Loosening up while getting fit

Most fitness classes don’t require an ID check, but Linda Dobbins’ new dance class is not most fitness classes.

Sips N Steps, a dance-fitness class and cocktail hour combination, is Dobbins’ solution to a problem she said she is seeing more and more.

“Everyone’s just so busy with their job or family life,” she said. “Really, Sips N Steps was made in thinking of people who really aren’t out there making a lot of friends or meeting new people or networking.”

Dobbins said she got the idea from watching her daughter, 25, and her daughter-in-law, 29, who both moved to large cities and found it hard to get out and meet people. In Los Angeles, where her daughter lives and works as an actress and dancer, Dobbins said dance classes with wine and cheese are common, and she wanted to bring something similar to the Birmingham area.

Dobbins has had a dance studio for about 20 years, and she said she has always had people ask her about adult dance classes.

“We’ve had so many phone calls for adult classes, and we just thought bringing in the wine and just having everyone kind of relax and chill would help the classes be more entertaining and fun for everyone,” she said.

The class itself is a low-impact dance fitness class, with a warmup and 30-minute combination taught by a Dance Fit Instructor.

Dobbins said she didn’t want to hold the class to a single genre of dance in order to keep the class accessible to everyone, and the class already has seen a variety of participants.

In the first class, Dobbins said they had a range of ages from a woman in her mid 20s to one who is 72. “That’s what’s so great about it, because any age can do it,” she said.

Before and after the dance instruction, participants are offered wine, cheese and crackers and a chance to mingle and get to know one another.

“When you have the wine and cheese option to begin with, it just breaks the ice,” she said.

While it may be a new concept for some to have a mini cocktail party before a fitness class, Dobbins said her goal is more about getting people connected.

“I feel like when people go to just a fitness class, where there is just aerobics or Zumba, they walk in; they’re focused; they’re not talking to anyone, and then they leave,” she said. “We don’t want that; we want people to take time to talk to each other, to make conversation.”

Dobbins said she hopes to grow Sips N Steps to where it can offer multiple classes a week and eventually have a dedicated space.

She said she also has additional fun aspects planned, but wanted those to stay a surprise.

Participants can come on a per-class basis, or they can sign up for an entire month. Classes are $15 each or $55 a month, and Dobbins said they are going to be offering sales and specials on their social media pages.

Sips N Steps also has options for groups, with a pre-booked Saturday morning class featuring a dance class and a mimosa theme.

Dobbins said those who want to take a class should come in athletic attire and tennis shoes, but that they need not bring anything else — water, wine and cheese are provided.

“And we do card,” she said.

For more information, go to sipsnsteps.com.