Through my role with UBC recreation I was able to establish the first Canadian franchise of SwingTrain, a high-intensity dance cardio workout inspired by the music and moves of Swing. I was first introduced to the class while living in London and immediately fell in love with its joyful energy. Before I left the UK to move back to Canada I became certified as a SwingTrain instructor, and after launching the class with UBC Recreation my weekly tasks include:
- Learning new choreography and planning high-intensity classes
- Remaining conscious of all students' athletic abilities, physical challenges, and other needs
- Maintaining a social media presence and marketing the class to attract new students and keep current students engaged and excited
One way I engaged with my students between classes was to post a poll to choose one new routine to learn every week. This kept the class exciting by not repeating the same repertoire of songs every week and encouraged students to keep coming back to class. Over the course of the class we learned over ten original routines and found some new class favourites.
In addition to balancing my studies with this new role, I also needed to be very self-driven in maintaining our social media presence, learning new choreography every week, and taking care of myself to ensure I was in good form to teach every week. This is one of my most tiring and satisfying challenges yet.
Running SwingTrain Vancouver was a lot like running my own business. I found ways to attract new students to my class, keep my current students engaged, and spread the word about this exciting new way to get fit. I've gained a new appreciation for the work that goes into creating an online and community presence, and making sure students leave happy, satisfied, and inspired.