates, I reach into my backpack and pull out my post-workout snack – a package of SnackWell’s Fat-Free, Devil’s Food Cookies. Once home, I settle down to eat my dinner – a Subway turkey sandwich with low-fat mayo, a side of Wow! Doritos and a Diet Coke. As I eat, I applaud myself for making such healthy and wholesome choices that evening.

 

Throwback photo of author Jennifer Mathieu Henshall from the College years.

 

Looking back at the way I used to train and eat, I’m not surprised that almost 20 years later, I was diagnosed with several autoimmune conditions. Yes, over the years, I have refined my nutrition (i.e. I no longer eat fake food or thrive on artificial sweeteners), but it’s taken me a lot longer to get my fitness practices in-check.

 

A discovery that would change everything

Several years of running half-marathons, full-marathons and heavyweight training propelled my body into a state of self-attack. And, it wasn’t until a terrible autoimmune flare-up that I experienced at the end of 2019, I knew it was time to address the fact that I needed to stop overtraining once and for all, as it was doing more harm, than good, to my mental and physical health.

 

Jennifer Mathieu Henshall running

 

The last time I experienced an exercise-induced autoimmune flare-up was while I was training for the 2016 Boston Marathon. I didn’t know it at the time, however. For months leading up to the diagnosis of my autoimmune condition, I just assumed that the fatigue, brain fog and depression that I was experiencing were from the tough training regimen I had outlined for myself.

Undoubtedly, the training was putting a lot of strain on my body, but my system had become so inflamed, that it began attacking itself. I was immediately put on anti-inflammatory medication and began feeling better within a few months’ time.

This time around, my doctor increased my medication dosage – a drug that I will more than likely have to take for the rest of my life. And as someone who believes in the symbiotic relationship between Eastern and Western medicine, I knew that, in addition to taking more medication, there were several other things that I could do to heal myself.

 

Finding an alternative form of movement

One of them was to immediately cease all high-impact exercise and overtraining. I decided to revamp my entire workout routine and to focus on barre workouts alone. I slowly eased my way back into exercise and found that barre’s low-impact and mindful movements were exactly what I needed to begin feeling better both inside and out.

Jenn teaching a barre class.

 

As I mentioned in Part 1 of “How I Found My Way to the Barre,” I discovered barre almost five years ago while training for Boston, my second marathon. And, I’ve been a barre instructor for almost as long. I’ve always loved barre fitness but initially used it to supplement and refine my other more intense workouts. I’m not sure if it’s a function of coming into my own during a time when the fitness culture touted low-fat foods and high-cardio moves, but unless I felt completely defeated after a workout, I didn’t think that I had worked hard enough – until my body proved otherwise.

 

Author Jennifer Mathieu Henshall after teaching a barre class.

 

Yet, after my most recent autoimmune flare-up, I turned to low-impact, controlled exercise to heal myself. Movements that involve bodyweight, concentration and an acute awareness of one’s heart, mind and soul – those of the ORIGINAL Method – have provided me with the mental and physical results that I’ve been searching for my entire adult life. I’ve learned that it’s not about having a “perfect” body, it’s about having a happy, healthy and thriving body. And, the ORIGINAL Technique provides all of this and more. I am overjoyed at the opportunity to train with The London Method, to learn the roots and intricacies of Lotte Berk’s ORIGINAL Technique and to document my entire experience along the way. I want to absorb all that I can about the Fairfax Family Recipe, so that I may instruct others in the hopes that they, too, will share in the magnificent healing powers found in this remarkable form of movement medicine.

See you at the barre!

 

Next up: My Journey to Getting Certified in the Original Lotte Berk Technique: First Weekend of Training Recap

 

About the Author

Jennifer is a barre instructor, personal trainer, clinical aromatherapist and author who discovered barre — her soul-mate workout — while training for the 2016 Boston Marathon. As a long-time runner, former bodybuilder and melanoma skin cancer survivor, Jennifer’s recent battle with autoimmune disease has changed her fitness focus to one that incorporates more mindful, purposeful and low-impact movements.

A former communication professor and mother of two daughters, Jennifer is excited to share her thoughts and experiences on ways to create and maintain a strong connection between the mind and body through barre.

Aug 27

My Journey to Getting Certified in the ORIGINAL Lotte Berk Technique: How I found My Way to the Barre – Part 1

By Barre Culture, Lotte Berk, Lotte Berk Training No Comments

In this series of posts, our Southern US Editor Jennifer Mathieu Henshall shares her POV while on her journey to getting certified by theLONDONmethod in the original Lotte Berk Technique.

