“We’re basically just about getting people to move, involved in fitness, in health, in wellness, in Jamestown,” Leah Gustafson, co-owner of Move, a dance and fitness studio in downtown Jamestown, said. Leah opened the studio with her partner Rudi Andalora this past July. The studio offers a variety of classes including zumba, how to dance in heels, and personal fitness training.
Leah and Rudi completely renovated the building, located at 314 Cherry St, putting in a beautiful dance floor and a wall of mirrors. Although both work other jobs, Rudi as a 3rd grade teacher, and Leah as the Vice President of Filegar Cutting Technologies, they are very passionate about fitness, and about sharing their passions with the community.
“When the community is healthy, in mind, body and spirit, then the community itself is a healthy place to live,” Leah asserted. “A group of individuals who are focused on their health and well-being will facilitate other good things in the community that they live in.”
Although they had several options of where to open their studio, Rudi and Leah specifically chose downtown Jamestown to be the setting of Move. “Jamestown is where we feel we can make the most difference,” Leah said. Their mission statement declares their intent to provide “quality dance and fitness instruction in a community focused environment,” and to base their classes on the feedback of their clients.
There are plenty of options to choose from at Move. Some of the classes offered include the ever popular zumba, as well as zumba sentao, how to dance in heels, a modern dance class for teens, body fusion and blast fit. Blast fit is an intense class designed to give a quick workout over the lunch hour. Offered from 12:15-12:45 Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the workout is always changing.
“It’s something that I made up, so it doesn’t have a script to it,” Leah described. “I can be as creative as I want with it.” During the month of February, body blast attendees will be doing a circuit workout.
“I was always active…I was always interested in fitness and nutrition,” Leah remembered, describing how she got started in fitness. “When I had my kids…exercise was an outlet for me.” Her three boys kept her busy, but she could have some time to herself when she worked out at the gym. Her passion soon grew into the idea that she could teach others to exercise and dance as well. She got her first certification from the American Council on Exercise for floor aerobics, and from there her passion has only grown.
Leah is now certified as a personal trainer, and offers her expertise to clients at Move. They can call or email her to set up an appointment. “I love personal training, I love working one on one with someone and helping them reach a fitness goal or a weight loss goal,” Leah smiled.
Leah’s love of fitness complements Rudi’s knowledge and joy of dancing. He has studied and taught at a variety of locations, including the Park Avenue Dance Company in Rochester, NY, the National Ballet of Toronto, and Visceral Dance Center of Chicago. Previously he taught dance at Infinity Visual and Performing Arts, Inc.
“He started dance when he was in college at St. Bonaventure,” Leah explained. “He fell in love with dance and fell in love with the theater.” His interest grew into a desire to have his own dance company, and since Leah wanted a personal training studio, they decided to meld their talents together and open Move.
“Rudy wants to build his dance company, he wants to be a premier dance company in Jamestown,” Leah said. “My goal is to develop the personal training, get more people fit in our town…And the zumba is fun,” she added with a smile.
