Girls Guide to City Life: Seattle » Active

Century Ballroom, Capitol Hill

Amanda Ford — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 16:35:58 +0000

A wrenching breakup and a shameless addiction to Dancing with the Stars lead me to the Century Ballroom for the first time. One twenty-minute East Coast Swing lesson followed by a night of social dancing and I quickly kicked my cheesy reality show habit, trading it for a new obsession: Lindy Hop. Today, thanks to six months of lessons, countless dances (some graceful and some…well…let’s just say I’ve occasionally come away with superficial bruising) and a mild schoolgirl crush on my instructor (Oh bad boy Michael! How you twirl me!) I can officially say that my broken heart is (almost) healed. To top it off, I can even dance pretty well.

While the dress is typically laid-back Seattle casual, the vibe at the Century Ballroom recalls a time when ladies were refined, when men were gentle and actually asked questions like, “May I have this dance?” Owner Hallie Kuperman has created an environment that welcomes everybody. Straight? Gay? Single? Coupled? Underage? Klutzy? Outgoing? Shy? Yes, even you are invited to boogie. If Jitterbug (as my mother nostalgically refers to my new favorite dance) isn’t your thing, try Salsa, Tango or the occasional Waltz. The recently opened HaLo, located at 500 E Pike Street, doubles your pleasure and your opportunities to perfect your partner dancing.
Century Ballroom’s adjoining restaurant is quite good and definitely worth a visit. The next time you find yourself about to plop in front of the tube for yet another Project Runway marathon, why not make it work at dinner and dancing instead.
Century Ballroom
915 E Pine Street
2nd Floor
(206) 324-7263

Nia Seattle, Seattle

Amanda Ford — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 02:02:08 +0000

One of the best parts about being a travel writer is that I get to experience things that fall outside of my usual activities. I could be the poster child for the saying, “creature of habit.” I have eaten the same breakfast nearly every morning for five years (onion, red pepper, garlic, and steamed broccoli scrambled with one egg and topped with salsa, a piece of Essential Baking Company’s Mille Grane bread toasted with peanut butter, and fruit), and if left to my own devices I might never leave the comfort of my neighborhood and simple day-to-day routine. I am also aware, however, of the importance of not allowing oneself to get stuck in rut, which is probably why I chose this gig: it forces me to try new things. Like one evening in late winter when I left my running shoes behind and headed East for the Sammamish Plateau to join in on my first Nia class.
But if one of the best parts about my job is taking adventures, one of the hardest parts is writing about these adventures, and Nia is no exception. Before venturing to class, I asked friends who had taken Nia before to tell me about it. They all gave virtually the same answer, “It’s hard to describe, but you’ll like it.” They were right.
Nia stands for Neuromuscular Integrative Action, but in Swahili the word translates to “with purpose,” and in Hebrew nia means, “a small, tiny movement.” These three definitions give a glimpse into what a Nia class is like. Nia is a form of exercise developed by fitness professionals Debbie and Carlos Rosas on the premise that movement can be a healing force. It incorporates elements of dance, martial arts and energy work, with movements that are smooth and give virtually no impact to the joints. You flow easily around the room to music that is filled with tribal beats, meditative chords, and sacred chants. Nia is full of creativity and throughout my various classes I have been asked to imagine myself with a large, bushy tail to shake, I have played sky drums and air guitars, I have sent my fears floating off to the horizon and let my anxiety melt into the sea, and I have yelled “yes” and “no” with forceful intention. Nia is exercise without push, dance without complicated choreography. Nia is magical movement. Enter with an open mind and you will leave energized and full of bliss.
Nia Seattle
Classes are held at various locations throughout the Seattle Metro area