 

Like many other noteworthy days in my life, I remember the first time I took a barre class. It was on a cold winter morning in my basement gym. I was training for the 2016 Boston Marathon, logging more miles on my legs than ever before, while also trying to find time to incorporate some all-important resistance and flexibility work into my routine. Running 40-plus miles per week doesn’t allow for a lot of extra exercise time, so I was in pursuit of a workout that would provide me with the strength and stretching I was seeking. And, that’s when I found it – barre. With about four months left of my marathon training, I built a couple of barre DVD workouts into my weekly routine and found that the micromovements, ballet- and Pilates-inspired exercises and yoga poses were the perfect complements to my cardio-heavy plan. When I crossed the finish line in Boston that Marathon Monday, I was injury-free, smiling from ear-to-ear and wondering how to integrate barre into my life on a full-time basis.

 

Jennifer Mathieu Henshall at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

 

My name is Jennifer Mathieu Henshall and I’m a full-fledged barre addict. My obsession began purely out of necessity and has since become my preferred method of exercise. I’ve been a certified barre instructor for four years and have been trained in several different barre modalities, including the American Barre Technique’s Pre & Postnatal Barre, H.I. (High Intensity) Barre, Barre-Less Barre Ballet Aerobics and Barre Stretch, BOSU Barre Strong and BarreAmped Bounce. I taught barre classes at a local studio for a couple of years and then from my home studio for the last few years, as well.

Taking my love of barre to the next level

As much as I love teaching barre, I am also a lifetime learner at-heart and always seeking out new techniques to incorporate into my classes, as well as my own workouts. Because of my background in research (I became a college professor after graduate school), I have a strong desire to swan dive into the history of all of my passions. In the summer of 2019, I wanted to know more about the roots of barre, so I began a search to learn about its origins. My quest led me to Kelly Wackerman and Pam Kennedy of The London Method, the first studio in the United States to teach and train in the ORIGINAL Lotte Berk Technique. Although I wasn’t able to travel to California for the in-person training at the time (I am the primary caregiver for my two daughters – ages 8 and 10), as luck would have it, The London Method has since developed an online training course in the ORIGINAL technique, which I will be taking for three consecutive weekends in September.

 

Jennifer Mathieu Henshall at a barre class.

 

Before my certification journey begins, let me introduce myself

Before I begin my training and subsequent comprehensive, in-depth review of the virtual course for this blog, I wanted to provide a bit more of an introduction of myself and my “why.” As someone who needs to know all of the nitty-gritty details herself, I figured that a few more facts about my background – aside from my intro on this site – and excitement for barre and its amazing benefits would provide a bit of a warm-up before I Pluto Snuffles (this will make more sense in due time) into my virtual training experience with The London Method. So, without further ado, below are some ORIGINAL facts about me:

  • O: I am a former communication professor and professional and currently working on building The Barre Library – an online education center for all barre enthusiasts.
  • R: I reside just outside of Washington, DC, but was born and raised in Rhode Island, with my husband and two daughters.
  • I: I am constantly getting certified in different barre and exercise techniques as a way to further hone my skills as both a teacher and student. In addition to my various barre accreditations, I currently hold certifications in PiYo, CIZE, TurboKick and Core De Force. I am also a Pre & Postnatal Fitness Specialist for Moms Into Fitness, Inc.
  • G: Since having benefited from the extreme generosity of others (both of my pregnancies with my daughters were affected by a rare blood disease that required numerous platelet transfusions and blood plasma treatments), I have made it my mission to give back whatever and whenever I can to others. Through my writing and instructing, I hope to guide others as they learn to harness their own mind-body connections so that they can live more fulfilling lives.
  • I: I am a former marathoner and bodybuilder who used to thrive on high-intensity workouts until they became too much for my body to handle.
  • N: I am in my early 40s and currently a stay-at-home-mom, barre instructor, NASM certified personal trainer, certified aromatherapist and freelance writer. I joined The Barre Blog as the Southern US Editor in March of 2020.
  • A: Over the past 20 years, I have suffered from several ailments, including melanoma skin cancer, two pregnancy losses, two high-risk pregnancies and several autoimmune diseases.
  • L: I love to bake healthy treats, craft with my daughters, take frequent trips to the barre and read. Cozy culinary mysteries, cookbooks about baking and reality baking shows are my guilty pleasures!

 

Jennifer Mathieu Henshall does a barre pose outside.

