Stephanie Gronholz

For as long as I can remember, movement has been part of my life. In Spokane, Washington, I started ballet at the age of three and continued to dance through college. Knowing I would never be a professional ballerina, I made ballet my sport as well as my social network. I cherish the friendships I made at the ballet studio, and I am grateful to this day for the way ballet taught me to move with grace and confidence. 

As soon as I could drive, I was waking up early and joining the working moms crowd for step aerobics at the neighborhood 24 Hour Fitness. As a dancer, the coordinated movements did not intimidate me, and I fell in love with the heart-pumping workout of group fitness. In college I discovered yoga, and during the 12 years in lived in the Denver area, I experienced just about every kind of yoga class format that exists. 

Once I was one of the working moms I used to do step with, I tried to find non-professional ballet classes for adults, but to no avail. Instead, I found barre fitness. I was a devoted barre class attendee for nearly 10 years before I decided to take a training with Savvier Fitness in 2020. Feeling energized by learning so much about movement principles and group fitness dynamics, I followed up my barre training with a 200-hour yoga teacher training. 

I taught middle school and high school English for 15 years, but a major Covid pivot returned me to my first love: I bought a ballet studio, the very one where I took classes as a child in Spokane. Naturally, we offer adult barre fitness in addition to our children's ballet curriculum! I also teach barre, yoga, and Pilates at a local athletic club. I pride myself on creating class experiences that are encouraging and rewarding -- for all participants, regardless of age, fitness level, or experience.