28 | AUGUST 11 • 2022

C

ontemporary music
blares and the Royal
Oak studio is filled
with a dozen exhilarated
women from all walks of life.
They’re copying the uncom-
plicated choreography of the
energetic woman on the stage
who’s leading them in a cardio-
vascular dance routine that feels
like more fun than exercise.
On this particular day,
there are three generations of
Jewish Jazzercisers — Allison
Weinmann of Huntington
Woods, her daughter Ronit
Szczotka of Oak Park and
Ronit’s daughter Orli, 2, who’s
just spent a happy hour in the
childcare room while her moth-
er and grandmother dance.
Weinmann first joined
Jazzercise 14 years ago after see-
ing an ad in the local paper. She
immediately connected to the
music and dancing aspect.
“I’m not self-motivated when
exercising and this way I just
come and do whatever the
instructor says for an hour. A

great class for me is when I’m
on autopilot, just dancing with
my mind free to wander else-
where,
” Weinmann said.
Best of all, according to
Weinmann, Jazzercise is a great
stress reliever, act of self-care
and fun social activity.
“Jazzercise is the only exercise
I’ve ever found that I’ve stuck
with and continue to enjoy,
” she
said.
Weinmann spent years urg-
ing her daughter to attend, too,
but Ronit balked.
“I was hesitant as the images
I associated with it were Jane
Fonda, an ’80s wardrobe and
playlists,
” Szczotka said. Finally,
grudgingly, she agreed to try
a class together with a family
friend, both of them just want-
ing to get their mothers off their
backs.
Right away, though, Szczotka
was hooked, too. “They played
songs I knew. There was a vast
age range participating, and I
walked away from that class
pleasantly surprised. I signed up

shortly thereafter,
” she
said.
Life is busy, but
Weinmann and Szczotka,
both members of Temple
Emanu-El in Oak Park,
love carving out quality
mother-daughter time
and simultaneously
doing something healthy
for themselves.
The fact that the loca-
tion also offers childcare during
some classes is an added bonus.
“Knowing my daughter is safe
while I’m focusing on my health
is unmatched,
” Szczotka said.
The franchise owner of the
Royal Oak location at 1019 N.
Main St. is Jane McNamara,
66. She first experienced
Jazzercise at a mom’s group in
an Arkansas church in 1988
when her youngest was a baby.
By 1993, she became a certified
instructor.
McNamara opened a fran-
chise in Columbus, in Dayton,
and later, in Michigan. She
opened the Royal Oak location

in 2000 and moved to its cur-
rent location in 2009. She has
also purchased the Birmingham
and West Bloomfield Jazzercise
locations.
“It started out as a hobby, but
it became a pretty big job,
” said
McNamara, who only recently
returned to instructing after
a four-year break because of
health issues.
According to its website,
Jazzercise is one of the world’s
leading dance fitness compa-
nies with 8,300+ franchisees
teaching 32,000+ classes each
week in 25 countries around the
world. Despite the competition,

OUR COMMUNITY

Jewish
Jazzercisers
Local women find a community
in “judgment-free” zone.

ROCHEL BURSTYN
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

From Ronit Szczotka’s
pre-wedding
Jazzercise send-off:
Barbara McLaughlin,
Allison Weinmann,
Danielle Alnarshi,
Ronit Szczotka, Jessica
Clow, Lisa Ericksen
and Ilana Ben-Ze’ev

Jane
McNamara