As this series – My Journey to Getting Certified in the ORIGINAL Lotte Berk Technique – unfolds, many of my ORIGINAL facts will begin to take shape. Through my own one-inch ups and downs, I’ve learned that movement has the dual-power of helping or healing. And as someone who has learned – the hard way – that exercise doesn’t have to be punishing in order to be effective and enjoyable, it is my hope to bring this awareness to those who have already taken their place at the barre or aspire to one day. Discover more about my “Why,” in Part 2 of How I Found My Way to the Barre.

See you at the barre!

 

Next up: My Journey to Getting Certified in the Original Lotte Berk Technique: How I Found My Way to the Barre – Part 2

 

About the Author

Jennifer is a barre instructor, personal trainer, clinical aromatherapist and author who discovered barre — her soul-mate workout — while training for the 2016 Boston Marathon. As a long-time runner, former bodybuilder and melanoma skin cancer survivor, Jennifer’s recent battle with autoimmune disease has changed her fitness focus to one that incorporates more mindful, purposeful and low-impact movements.

A former communication professor and mother of two daughters, Jennifer is excited to share her thoughts and experiences on ways to create and maintain a strong connection between the mind and body through barre.

Jan 17
Women performing the pretzel exercise on the floor of a barre studio.

The History Behind 5 of the Most Popular Barre Exercises

By Exercises No Comments
Presented in partnership with TheLONDONmethod

If you’ve ever stepped foot inside a barre studio, you’ve no doubt heard phrases like “tuck” and “keep a heavy tailbone” or have done an exercise called the “pretzel.” Did you know many popular barre exercises today can be traced back to the original Lotte Berk Technique? 

Who is Lotte Berk? Lotte was more than just a German-born dancer who came up with a method of exercise, she was a trailblazer. If you want to know more about why she is considered the founder of barre, read this.

With the help of our friends at TheLONDONmethod, who are experts in all things Lotte Berk, and Esther Fairfax (Lotte Berk’s daughter) we break down 5 exercises that have roots in the original technique.

 

What you probably know as: Pretzel

What it was originally called by Lotte Berk: Hello Sailor

What you probably know as: Thigh Dancing

What it was originally called by Lotte Berk: Burnt Thighs

What you probably know as: Round Back

What it was originally called by Lotte Berk: Escapes

What you probably know as: Flat Back

What it was originally called by Lotte Berk: No Escapes

What you probably know as: Curl

What it was originally called by Lotte Berk: Sardines

 

Thanks to our friends Kelly Wackerman and Pamela Kennedy at TheLONDONmethod and Esther Fairfax (Lotte’s daughter) for helping us with this piece. If you want to really dive deeper into the history of the method, check out their newly-launched online video series.

About TheLONDONmethod

TheLONDONmethod was created as a place to house the ORIGINAL class by Lotte Berk. Lotte’s daughter, Esther Fairfax has been teaching this class in the countryside of England for 50 + Years. When tLM ladies found her in 2015 & learned how different the exercises were from what had been brought to America in the 70’s they knew they had to share them with the world. The tLM online program is a way you can access these exercises that have been helping, healing, streamlining, & toning the women in Esther’s classes for decades. Go to www.theLONDONmethod.tv to start practicing them today!

*New Videos are added each month to the program from the Ladies of TheLONDONmethod as well as from Esther Fairfax herself!

Nov 23

What is it Like Studying the Lotte Berk Technique From Esther Fairfax? An Interview With Barre Nouvelle’s Deborah Thompson

By Barre Culture One Comment

What is it like to train under Esther Fairfax, the daughter of famed dancer Lotte Berk? Barre Nouvelle‘s Deborah Thompson knows a thing or two about that. Deborah offers Barre Nouvelle classes based on the Lotte Berk Technique and her certification course is the only, true Lotte Berk Technique-based certification in Canada.

I sat down with her to get to know more about what training under Esther was like and what she thinks of the evolution of barre.

 

A collage of photos featuring the Barre Nouvelle studio and owner.

Clockwise (from top): the interior of the Barre Nouvelle studio; Studio owner Deborah Thompson; the studio entrance.

