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STAMFORD, Conn. Norwalk's Kristen Rzasa brings passion, energy and creativity to her classes at the Jazzercise Center of Southwestern Connecticut in Stamford. She also brings 21 years of experience, an eternity in the world of fitness instructors.
"Even when I've had a bad day, once the music begins and we start moving, I feel better and the stress of the day immediately fades," Rzasa said. "The energy of having other people around you is motivating. When you're with other people, there's a real energy that is created. As an instructor, you feed off that energy."
After her mother introduced her to Jazzercise, she began teaching classes part time in a rented church hall in Fairfield. Rzasa, a lifelong dancer and college cheerleader at Providence, pursued Jazzercise as a full-time occupation after a job restructuring in 2002. "I thought there's no better time to do it full time,'' she said. Rzasa, 45, is also a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach.
She started small with Jazzercise, with three classes and 30 customers. Her business grew swiftly, and she moved to a large space on Hope Street in Stamford five years ago. She now employs 10 instructors who teach 30 classes a week to more than 200 women. She curtailed her own teaching schedule to handle day-to-day business details. But instructing is still one of her passions.
"I like having an immediate impact on someone's day,'' Rzasa said. "I like it when they feel better when they leave. It feels like you've done something to improve their day."
Rzasa said she wrote in a journal started long ago about having her own business. "I did have the vision of this space quite a while ago,'' she said. "It's close to what I had written I my journal. I had an entrepreneurial spirit. I knew all along I wanted to be my own boss. I don't know when I left the corporate world it would work out this way, but that's the way it unfolded."
She even took her knowledge to China this summer with the Yale Alumni Service Corps to teach dance and theater to high school and middle school students. "What I did learn is dance is a very universal language,'' she said. "Actually, I found it easier to teach dance classes than it was theater. With dance I could just show them. 'Follow me!' When I came home I was speaking in broken English."
In the competitive business world of dance and fitness, Rzasa has thrived. She has the only Jazzercise center in Fairfield County, and has the top Jazzercise business in Connecticut in revenue. She has been consistently among the top earners in New England.
"Our real competition is the couch,'' Rzasa said. "There's something for everyone out there. There are more people out there not exercising than are exercising. I think the best gift you can give to your child is to be a healthy parent."
Do you have a neighbor who took an unusual career path to a sports or fitness-related job? Let us know. Send an email to trenner@mainstreetconnect.us.
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