Get an inside look at Equinox’s own barre teacher training program.
I Tried is a series that spotlights an individual as they experience an Equinox offering. In this installment, writer Grace Gavilanes tries the Equinox Barre Certificate Course.
Over the past few months, I’ve made it my mission to step outside my comfort zone. The decision to quiet the side of me that preferred to play things too safely and predictably has taken me everywhere from bustling restaurants as a newly minted solo diner to the streets of New York, where complimenting strangers on a daily basis became the name of the game. (The latter has quickly become my favorite thing to do.)
Come May, it was time to tackle my next challenge: fulfilling my decade-long dream of becoming a certified barre instructor — a decision I made after asking myself, “What would 23-year-old me want to experience?”
As a low-impact workout that marries concepts from ballet and rehabilitative exercise, barre was developed in 1959 by Lotte Berk, a German-born dancer who designed the method as an effective way to stay fit while rehabilitating her body following a career-ending back injury. Barre has evolved from a fitness modality taken by dancers to one that’s loved by people of all body types and from all walks of life.
This accessibility is what attracted me to barre in the first place almost 10 years ago. After straining and stressing my body during HIIT workouts, I craved movement that felt more gentle on my muscles and joints. Barre helped heal my relationship with my body in a way that felt less like a punishment and more like a celebration.
So, on a Monday morning in mid-May, I registered for the Equinox Barre Certificate Course, the company’s first comprehensive barre training program led by Michael J. Clark, the group fitness manager at Equinox Hudson Yards and the head of the Equinox Barre Certificate Program. The live, virtual intensive would run over two consecutive weekends in early June, from Friday through Sunday. A total of 30 hours. Five hours per day. Over Zoom.
I was excited, a little nervous, and very eager to get started.
RELATED: Why Every Body Needs Barre
First Impressions
Leading up to my first class, I wondered how a live, virtual training program would exactly work. I looked forward to being in a “classroom” setting again (with freshly sharpened pencils, pink Post-Its, and a small notebook in hand, of course), but I did wonder if the content would be engaging enough to capture my attention for five hours straight. Spoiler alert: It was.
Designed to provide you with the tools and techniques to teach an open-level barre class, the Equinox Barre Certificate Course covered a wide range of topics over the six-day program:
Barre Training Modality and Exercises: Master the barre modality and the ability to design an open-level barre class.
Effective Teaching and Leadership: Learn strategies to lead and inspire; master clear, impactful instruction.
Anatomy: Gain a deeper understanding of body mechanics and alignment to refine your practice and teaching.
Effective Cueing and Room Management: Master the art of delivering concise cues and creating a supportive environment.
History and Philosophy: Learn where barre originated and where it is headed.
Each class kicked off with a 25- to 45-minute barre workout to not only enhance our body literacy, but also to encourage all 14 of us to pay closer attention to our instructors’ vocal intonations and various cues. Seeing first-hand how they moved through each workout sequence and used imagery to ensure concise delivery gave us a closer look at what it took to turn an ordinary barre class into a satisfyingly challenging experience.
What followed were interactive lessons, breakout sessions where we practiced teaching each other different movements, and pop quizzes. Surprisingly, each five-hour session flew by — a testament to Michael’s warm, energetic demeanor and our eagerness to absorb as much knowledge as possible. No one was afraid to ask questions or provide feedback. We were all in it together.
RELATED: I Tried: Equinox Mat Pilates Certificate Course
Testing Out
Seeing as how many of us were quick to raise our hands in class — asking last-minute questions about form, instruction, and the test-out day itself — I could tell most of the students in my cohort (myself included) were consumed with the idea of successfully making it through our big exam day. We were anxious to receive our hard-earned certificates after 20-plus hours of class time, outside of studying and practicing on our own.
The test-out day took place on the very last day of the course, on a rainy Sunday afternoon. It consisted of designing a 45-minute barre workout, which included sequences targeting weight work/upper body, thighs, seat, abs, backdancing/bridge, and stretch/cool-down — complete with movement variations, repetitions, progressions, and regressions listed throughout. This, along with the accompanied 30-ish-minute online exam on barre theory, made up the written portions of the test-out day. The third part — and, hands down, the most intimidating — was showing off our teaching skills via our own 10-minute routine in real time.
I spent the week leading up to Sunday perfecting my form, remembering movement variations, and editing down my vocal cues from non-stop rambling to streamlined direction. Note: The more succinct, the better when instructing a class at Equinox. Fortunately, the live instruction went by fast and was, for the most part, pretty seamless. I felt pretty nervous at first but after a minute or so, I found my groove.
Final Takeaways
Six days after my test-out day, I learned I had passed! I was officially an Equinox-certified barre instructor.
While I continue to practice and build my confidence around teaching a room full of barre students, I can’t help but feel proud of myself. What started off as a challenge turned into a reencounter with a passion I had left behind in my 20s. This course not only helped me enrich my understanding of barre, but it brought me back to my body.
I couldn’t have asked for anything better.
Ready to help others experience the body and mind benefits of barre? Equinox’s next Barre Certificate Course will be held in September 2025.