 


How did you first hear about the Lotte Berk Technique? “I was a dancer with the National Ballet of Canada for 11 years. I taught for 10, 11 years and it was more of a part-time thing because I was working in an office and I would teach in the evenings and the weekends. I was really looking for something a little more that was more in tune with what I wanted to do. I had heard about this barre technique so I started to search on the internet different techniques. There was Physique 57, Barre3, Pure Barre and the list goes on and on. They kept referring to this Lotte Berk Technique or the Lotte Berk Method. I figured as a classical ballerina I should go back to the classics. I learned that in Hungerford, England it was taught by Lotte Berk’s daughter, who at the time was 82. Today she’s 85 and she still holds weekly classes in her studio in Hungerford. She’s got some people that have been coming to her classes for 50 years. She learned the technique from her mother and really wants to keep that particular technique in tact because of all of these spawns from the original technique. I worked with her [Esther Fairfax] for two weeks in England and then she certified me to teach the technique in Canada. We got along really well and she just figured that because of my training and fitness background that I would be perfect to certify and keep the name alive in Canada.”

Is it true that she’s very concerned that there are not enough people in the world to keep the technique going? “Yeah keep that technique going, keep that proper technique from her mother. Let’s say it’s an original technique and there’s things about the pelvic tilt which some of the other barre methodologies use but they’re not quite getting the understanding of the technique. I have a lot of women who come to the studio and say, oh I used to take this type of technique and we used to do this technique and it was totally a knockoff and not the original way of doing it.”

So would that be considered the modern day ‘tuck’? “Well a lot of studios in Lotte Berk [Technique] call it the pelvic tilt. It’s a pelvic tilt technique because Lotte originated it. She was a modern dancer in Germany who married an Englishman and moved to London. She was in a car accident and hurt her lower back so she worked with her orthopedic surgeon to come up with the technique which was all about lengthening the spine and a slight pelvic tilt to take the pressure off of her lower back. Also to use your abs so that was kind of the methodology that she used and refined.”

On that subject, Esther has been quoted as saying that ‘Many classes now operating in the US have been influenced by her mother’s work but lack the beauty and elements of dance and aesthetic of a woman’s body.’ In your opinion, how do you think today’s technique used in Pure Barre or other variations of it have modernized the Lotte Berk Technique? “I don’t want to name any names because I haven’t actually taken any of those classes. The only classes I have taken and really loved was BootyBarre, which is the Tracey Mallett technique. I think it comes the closest [to the Lotte Berk Technique] because Tracey used to be a dancer, so she understands that. I’m finding that the other techniques go away from the dance technique and it’s not just ballet but it can be ballet, modern, any dance technique that uses posture, a long spine, those type of things. The other methodologies are getting away from that.”

What was your experience like training with Esther? “It was great, she was lovely. We would take class first and then I would work one-on-one for about 3 or 4 hours with her because you know she’s over 80 years old so, that was you know her kind of time limit. We did that for two weeks intensively, just her and I. My certification test was to teach class to her Lotte Berk people who had been taking some of her classes for 45, 50 years, so they really knew their stuff. They could do it by themselves, right? So that was my test and I passed and she said I would love for you to certify other people.”

So she gave the seal of approval. “Yes.”

So there isn’t anyone else in the country you think that’s truly teaching it. “Not the Lotte Berk Technique. Barre has  expanded, especially in the US. It’s just rampant in the US but now it’s starting to come here [to Canada]. We’re always a little bit behind taking things up plus we have less population. There are quite a few barre technique places in Vancouver and in Toronto and now they are coming to Montreal.”

Do you think modern barre today has deviated from how it was originally intended to be performed or do you think we are going to find a resurgence of people looking up this Lotte Berk person and saying hmm, there might be something here? “Well you have to remember that, I mean as things modernize and techniques kind of evolve, obviously the Lotte Berk Technique is very much focused on what was happening in the 60s and 70s. Now we’ve learned even more about teaching different techniques that I think incorporating that technique and bringing it into today’s standard of fitness is what I try to do. I base my classes on the original technique, however I used some of the other elements that I’ve learned through fitness and the Les Mills program and you know you bring everything you can into the technique. I see some of the methodology getting away from the dance technique. Lotte Berk [Technique] started as a combination, not of ballet but using the barre with dance. That could be anything right, posture, core and leg lifts etc., strengthening, lengthening, flexibility, all of those things and then also the elements of pilates and yoga. All of those things come into play, so it’s a nice comprehensive way to really elongate the body. People sell it different ways but it’s obviously having that dancer’s body, that’s the big selling point because dancers are really well trained.”

What would you suggest to a barre newbie, someone who has never taken your class before? “I usually give them different options. I’ll give higher and lower options. I start obviously with a lower option and anybody who is new, it takes a couple of times to get used to the place, the technique of holding onto the barre like a dancer, having your arm in front of you and just about your posture and core. I think all of those things you take into the first class you do and then you move up from there so you go from the option 1 to the next option to the next level.”

