Jazzercise Washington DC Live Event!

 

By Blogger & Jazzercise Owner/Certified Instructor: Casey Yousph

Well I have to admit, last year when the announcement was made in Palm Springs that the next event would be held in Washington, DC none of us Canadian girls knew what to expect.  Let me tell you Jazzercise Washington DC Live did not disappoint!

Day 1 - After a long day of travel and a pretty wild ride on the Super Shuttle from BWI, we arrived at the Washington Hilton.  This hotel is located right in the heart of the city and situated close to many trendy neighborhoods.  This venue had a contemporary urban feel to it and has been the host of many fabulous events such as the annual dinners of The White House Correspondents Association, Radio Television Correspondents Association and the National Prayer Breakfast.  It has also been host to many musical acts such as The Doors and Jimi Hendrix!  This hotel was also the location of the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan in 1981.  We set out to explore shortly after checking in and once we laid eyes on the ballroom we were in love and could not wait to dance there the next morning. 

Day 2 – Some of us were a little slow moving after having found a few glasses of wine the evening before but we gained some spring in our step after grabbing a cup of joe from The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf then headed down to the Jazzercise Shopping Expo.  Jazzercise Apparel and other vendors had all of the hottest styles and collections there for purchase.  Of course all of us Canadian girls got all excited about the sweaters.  It gets cold up here in the Great White North!  The shopping didn’t end there.  Next stop was Lululemon – as the saying goes “Old Habit’s Die Hard”. 

 

Pictured above from left to right:  The best group of instructors to travel with a girl could ask for! 

Alisa Bisschop (Airdrie/Didsbury), Kim Thompson (Delia), Casey Yousph (Airdrie/Crossfield/Westcott). Tina Mencarelli (Didsbury/Carstairs) & Kendra Visser (Olds)

Next up was the DC Dance Party with Shanna Missett Nelson (Jazzercise President) at 5:30pm then a Conversation with Judi Sheppard Missett (Jazzercise CEO) at 6:30pm.  The energy in the ballroom was unbelievable as some 1500 fitness enthusiasts rocked the dance floor.  We were way towards the back and had little room to move, could barely hear or see what was going on but still had fun every single minute of it.  Tonight we were hitting the hay early in hopes of getting up early to get a spot near the front for the Live DVD taping in the morning. 

Pictured above: Dance Party Instructors Ashley McConnell, Shanna Missett Nelson and Young McCarthy

Day 3 – Schedule of events;

9am - Live Taping with Judi Sheppard Missett, Shanna Missett Nelson & Taping Team

2pm – Metro Mix with Tim Roberts

3pm – On Pointe with Ashley McConnell

4pm – Dance HiiT Remix

Our alarms were going off at 6:45am to hit the line up by 7am hoping to get closer to the front and maybe even get spotted by one of the camera men to make it onto the training DVD!  The hallways were packed wall to wall and at 9am when the opened the doors everyone sprinted on to the dance floor.  We landed the perfect spot and stayed there for the rest of the day.  Some highlights are some of the hot new routines Fancy by Iggy – performed by Shanna (check out this video clip for a sneak peek).  Summer by Calvin Harris

 

 

 

 

 

and Marry Me by Magic just to name a few.   The camera totally came our way, so we will be awaiting the new DVD to see if we made the final footage!  The Tim Roberts class was AMAZING we mixed it up to his signature style and sexy combination of dance genres.  He gave us a sequence of choreography to Booty by JLo.  It was so much fun - you have to listen to this song.  If you do… be forewarned that it will get stuck in your head.  Check it out at http://youtu.be/NkenztcYloo. 

Ashley McConnell’s class was also very challenging unless you were a classically trained ballerina!  The Dance HiiT Remix was full of high intensity dance based routines and Nancy damn near killed us with her forward planking sequence but we made it!  Judi asked everyone to get their cell phones during one song and wouldn’t you know it… next was #Selfie by The Chainsmokers http://youtu.be/kdemFfbS5H0 

she had us all take selfies while doing the routine.  Again too much fun!  You just never know what they will come up with next.  We finished up the day doing an interview with a reporter from The Washington Post www.washingtonpost.com.  We will be watching the July 10^th edition to see if she made mention of our group.  It was the most amazing day ever! 

 

Pictured above: Alisa Bisschop, Kendra Visser, Casey Yousph, Kim Thompson, Tina Mencarelli

Day 4 – This day was dedicated to mostly sight-seeing with a little bit of shopping.  We put on a ton of miles walking for about 7 hours (as if our legs weren’t sore enough from the day before) but there was just so much to see and do.  We saw The White House, The Lincoln Memorial, The National Monument, Korean War Memorial, Reflective Pool and Macy’s (oh yeah that’s not a tourist attraction) just to name a few.  We tried to see The Declaration of Independence but the line was pretty lengthy.

Photo above is of the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Statue.  Inside the building the Gettysburg Address is scripted on the wall as is the Angel of Truth mural.  Order of photo from left to right Alisa, Kendra, Casey, Tina and Kim.

 

 

Pictured above: Kim, Casey, Tina, Kendra and Alisa in front of The White House

This trip was full of memories being made with a group of exceptional women.  Thank you to Jazzercise Inc for putting on such a memorable event.  We also were very fortunate in meeting some of the key people within the organization.  We were photographed with Judi Sheppard Missett (Jazzercise CEO) – see below, Shanna Missett Nelson (Jazzercise President), Young McCarthy (Manager of Instructor Development and Taping Team Member), Rich Mundy (District Manager, Owner of multiple Premier Centers and Taping Team Member) and Emily Tyson (Junior Jazzercise Coordinator).  We were so fortunate to get to meet and chat with them all face to face!

 

Photo above: Tina, Alisa, Judi Sheppard Missett (Jazzercise CEO), Casey, Kendra and Kim

All in all a jazz dream come true!  Hope to see everyone again next year in Dallas, Texas.  We can’t even imagine the stops they will pull out next year as you know what they say – Everything is Bigger in Texas. 

 

Thanks for the memories DC!  Much love from the Canadian Girls!