BY BARB BERGGOETZ
Visitors to Fountain Square Mall might be surprised when they happen upon KMB Studio for Music and Movement. With ballet barres lining two long, mirrored walls and a professional dance floor, the exercise space is a bit different from the shops surrounding it. But since opening in mid-2015, owner Kelly McCormick Bangs, 29, has worked with people of all ages and abilities looking to work out with an experienced fitness instructor and professionally trained dancer. Bangs says her Fitness Barre class is the backbone of the studio.
“I have a lot of runners, basketball players, gymnasts, and regular folks who take the barre class,” she says. “We’re looking to train people to get balanced functionality from their workouts while avoiding the injuries that might come from intense forms of exercise.”
Along with the barre class, Bangs offers a variety of exercise classes and personal training; she and her other instructors also offer dance classes for adults, including beginners and children as young as age 3. Bangs hosts free events, including a weekly Little’s Hour Downtown to teach movement and play to children through age 6.
Bangs earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology-dance from Indiana University in 2008, then moved to New York City, where she studied dance and performed professionally. She’s worked as a fitness instructor and trainer at studios in Manhattan and Bloomington. She and her husband, Steven, moved to Bloomington in 2011. The Fountain Square Mall space also houses Steven’s recording studio and audio business.
As a fitness instructor and trainer, Bangs says her goal is to offer clients efficient training that’s safe and sustainable. For example, her Fitness Barre classes combine ultra-endurance and stability workouts with high-intensity interval training. “I want my clients to be t for the long haul and to stay well for decades,” she says.
Amy Buser, IU Kelley School of Business associate director of employer development, has taken Bangs’ Fitness Barre class for two years. “I feel so much stronger,” says Buser, 39. “You get a complete workout of your core, thighs, calves, and arms. She constantly comes up with different ways to exercise the same muscles. She’s just so upbeat. She makes you smile and gets you through it.”
For information about classes and events, visit kmbbloomington.com.
Kelly is an outstanding physical fitness trainer! She is a very knowledgeable trainer, with a wonderful ability to motivate … she does so with a cheerful and happy countenance! Kelly cares about each one of her clients as individuals. My name is Ruth Dianne Kay, and I have taken her classes for 3 years, and have never been disappointed! It’s always a challenging and thorough workout that includes all the muscle groups. She varies the exercises to include even the most underutilized muscles. Each time I complete a work out with Kelly, I’m so proud of myself! I did it, I did it, I did it! I know my body has been challenged; and that I accomplished a worthwhile goal! Kelly, you make a positive difference in my Life … Thank You … you’re the greatest!!!