Cardio dance? It's never been my first choice workout. But who better to try it out with than Cherie Lily who sings about working out and getting sweaty?! We hit up Mahri Relin's Body Conceptions Studio in downtown Manhattan. Mahri is formerly part of the Tracy Anderson clan. Watch my videos with Cherie and Mahri to learn about my "first time" and the heart-pumping music that made it so memorable!
Cherie Lily the Workout Star
Cherie Lily just released an album all about working out and getting sweaty. I asked her what got her hooked on fitness. Cherie first got the workout buzz at 16 when she took her 1st fitness class. She loved the group dynamic and now she teaches cycling and her signature HOUSEROBICS classes at Equinox. Her performances on stage are quite a workout too, which clearly demonstrate her love of rocking out. Cherie talked to me about the role of dancing in her life before we put our bodies in motion in Mahri's class.
Cherie the Dance Music Star
I asked Cherie what made her decide to make a fitness inspired album. Like many other fitness instructors, Cherie is always looking for amazing dance songs to play so she decided to make her own. Music was already a major part of Cherie's life since she's married to rock star Andrew W.K. and performs with him on stage. She decided to merge her two passions (fitness and music) and created a whole new genre called HOUSEROBICS!
HOUSEROBICS is music specifically made to inspire people to burn calories, whether at home, in the gym, or on the dancefloor! Here's what Cherie had to say about her latest video for the track Dripping Wet :
Cherie the Fitness Fashionista
Her favorite go-to on stage fashion style is a leotard. If you watch her Body (Exclusive Webcam Edit) video you will see that Cherie really knows how to work the leotard look. She often wears more colorful leotards when performing as Cherie Lily but when she performs with her hubby Andrew W.K., Cherie keeps it more rocker in black. Her fashion icons are Beyonce (she loved her Super Bowl look) and Jonte Moaning, the artist she collaborated with on her song Lotion.
After interviewing Cherie, it was time to get, well, dripping wet as she sings on her EP. Mahri Relin cued up her playlist and we started getting sweaty. As I mentioned, Mahri used to teach at Tracy Anderson's studio but she started her own amazing full body class called Body Conceptions a year ago and it's the perfect combo of cardio dance, barre and a killer abdominal workout. Aside from the actual workout, a major highlight of class was when Mahri pumped up Cherie Lily's music. Here's the playlist Mahri made for class:
I snuck this photo of Cherie doing some intense core work to her song, Lotion.
The grand finale of class was a dance routine to Dripping Wet choreographed by Mahri inspired by some of the moves in the Cherie's music video. It was so fun to pretend I was a dancer in the music video for a hot minute!
After class, I talked to Mahri Relin about her dance & fitness career, and the inspiration behind Body Conceptions.
I wanted to know what inspired her to design the class.
I was also curious about how Mahri arrived at making her passion for dance a career. I learned that her obsession with music played a major role. I had such a fun time cardio-dancing with Cherie Lily and Mahri Relin. Check out Cherie Lily's hot music and get her teaching schedule HERE. If you're based in or visiting NYC, don't miss Mahri Relin's Body Conceptions class either!
Have YOU tried cardio dance? Or does it intimidate you?
I'd love to hear about it in the comments section. Thanks for reading!