Anew Outdoors, Washington

Amanda Ford — Mon, 13 Mar 2006 11:37:35 +0000

I am a true urbanite who never quite understood the allure of the great outdoors. I prefer heels to hiking boots, hustle and bustle to backcountry serenity. I take comfort in fine dining, in foreign films, in sipping martinis during the cocktail hour. And to tell you the truth, the thought of sleeping under the stars kind of freaks me out. With this is mind, it is a bit of a mystery as to why I decided to sign up for a three-day kayak trip with Anew Outdoors. Perhaps it was a subconscious, primal longing to reconnect with nature, or maybe I just needed a change of scenery. I suppose my reason for venturing into the wilderness isn’t what matters. What matters is that every trip I have taken with Anew has been a blast.
Anew’s president John Shaefer and his team of dedicated guides offer a wide variety of outdoor recreation trips throughout Washington. With Anew you can paddle a sea kayak, learn to cast a fly fishing rod, climb a rock face, backpack in the Olympics, or take a ski tour through the Cascades. The number of participants on each trip is kept small, which allows you many opportunities to interact with and learn from your guides. The folks at Anew provide all the activity-specific equipment and take care of technical details so you never have to worry about hauling a boat from the water or setting up a tent. Instead you get to focus on the reason you went on the trip in the first place: to have fun outside. On trips with Anew I have spent hours running the loop trail around Ross Lake, paddling under the full moon near Deception Pass, and napping in the brightly colored hammock that John hung between two trees on a backpacking trip.
While these elements certainly make Anew a standout, what cinches the deal for me are the delicious dinners that John and his guides cook at the end of the day. With cheesy pasta dishes, fresh salads, and rich desserts, I am able to imagine that I am dining at my favorite neighborhood bistro. While venturing deep into the forest is a fabulous way to unwind and reconnect to the soul, for this urban girl, it is dreaming of the city that brings ultimate joy.
Washington Outdoor Guides – Anew Outdoors
1-800-852-5161

School of Acrobatics and New Circus Arts, Georgetown

Amanda Ford — Tue, 21 Feb 2006 06:05:20 +0000

An important element has been missing from my exercise routine. It’s joy, and I’m not sure where I lost it. Somewhere between power yoga and super sculpt spinning, between triathlon training and race day nerves, between injury and recovery, between reading books about diet and magazine articles about attaining the “ideal” bikini body, I forgot about the pleasure of pure movement. I used to delight in moving my body simply for the sake of moving my body. I was a young girl then and exercise was called play, not workouts. Today movement always seems to come with a goal like a flattening my stomach or increasing my mile time.
Enter Jo Montgomery and Chuck Johnson, founders of Seattle’s School of Acrobatics and New Circus Arts (SANCA) where people of all ages can learn to walk a tightrope, perform a handstand, balance on another person’s shoulders, flip on a trampoline, and fly through the air on a trapeze. Jo is a pediatric nurse who is always looking for fun and effective ways to reverse the increasing rates of obesity in children, while Chuck (whose jobs have included stunt rigging for feature films and coaching cheerleaders) has been passionate about juggling, gymnastics and other circus arts since he was a child. Along with a team of talented instructors, the two run this nonprofit school in hopes that children and adults will find joy and confidence through moving their bodies.
Love and trust are the main principles that govern the teaching style at SANCA. “We don’t say ‘wrong,’” Chuck told me on my first visit. “As long as everybody is being safe, there is no wrong way to do the things we teach. Sometimes there are more effective ways, easier ways, but there are no wrong ways.” This “everybody can succeed” attitude makes SANCA a soulful refuge from the overly competitive, often discouraging world of fitness. No wonder I couldn’t keep myself from shouting out loud, “This is so much fun!” while practicing a partner balancing pose during my first class.
School of Acrobatics and New Circus Arts
674 S Orcas ST
(206) 652-4433

Ski Conditioning, Sound Mind and Body Gym, Fremont

Amanda Ford — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 14:21:39 +0000

It is hard to say whether the ski conditioning class at Sound Mind and Body Gym makes me feel like a professional athlete partaking in a regular training session or like an elementary school student participating in PE class (albeit a very advanced elementary school PE class). Either way, I love this class.
Ski Conditioning takes place twice a week in Sound Mind and Body’s huge basketball gymnasium. The class can draw up to one-hundred people on any given night, and although it was voted as one of the nation’s top ski training programs by Skiing magazine, this hour and a half sweat factory isn’t just for those preparing to hit the slopes. Full of sprints, leaps, hops, skips, push-ups, sit-ups, and more, this class is great for those wanting to work hard and seriously improve her (or his, of course, so definitely do bring your boy along) fitness.
If pushing yourself to utter exhaustion is not your idea of a fun workout, Sound Mind and Body offers other classes like step, cycling, pilates, yoga and “guts and butts” core training. Nearly all of the instructors and trainers at this gym are top-notch.
Sound Mind and Body Gym
437 N 34th Street
(206) 547-3470