CBS2 Exclusive: New Museum Workout Combines Art And Exercise
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A new exercise routine works out your body and brain by combining art and exercise.
CBS2's Alex Denis got an exclusive look at the routine taking over the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Dancers dressed in sequence and sneakers lead a group on a two-mile tour, marching and stretching through 36 galleries with narrations by writer/illustrator Maira Kalman.
"It really gives people the opportunity to see the art and have a personal connection, while listening to the music, while doing jumping jacks and squats, while hearing Maira's voice and just sweating," said Monica Bill Barnes, artistic director at Monica Bill Barnes & Company.
People in the class get access to the museum before it opens to the public.
"It's wonderful," city resident Kathleen Kinne said. "Maybe that's the best part, actually."
Talks of creating the class started several years ago. The goal was to master an interactive journey, pairing the appreciation of art with a solid workout.
"To combine the looking at these incredible works of art and then to be moving and to be exercising it really affects your mood for the rest of the day," illustrator Kalman said.
Those who attended the sold-out class felt it did just that.
"We stopped in front of artworks that I normally didn't get to stop in front of. It was a nice new appreciation for them," city resident Aria Isberto said.
And in the end, everyone gathers for drinks and snacks to reflect on the experience.
Classes are sold out, but there is a waiting list.
They run through Feb. 12.
