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