Fitness Center Offers Pilates, Expands Dance Programs

For more than six years, has brought exercise to fitness enthusiasts in many forms.

From Pilates to ballet to martial arts, the Newark fitness studio has been a center for numerous health classes and there are no plans to stop. Starting Wednesday, a new type of movement will make a comeback to Mindful Movement Collective: Zumba.

Union City is bringing the fitness program that combines a variety of Latin dances with hip-hop, bhangra and other forms of dance back.

And to commemorate the homecoming of Oatis and her Zumba classes, a grand opening celebration will be held at Mindful Movement Collective on Aug. 11 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and the entire community is invited.

The event will include demonstrations, refreshments and more. But Oatis said the reason behind the festivity is about more than just the return of Zumba classes.

“The community needs to know about this collective,” Oatis said. “People don’t really know what Mindful Movement Collective is.”

Located at 37478 Cedar Blvd., Mindful Movement Collective was founded by Newark resident Ineke Rush, a former professional ballet dancer from New York City.

Inside you find two parts to the fitness center: a Pilates studio – that was named a winner of the 2011 Best of the Beay Vier’s Choice awards – and a dance studio.

But the studio wasn’t always that large. It was once located in a smaller studio located nearby but Rush, a single mother of three, said throughout the years, the studio grew more popular.

It is now the sole licensed training center for Stott Pilates in the Bay Area, according to the company’s website.

And it is always a center that is supportive of being a home for other dance and fitness instructors.

A variety of dance classes, including ballet, belly dancing and Chinese, are held inside of the center’s dance studio, which is fully mirrored and includes a spring floor.

The studio was even once the temporary home for the students of the newly constructed Legend Kung Fu in Newark, and Rush said she is happy that she is able to help others by offering them space to hold classes when they do not have their own studios.

“I’m really happy to be that community center for dance,” Rush said.

And that is how Oatis, who now owns , first came to Mindful Movement Collective.

Before Dans’ di Ballo, Oatis owned a different Zumba studio in the Tri-Cities but had to abruptly close it for unforeseen reasons. She then called Rush who offered her a space for her classes.

And that is the reason why Oatis said the community should be aware of Mindful Movement Collective.

“It’s not just about your business,” Oatis said. “It’s about what you can do for your community.”

Rush said the hope is that the students of the dance classes become interested in Pilates classes and vice versa and that at Mindful Movement Collective, individuals hoping to get healthy can find a program that works.

“Our hope is to find a fit that works for them,” Rush said. “So you can be healthy, be fit and be happy.”

The entire community is invited to the grand opening on Aug. 11. Zumba classes at Mindful Movement Collective will begin Wednesday.

classes will be held at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesdays; 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays to Fridays; and 8:45 a.m. on Saturdays in August. More classes may be added in September.

Costs for Zumba with Heidi classes is $5 for the first class, $10 for drop-in classes, $60 a 10-class pass and $98 for a 20-class pass. The passes expire after three months.

An unlimited monthly class pass is also available for $85 and is valid at both Newark’s Mindful Movement Collective and Union City’s Dans’ di Ballo’.

For more information, visit http://www.mindfulmovementcollective.com.

 -----

Like Newark Patch on Facebook | Follow Newark Patch on Twitter | Blog on Newark Patch | Get Free Newark Patch Newsletters