The dance studio Floor Polish doesn't do boring.
No bland aerobics classes or dingy gym floors here.Β
If you're taking a class at the new Fourth Avenue studio, you'll be dancing and grooving under a disco ball and colorful lights to classes including Cardio Party-O and Bollywood Groove.Β
Marina Cornelius opened Floor Polish May 2016 in a small studio on Hoff Avenue across from Public Brewhouse. The new Fourth Avenue location at 408 N. Fourth Ave. opened March 2, just in time for the street fair.Β
Cornelius, 37, describes the aesthetic of the studio as "roller rink" and "discotheque."
"I love spaces that are atmospheric enough to take you out of the everyday," she says. "I think lighting is really important for making people feel comfortable, but also a little magical where they want to hang out and open up and have an exhilarating experience."Β
By moving to Fourth Avenue (where the Humane Society of Southern Arizona formerly had a thrift shop), Cornelius gained a visible store front and nearly double the square footage of the previous studio. She estimates the previous space was about 600 square feet.Β
Marina Cornelius opened Floor Polish on Fourth Avenue in March 2018 after moving from her previous location on Hoff Avenue.
She works with about 15 instructors every week to offer 21 classes at Floor Polish. Like her, many of her instructors come from the music and art scene instead of the fitness industry.
Cornelius moved to Tucson in 1998 and studied art at the University of Arizona before beginning a 10-year stint of working "career jobs" in graphic design and website management. She has played in bands since 1999, and when she got sick of the day job, she and her sister Leann Cornelius took their rock and roll duo on tour. They still play together in their band Acorn Bcorn.Β
After joining the YMCA to try classes, Marina found herself in love with Zumba and her instructor's creative choreography.Β
"She did a lot of Bollywood and hip hop and belly dance, and I was addicted to her class," Cornelius says. "Zumba was my gateway drug for dance and fitness."Β
The Cardio Party-O class dancing in the Floor Polish studio on Fourth Avenue.Β
Within a month of getting certified to teach Zumba, she had her own class at the YΒ β a Zumba class and a low impact "Mild Salsa" class. That was five years ago. She still teaches there.Β
She developed the Cardio Party-O class so she could use a wider variety of music.Β
"I like doing parts where we make ourselves get sassy, like during some songs, I'll back everyone up and you have to catwalk right up to the mirror and do a pose," she says. "Those moments of freestyle and choose-your-own-adventure for a few moments are some of the most fun parts of class ... I also love high-energy dance when you're working hard and being fierce."Β
Cornelius began teaching more often, and when one of the studios where she was teaching lost its building, she realized how much she loved it.Β
"I realized I wanted to do more with it, not less," she says. "I wanted to grow it."
And so she started looking for a space of her own to rent.Β
Burlesque dancer Lola Torch has taught a class at Floor Polish since it opened.Β
She currently teaches Burlesque Fitness and Strong Butt! there.Β
"What's most appealing about Floor Polish to people is it's very accepting," she says. "It's not intimidating at all. The vibe is definitely come one, come all and feel comfortable, and I know that's been an issue for a lot of people, especially when taking dance classes."Β
Her Burlesque Fitness class incorporates pilates, barre and yoga with a bit of sass, a bit of shimmying and some dancing.Β
All of the classes are creativeΒ β from Bad-Ass Tap Class to Belly Dance Blast to Femme and Hip Hop Yoga (see the full class schedule here). They're alsoΒ affordable. On average, you'll pay just $6 a class.Β
Chelsea Sullivan gets in some last minutes stretches before the Cardio Party-O class at Floor Polish.
The price "encourages experimentation, which is fun," Cornelius says. "You can definitely try anything you want to try. Nothing is an advanced level, although you can take it there. But everything is made to be 'I've never done this before. Can I try this? This sounds fun.' I want that to be a big, 'Yes!'"Β
In the new space, Cornelius envisions hosting performances, movie nights and other events.Β
"My love of the avenue has been crystallized," Cornelius says of her move to to Fourth Avenue. "I look at it differently and see how beautifully small-town it is. I can't believe I have a dance studio across from a book store next to a market ... and I take this seriously. Being a good steward of this building is important to me, choosing my own colors for the store front but fitting in with my neighbors and being a benefitΒ to the neighborhood is exciting to me."
Learn more about Floor Polish at floorpolishdance.com.Β
