Brooklyn Nets Dancers to Teach Weekly Fitness Class at Fort Greene Gym
Alexa Kobylarz and teammate Amanda Robinson will take 12 to 16 women through the moves every Wednesday at the Crunch Gym, starting Jan. 8. Participants will get access to the choreography used by the NBA pros.
By Molly Friedman
New York Daily News
At this dance class, you might Net yourself an NBA gig.
Starting on Jan. 8, Crunch Gym in Fort Greene will offer a fitness class every Wednesday at 8 p.m. called Center Court Choreography with two Brooklyn Nets dancers — aka the Brooklynettes.
Gymgoers get instant access to the actual choreography used by the NBA pros, which always includes unique borough flavor.
Alexa Kobylarz and Amanda Robinson, seen teaching a fitness class at Crunch Gym, will offer a one-hour class that starts with 10 minutes of high-intensity stretching and floor work.
New Brooklynette Alexa Kobylarz started taking the class last year and now, she’s not only on the dance team, but teaching the class alongside teammate Amanda Robinson.
Alexa Kobylarz and Amanda Robinson will offer a dance fitness class at Crunch Gym for 12 to 16 women taking them through squats, jumping jacks and crunches to get their heart rate pumping.“We try to make the class so it transfers from the court to the general public,” says Robinson, who has been with the Nets for three years.
Adar Wellington is the Brooklynettes’ coach and choreographer, having spent 2005-2008 as a New Jersey Nets dancer. Wellington sits in on the class most weeks, and acts as the in-house DJ.
“A lot of dancers treat it like an audition,” says Wellington, who spotted Kobylarz in the class last year and wound up hiring her. “When you’re smiling and laughing and partying with the girls, and getting a good workout at the same time, you can’t beat it.”
The one-hour class starts with 10 minutes of high-intensity stretching and floor work. Robinson and Kobylarz lead the class of roughly 12 to 16 women through squats, jumping jacks and crunches to get their heart rate pumping.
Then the fun begins. The pros show the class a short segment from the routine they used at the Barclays Center that week. On a recent Thursday, it was set to Salt ‘n’ Pepa’s “Push It.”
“We’re throwing it back to the ’80s,” Robinson told The News before class. “You’ll see some old school moves like the Running Man. Hip hop originated here in New York, so that’s what we try to tie in. To claim the borough.”
After taking the class through the routine beat by beat, they all dance in sync to the music at full speed. Wellington wasn’t kidding about the upbeat atmosphere — instead of a group of exhausted gym rats struggling through a spin class, the students were exchanging high fives and putting their own spin on the moves.
Aside from the Running Man, Wellington says the key to dancing like a Brooklyn girl is “getting low,” something she saw a lot of in vintage hip hop videos.
“They are low in all the hip hop movements,” says Wellington. “It’s a total crazy thigh workout.”
The neighborhood vibe is present in the music as well.
“People from Brooklyn love to hear the borough name and love to chant it,” says Robinson, who recently taught class to a remix to Rihanna’s “Hard” with Janet Jackson’s “Rhythm Nation,” all set to a military routine. “In the arena, it’s the best feeling in the world when you hear that ‘Broook-lyn!’”
