Get ready to sweat, Little Rock.
Full Out Barre, the training program that combines barre with high intensity interval training, is opening a brick-and-mortar location at 1521 Merrill Dr.
Catherine Thorpe is the brains behind the operation, a Little Rock native who has been teaching dance and fitness classes for 19 years. When the barre craze hit, the lifelong dancer was hooked, but knew something was missing.
“I loved barre class,” Thorpe says. “The toning was great and it was so much fun, but I missed out on the high calorie burn. I’d always add in a run or other exercise during the day just to make sure I got my cardio in.”
Convinced there had to be a more efficient way to deliver both, Thorpe developed Full Out Barre (FOB), the first nationally accredited fitness program originated in Arkansas. Now with seven other certified trainers, FOB takes low intensity, medium intensity and high intensity workouts and combines them with classical ballet moves.
“I’ve never taught the same class twice. We always change it up so the body stays challenged,” Thorpe says. “I take people’s time and resources very seriously to deliver the most efficient workout I can.”
Thorpe and her trainers have taught FOB classes at the Little Rock Racquet Club, the Little Rock Athletic Club, the Country Club of Little Rock and pop-up classes around town, and the groups kept growing.
She new it was time to expand into their own space, but was adamant about the inclusion of commercial dance floors constructed with springs. Growing up in dance, Thorpe knew how much kinder to the body these floors would be, but also knew how expensive they were.
It wasn’t until the owners of Shuffles, the west Little Rock dance studio that shared a space with Ballet Arkansas, reached out to Thorpe that the idea became a reality. Once the ballet moved into its downtown location, there would be plenty of room for FOB to have a permanent location.
The new FOB space includes five studios for classes, as well as equipment for classgoers and childcare. Doors will open with morning classes beginning on May 7, childcare beginning May 14 and evening classes starting May 21.
FOB plans to host a grand opening later this summer, and is currently looking for more dance studios interested in partnering with the affiliate program.
To learn more and sign up for classes, visit the Full Out Barre website. Follow along with daily happenings on Facebook and Instagram.