Just to pivot a bit. In your experience of being a studio owner, what do you love most about running your own business? “The people! Well, you know because I’m an ex-dancer I really like the stage of a studio where I get to, you know perform. It’s great to bring the other people into the performance as well, so they are performing with me and we have a great time. I’ve had this studio now for just over two years and we have like a little community. We’re friends, it’s like a friendship community and we all love to do the barre technique.”

What is your favourite barre move? “My favourite barre move? You know, I don’t think I have a favourite really. For me every single point of the class is beneficial. The great thing about this particular class is obviously you start with a warmup, then you move to the barre, you do some exercises, strengthening exercises. I obviously being an ex-ballerina, I like all of the things that incorporate a little more of the ballet technique but that’s me personally. I think the class participants like that as well because some of them have taken ballet in their past lives or wanted to take ballet or, you know, took ballet and it didn’t work out for them or whatever.”

Have any of your clients taken classes anywhere else and then come to your studio and thought this is really different? “I have one client who took barre elsewhere. She just loves the technique because it’s a little bit closer to ballet, and it combines a little bit more cardio and stretch and strengthening which people really like and enjoy.”

*This article has been edited from the original source material for the web.

Oct 22

Who is Lotte Berk and Why is She Considered the Barre Originator?

By Barre Culture No Comments

You may have heard of The Lotte Berk Technique but who is the woman behind the workout? Lotte Berk, born Liselotte Heymansohn in Cologne, Germany is considered to be the originator of barre. She was a renowned European ballet dancer until she suffered a severe spinal injury.

After the accident, Lotte began working with an orthopedic surgeon. It was during her recovery that she designed a series of exercises to strengthen the spine and core to assist. After making a full recovery, Lotte Berk began sharing her method with others.

Why might Lotte Berk be considered the founder of barre?

Even though Lotte trained as a modern dancer, her exercises are specially designed for non-dancers. She also incorporated use of floor and bar work into her routines.

Lotte Berk’s influence on modern barre

In the early 70s, a woman named Lydia Bach opened The Lotte Berk Method in New York. Inspired by Lotte’s workout, Lydia purchased the rights to use her name in North America and opened studios in her name, first in Manhatten, followed by Bridgehampton, Los Angeles and eventually via franchise locations throughout Connecticut.

Burr Leonard was a student and eventual owner of those franchise locations throughout Connecticut. After a decade of teaching the Lotte Berk Method, she and her partner decided that the technique they were teaching had diverged so much from the original that they decided to branch out on their own and hence The Bar Method opened their flagship studio in 2000 in San Francisco.

Physique 57’s Jennifer Vaughan Maanavi and Tanya Becker were a teacher and student duo that met while Tanya was teaching at The Lotte Berk Method’s New York City studio. Saddened by the sudden closure of the studio, the pair decided to go into business together. Today you’ll see Lotte’s influence in Tanya’s choreography, which is set to energetic and motivating music. Tanya incorporated cardio, strength training and soothing stretches to the routine, which build off of the Lotte Berk technique she once taught.

The Lotte Berk Method book cover

The cover of Lydia Bach’s 1971 book about The Lotte Berk Method.

In some way or another, every modern barre class today has either been directly or indirectly influenced by Ms. Berk’s technique. The results that studios hope their clients achieve are really just the same as they were a few decades ago. The goal of a Lotte Berk class is to firm, lengthen and shape the muscles to their optimal form. Today’s classes use the foundation that Lotte created, with a few more gimmicks. Equipment like step-up platforms, straps and balls were never part of the original technique.

You’ll see Lotte’s influence manifest in many different forms in today’s classes. For instance, many franchises including Pure Barre do not allow their clients to wear midriff-baring tops. Exposed skin to cool air make the muscles more prone to injury. Lotte Berk was a big advocate for injury prevention since her methods were created to facilitate her own recovery.

Speaking of injury prevention, the popular “tuck” that we hear so often referred to in class, was simply a pelvic tilt in the early days. It was an exercise based on dance that was meant to protect the spine.

 


Interested in taking a true Lotte Berk Technique class?

If you want the authentic experience, head to a studio that offers the closest thing to the original technique. If you find yourself in Hungerford, England, you can take a class at the studio owned by Lotte’s daughter, Esther Fairfax. If you happen to find yourself in Switzerland, take a class with Tina Graf, if you’re in the UK stop into Disco Barre Studio or if you’re in the United States, theLONDONmethod in California, LONDON BARRE in New York or Barre Bayou in Louisiana. The Good Barre also offers online classes.

 

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