After auditioning for a musical in 2018, Laura Allardyce realized she was a little underprepared.
“When it got to the dance audition part, I really didn’t know how to do that,” she said.
Allardyce set out to create a low-stakes environment for theatre lovers to live out their Broadway dreams while working out. From her audition experience, Broadway Workout was born.
“I didn’t prepare for it, I just got to go and try it and it was fun,” she said of her 2018 audition. “That’s the vibe we have in Broadway Workout, which is you’re not a professional, everyone’s a beginner.”
After selling out an initial concept class in December 2018, Allardyce found there was a market for the niche workout classes. But after a year of expanding classes, pandemic restrictions halted further growth in 2020.
Luckily, Broadway Workout was able to shift to an online model, which Allardyce credits for keeping her business alive.
“Thankfully, we [shifted online], and people joined, and it was great because then we had folks joining from different time zones, and people were able to move out of Ottawa during the pandemic and still dance with us,” Allardyce said.
Once pandemic restrictions loosened and Broadway Workout was back in person at various locations across Ottawa, there was a period of uncertainty with low attendance. After an unsuccessful spring 2023 season, Allardyce considered closing up shop, but she decided to give it one more try so the company could reach its fifth anniversary.
“If I hadn’t tried one more time to really push it I would’ve never known if it was a failure of me or of people not being passionate about it anymore,” she said.
Using the tools from her day job in marketing, Allardyce said she made a push to post more on social media, write articles, expand her team and offer more classes for the fall 2023 season.
“For the first time since 2019, classes were selling out,” she said. “The energy when there’s a sold-out class and the room is full and people are dancing in a chorus is just so exciting to be around.”
Although Broadway Workout was founded by Allardyce, she said it’s a collaborative effort between herself, instructors and dancers alike. To prepare for a new season, Allardyce begins by obtaining venue contracts and looking at songs for the season.
“We get a shortlist and the most fun is that we get a collaborative Spotify playlist,” Allardyce said.
Next, instructors begin creating choreography, with each one constructing unique movements for a more authentic experience.
After listening to the songs, choreographer and instructor Alex Smith-Eivemark asks herself: “What does my body want to do?”
To create choreography, she said she plays around with different moves to make the dancing beginner-friendly and workout-focused, since it’s a fitness-based class.
During classes, participants cheer each other on to create a supportive, inclusive, judgment-free environment. Smith-Eivemark said accessibility is a priority for Broadway Workout and she offers different variations of dance moves to make reach people at all ability levels.
“I try to offer three different variations if it’s something that’s going to be a bit more on the intense side or complicated side,” Smith-Eivemark said.
Instructors explain how to do steps and techniques in simple terms, making it accessible to people without dance experience. As well, instructors use the real names of dance steps as an educational component.
For many involved, Broadway Workout differs from other workout classes through the emphasis on community. For many people, attending a class is as much a social activity as it is an athletic experience.
“It’s fun to see everyone every week,” said longtime Broadway Workout attendee Matthew Gingerich. “This particular group you see a lot of people who have costumes and show up to it and it’s a fun social thing as well as a way to move.”
To those thinking about attending a class, Gingerich offers two pieces of advice:
“Make sure your shoes fit, commit to it and show up every week.”
Featured image by Emily Couture/The Charlatan.
