Suzy's Jazzyobics

Suzy Miller started teaching Jazzercise (a franchise created by Judi Shepard Missett from California) in 1981 in Buffalo, New York. At that time she was the sole Jazzercise instructor in the area. The program was very successful. Within three years time there were 5 instructors teaching in this area and over 1000 students enjoying the benefits of mental and physical well being. In 1987, Suzy decided to create her own fitness program and Jazzyobics was born. She is a member of IDEA and certified by NDEITA. She has created other programs such as JazzyStep (a step aeorbic program following the guidelines of Step Reebok) and Jazzykids, a specilaized program designed for girls and boys ages 3 and up which introduced children to the world of fitness through energetic physical movement mixed with lots of fun music. Suzy has taught special volunteer classes to both physically and mentally challenged adults. She has worked diligently to raise money for the Leukemia Society of America, American Lung Association, Easter Seal Society, Variety Club of Children's Hospital, the American Heart Association, and Roswell Park. She has worked closely with the Special Olympics in western New York. Presently, Suzy teaches 8 classes a week (Jazzyobics only) to well over 200 students.

Jazzyobics is a total fitness program based on jazz dance and accepted principles of exercise physiology with its emphasis on quality and safety. It concentrates on flexibility, balance, posture, coordination, stamina, muscle tone, cardiovascular and metabolic improvement. Suzy always urges her students to go at their own pace; to listen to their bodies and to work only as hard as their own physical condition dictates. Emotional fitness is stressed as well as physical fitness. The 90 minute class is built around warm-up, cardiovascular work and cool down periods. An average of 20 routines set to music ranging from rock to ragtime comprise each class. A 5 to 10 minute warm-up, 40 minute aerobic section with 10 minutes of cooldown to the floor. The 25 minutes of floor routines consist of contraction exercise for your gluteals (butt), stomach, quadriceps (front of thigh), inside & outside thigh, and finally a 5 minute stretch for your body at the end. The class style is based on simple jazz dance moves...incorporating hip hop, taebo, line dances and some ballet warm-up movements. New routines are introduced by Suzy every 8 weeks for variety. Students are encouraged to request songs to use in the choreography of new routines. The easy, follow-the-leader teaching technique makes a new routine fun to do and simple to follow.