Seymour woman opens new dance and fitness studio

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Those who know Katrina Hardwick or have attended her Body Rock classes may have heard her utter some wishful words.

“Man, I wish I just had my own studio and I could do this full time. This would be so amazing,” she would say.

“I had always been just holding this one full-time job, and I was sort of raised that way, that ‘OK, you go get your 9-to-5 that offers the insurance and the whole thing.’ And then this other thing just was in my head. I felt like maybe it could only be that way,” Hardwick said. “It’s almost like I wanted it, but I didn’t really allow myself to believe it could happen.”

Then in the spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and she lost her job at Schneck Medical Center in Seymour.

“My job really became increasingly harder for me from an emotional, mental standpoint,” she said. “On the reverse side, teaching and dance and fitness and just this community of amazing people that came together, that had always been a way for me to not only do something healthy for my body physically, but it felt more of like the mental, just the stress release but also just filling your cup.”

At that time, it’s what she needed to begin turning her wishful thinking into reality.

“It was like unexpectedly losing my job was almost like the push, it was the catalyst, it’s like, ‘What am I going to do now?'” Hardwick said.

She was running for a political office, so it was a tough time to jump back into the workforce, and she began teaching her Body Rock classes online.

Later, she found COVID-friendly spaces at Crossroads Community Park in the warm months and the Vehslage Building in the cold months.

More and more people were attending classes, so she expanded to daytime and evening sessions. That led to looking for her own dance and fitness studio.

On May 1, she opened Body Rock: Dance, Health and Fitness LLC at 2021 N. Ewing St., Seymour.

“It’s like I’m still pinching myself because you think about things or you dream about things and maybe you want to do them, but you actually don’t go to that next level to let yourself believe you can. You just kind of say, ‘Oh, wouldn’t it be nice…?'” Hardwick said.

“But now, I’m doing it, and my thing is I just want to make sure that it’s said and everyone understands I would not be able to do this if it weren’t for the people that come to my classes and have supported me and have followed me from different gyms or just shared my information to their friends or social media,” she said. “I am so supported by people in this community, and my success has every bit to do with them giving to me.”

Body Rock is born

Hardwick begins her new journey having been a fitness instructor since 2009 when she became Zumba certified.

“I had done years of some dance training, and then I had joined a gym myself probably five years prior to that and had just been a regular gymgoer and an active group fitness person,” she said. “I loved the community and the vibe when you come to group fitness. It’s kind of like there’s this accountability because you get to know each other and you rely on each other.”

She also became certified in kickboxing, senior function fitness and high-intensity interval training.

When she switched gyms in 2015, she created Body Rock.

“I used all of those things I had a background in, all of the different fitness aspects and then my love of dance and my experience there, and I kind of meshed them into one class,” Hardwick said.

All ages, seasons of life and body types can do it, she said.

“If you come to my class, you will see a big diverse cross-section of all of those things because anyone can do this workout,” she said. “There’s no pressure to do anything just like someone else. There’s absolutely no pressure, and I start every single class by saying, ‘This is a no-pressure, no-stress, no-judgment zone.’ We say, ‘You don’t measure yourself against anyone else, and there’s literally no wrong way to do this.'”

Hardwick shows modifications to certain rhythmic movements to make it low-impact.

“It really is about coming in, moving your body, freeing your mind of the stress and worry of the outside world and just being amongst a group of like-minded individuals who really want to cheer each other on,” she said.

Experiencing growth

As her classes continued to grow, Hardwick began looking for a place in Seymour that was affordable and the right fit.

One day, she received a message from Kelly Baute, who was looking to move out of her space at 2021 N. Ewing St. that was set up as a fitness studio.

At 9:30 a.m. May 1, Hardwick taught her first Body Rock class there.

Since then, she has added a six-week burlesque dancing workshop. She wound up with 52 women signed up and had to split it into two classes.

“It’s like a way to dance sexy but confident, empowering, but there’s also an element of it called acro chair, which is acrobatic chair,” Hardwick said. “You’re really actually learning how to do some movements on the chair that are very core-strengthening and back-supportive, and core- and muscle-wise, it’s a great workout.”

She already has a wait list of more than 40 women for the next workshop.

“I think women especially, we love to feel like we’ve still got it,” Hardwick said, smiling. “Everyone’s confidence takes a hit, and especially as you get older and maybe with women after you have kids or just other things, you start to maybe feel a little insecure, like you just start to kind of have these feelings or thoughts about yourself and your body.”

Burlesque allows women to flip that switch in their mind and realize sexy, confidence and empowerment don’t look the same for everybody, she said.

“When you look at a room full of just amazing, strong women dancing together, there’s just this vibe, this confident feeling and you walk out just feeling like a million bucks,” she said. “That’s what I want for people.”

Hardwick also offers a Body Rock Lite class, and she wants to add cardio kickboxing in hopes of attracting male clients and classes for those with special needs.

Plus, she just started having guest instructors teach yoga, and she hopes to bring in more teachers in various areas.

“I welcome and would absolutely love to hear feedback on preferences of days and times and offerings,” Hardwick said. “I really do have a list probably a mile long, and it’s just about making sure that we can realistically fit it all. It’s never a bad thing to have a lot of ideas and then narrow them down.”

Feeling strong and confident

Heather Adams of Brownstown is among those taking a Body Rock class. She was inspired by her sister to give it a try, and now, she’s hooked and wants to get her two younger sisters involved.

“I love it. I hope that I don’t ever miss it, honestly,” Adams said, noting she’s motivated by Hardwick’s positive energy. “Then on top of that, the songs she incorporates into the class, it makes you feel empowered. With dance, it makes you feel like yourself, it makes you feel happy to be who you are, and that’s part of why I like coming on top of getting fit and dancing.”

Hardwick also offers private dance instruction and will work with a variety of ages, genders and cultures.

“I’m an equal-opportunity person,” she said. “I think we should all have an opportunity to feel strong and confident, and I just want to take what I know is already in people and just bring it to the surface.”

When it comes to health and fitness, Hardwick said if you don’t have your mind right, then it doesn’t matter what you achieve physically because it will never be enough.

“So if you can really adjust that perspective and way of thinking and know that as you are Day 1 when you walk in, you’re really good enough, you’re really amazing,” she said. “We’ll celebrate what you already can do and are doing, and then anything else after that is just a bonus. … It’s about taking care of your body in a million ways that will carry you forward through life.”

Hardwick also wants to make an impact in the community that has given so much to her. Each month, she plans to spotlight a local business and also wants to give proceeds from one of her class sessions to a local charity.

“I wouldn’t be where I am if people hadn’t given to me and supported me with love, money, donations, just kind words, support, whatever,” she said. “I just sincerely feel grateful for it, and I want to give back. That’s what I look forward to is just giving that right back in whatever way I can and just helping people feel love themselves, accept themselves and grow together.”

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Body Rock: Dance, Health and Fitness LLC is at 2021 N. Ewing St., Seymour.

For information, call 812-371-8281.

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