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About Linda
Fitness Background and Skills
Linda Minarik has been continuously certified to
teach Group Fitness by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) since
1993. Her teaching specialty is Aerobic Dance. This unique form
of aerobic exercise—learned from her mentor, Dale Stine—uses
full-body movements and builds dance combinations throughout the
class. The workout progresses through warm-up, low impact, mixed-impact,
and finally, when the group is really ready to work at maximum
intensity, high-impact bouncing. Cool-down follows, and a concluding
stretch. It is a balanced, safe, and well rounded workout for the
student of fitness.
For the participant, a class format such as
this incorporates learning many elements at once: coordination
of upper- and lower-body movements, moving rhythmically to a musical
beat, extending the body fully with each movement and, of course,
cardiovascular fitness. In addition, the participant must use mental
energy to execute the combinations, and will gradually become proficient
at translating the verbal cue into immediate body motion.
Linda
has also taught many other class formats, including water aerobics,
step aerobics, body conditioning with resistance training, stretch--and
even slide, during its brief heyday.
Linda is certified to teach GYROKINESIS®, a system of exercise
created by Juliu Horvath that has been utilized with good results
by dancers, and that is now starting to make inroads into the fitness
world. Linda teaches this class format at the new Cooper Square
branch of the New York Health & Racquet Club. Linda
has worked at Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires, as well as at many
fitness clubs in New York City. She currently
teaches at the New York Health & Racquet Club, which has a number of branches in Manhattan, and the Equitable Athletic & Swim
Club, located on 52nd Street between 7th and 6th Avenues.
Ballet Training
Linda is engaged in the study of that rigorous
discipline—ballet (including pointe work)--with Kirill Matveev,
who graduated from the Vaganova Academy of St. Petersburg, Russia; was a principal dancer with several European companies, including the Eifman Ballet; and has 15 years of international experience as a teacher and choreographer. Kirill now teaches at the Ballet Arts Studio,
attached to the New York City Center. Linda’s ballet training includes
attending class as well as private lessons.
The discipline of ballet
takes coordination, strength, and artistry, scaling heights
well beyond those of the exercise world. Such training, while
of course helping Linda to advance in proficiency in the art of
dance itself, spills over into her fitness work and marks her as
a unique presence in the world of fitness training. |