On any given Saturday morning, a dedicated group of spandex-clad Jazzercisers continue a fitness revolution with their devoted veteran instructor inside Hambden Elementary School gym.
On any given Saturday morning, a dedicated group of spandex-clad Jazzercisers continue a fitness revolution with their devoted veteran instructor inside Hambden Elementary School gym.
Three decades in and still going strong, Jazzercise instructor Bev Brazofsky energizes her students symbiotically, gaining more than just increased cardiovascular endurance, strength and flexibility.
“It’s (also about) all those faces that look at me as I turn on my microphone and start the music for class. Together, (we) leave the world outside, forget the politics and life struggles and spend that time focusing on us, only to leave the gym feeling refreshed and renewed,” Brazofsky said. “My customers and my fellow instructors are family to me.”
Participants were stepping and sweating to pulse-pounding beats during a recent class as Brazofsky led the group through Jazzerise’s high intensity, dance party-style moves.
Judi Sheppard Missett founded Jazzercise in 1969, which later evolved into a dance fitness program with more than 8,300 franchises teaching 32,000 classes weekly in 32 countries.
Virginia Mason calls herself a “newbie” because she hasn’t been coming to Brazofsky’s classes nearly as long as some of her other Jazzercise friends.
“There are ladies that have been going for 20 years, believe it or not,” Mason said. “That is some feat.”
Gym bags, footwear and water bottles lined the gym’s perimeter as the group stepped to the left and to the right with the tunes.
Brazofsky, who moved to Montville Township when she was 7, married her “high school sweetheart” and moved to Hambden where the couple raised their two sons.
“We still reside in Hambden and my parents are still in Montville,” she said.
Brazofsky started taking Jazzercise classes after high school with her best friend and mother, then starting teaching in Madison and moved into the Chardon, Hambden, and Montville area in the early 90s.
“Jazzercise has taught me how to continue moving forward when things are tough, how to laugh at myself, how to come out of my comfort zone by taking on opportunities that God brings my way, and last but most certainly not least, how to work a business,” Brazofsky said.
Thompson Township’s Sue Boehringer said she has been attending Brazofsky’s classes for about 20 years.
“I’ve taken breaks to have children or for other medical reasons, but I have been pretty consistent in attending,” Boehringer said. “The price is very reasonable and Bev makes class exciting and fun. We have a great energy in the class with all the students and we inspire each other. We laugh a lot. We support each other because we know that as wives, mothers and career women, getting to class to exercise is half the battle.”
She added, “We also get together about once per month for Happy Hour, which is another way we support each other.”
The opportunities, adventures and lifelong friendships Brazofsky has developed are what she cherishes most, she said.
Geauga County’s Jazzercise veteran has danced at a Cleveland Brown’s halftime show, Cleveland Cavalier’s pregame show, and on the dugout with Slider at a Cleveland Indian’s game. She has also participated in Cleveland’s Parade of Lights.
“The program has helped me as a person to remain focused and to keep exercising regularly myself while helping others,” Brazofsky said. “It’s (about) that person who joins my class to lose weight and to become healthier, and in the beginning, she struggles with basic movement. Then there’s the class where she makes it through and gets up from the floor after the muscle-toning segment without any help.
“It’s that person who comes to me and tells me her personal life is a mess and our class helps her get through the days and weeks and helps her to feel stronger,” she added. “It’s the young girl with an eating disorder that comes to me after class and I can help her to regain control of her body and her life, certainly with the help of others, but without minimizing the music and exercise and closeness of our customers and our program.”
Boehringer said what draws her to Brazofsky’s classes is that “come as you are” atmosphere.
“You don’t need to be athletic or even coordinated to reap the benefits of this class. There is a camaraderie that is formed, and everyone is accepted and supported,” she said. “She allows you to go at your own pace, but also encourages you to push yourself. This class has been the most consistent, fun, effective way for me to continue to exercise.”
Hazel Hines immigrated to the United States in the summer of 1993 with her husband and two children.
“Prior to arriving, I was big into step aerobics and a ‘City Slicker’ who didn’t have to travel far for a class,” Hines said, adding she has been Jazzercising ever since moving to Chardon.
“Bev always does a fun class and we have ‘matured’ together,” she said. “Jazzercise keeps with the times and incorporates a lot of different styles, (such as) kick-boxing and yoga.”
Montville Township’s Kim Dunford is also a regular.
“I have been to many other classes and occasionally we had substitutes in our own class, but no class is ever as fun as a class led by Bev,” Dunford said. “When considering properties, I realized I was absolutely not going to even entertain the thought of not being near my Jazzercise family. I love my class and all the people in it.”
Brazofsky teaches classes 7 p.m. on Monday and Wednesdays, and 9 a.m. on Saturday’s at Hambden Elementary School and Thursdays at 7 p.m. at the Montville Community Center on state Route 528 in Montville.
