Written by Crystal Ward Kent
You might call Adrienne Boss a barre ambassador, because she speaks so eloquently about this type of workout. Boss owns Pure Barre, with studios in Nashua and Bedford, New Hampshire. She is eager for others to discover not just the whole body benefits that this workout provides but also the supportive environment found at her studios. “Our focus for the past year was working to expose more people to Pure Barre,” she says. “We wanted to get people into the studios who had never done barre before, and to start eliminating those misconceptions about this kind of workout. Barre is not just for dancers or for those who are already incredibly fit or limber—it’s for everyone. It’s a good workout, and one that you can tailor to your needs.”
Boss notes that she is a wakeboarder, water skier and volleyball player, with no dance in her background. Her husband, who is also an avid barre devotee, is an Australian football player. “We are pretty far from the barre stereotype,” she laughs. “We’ve both had back injuries from our respective sports and found that barre not only helped us heal, but has made us stronger. We want other people to reap the health benefits that barre can provide.”
Boss and her staff had a very busy 2019, and she is proud of all that they accomplished. “We revamped our computer system and renovated both of our studios, so that the environment is even more relaxing and inviting for our members. While the studios were being renovated, we still held all of our classes in different spaces, so guests didn’t miss out—and we offer more than 50 classes a week. We also rolled out new classes, like our Foundation Class. This is a beginner class held in small groups that teaches the foundation of barre. Anyone is invited to come and try this class for free. It’s proven very popular, and we feel it’s been a great way to introduce people to barre in a comfortable way and welcome them to our community.”
Boss notes that in the past, beginners were invited to come to an existing class and instructors simply mentored them throughout the class. Anyone could ask questions at any time, but the staff felt that perhaps people were still nervous about trying something new. “With the Foundation Class, everyone is new and we can explain everything—how the movement benefits you, how to modify movements and so on,” she explains. “Most people who have taken the Foundation Class have transitioned over to becoming regulars, which is what we hoped for. Whether it’s someone’s second class or 200th class, we want people to feel at home here, to feel safe and comfortable with their workout experience.”
Pure Barre also offers the Classic Class, which is based on their traditional technique, and features high-intensity, low-impact moves that strengthen and tone the entire body; the Empower Class combines classic barre with cardio-centric moves, ankle weights and low steps for a high-energy workout, and the Reform Class adds elastic bands and sliders for a resistance-based total body workout.
2019 was also a banner year as Pure Barre won the “Crushing It” award, which is given by their industry to high-achieving studios. “The judges look at how many people are attending your classes, how many people are also participating in special studio events and really becoming part of the studio community, and they evaluate member feedback on our classes and overall atmosphere,” says Boss. “We were thrilled to win the award. Everyone at our studios really cares about our members and what we do. It was great to see that commitment rewarded.”
With so much accomplished in 2019, Boss is holding off on goal-setting for 2020. “I’m sure that we will implement some smaller things as the year progresses, but for now, we are mostly looking to maintain the high-level of standards that we’ve achieved and to continue to spread the word about barre. One of the things that we are proudest of is that our studios really are places where people come together, not just to work out, but also to support each other and find common ground. We truly are a community and I think that sets us apart from your typical workout facility.”
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