by Allison Roberts

“You need to restructure your thinking on aging.” This statement from my therapist. I go in to see him, for what I refer to as, “tune-ups,” from time to time. And this is one of those times.

I recently found out I have arthritis in my neck, which finally explains the pain I’ve been feeling for the past five years, and the sometimes impossible rotation of my head while trying to back my car out of my driveway. The diagnosis is good news on the one hand—at least I have an answer to my pain and stiffness—but on the other hand, it also brings up a whole slew of issues and emotions I’d rather not get involved with.

Isn’t arthritis what “old” people get?

For crying out loud, I am only 45 years old, and very active. I am what some people refer to as “an adrenaline addict.” I love the high of working out. I have been working out—rather hard—since I was 22. Running, aerobics, weight lifting, hiking, biking—you name it.

I have pretty high standards for myself. I realize. And that makes life both more interesting because I push myself to do more, but it also leaves me feeling stressed when I am unable to accomplish a goal. (I should find a cure for cancer, stop world hunger, AND have abs of steel; don’t you know?) But in reality, I have a sore left knee, aching hip flexors, and a neck, which at times is about as flexible as steel cable.

The arthritis diagnosis comes at the end of a very hard year for me: I lost my mother to brain cancer, my sister in law went through breast cancer and a mastectomy, my mother in law battled some pretty severe depression, and I watched my daughter enter High School. When did I become old enough to not only lose a mother, but also have a daughter in high school?  I look in the mirror and it ain’t all bad, but sometimes I’ll catch site of myself and think, “Who is that?”

Now let me add this to the scenario—and truly I hope I don’t sound too much like a whiner—but my husband is ten plus years younger than me, recently opened a *Crossfit and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gym/school, was once a gymnast, is a brown belt (soon to be black belt) in BJJ, and is in terrific shape.

Hmm…are you grasping my line of my thoughts here?  Will he view me as a wimp when I can’t do a pull up now? Will he wish I could do double unders (double jump rope—in other words, rope goes under your feet two times in rapid succession,) and not just skip rope in a skipping fashion, like a little girl? Does he secretly wish my knee wasn’t wrecked so I could join him in the races he sometimes does for charity? And lastly, will he leave me for someone who is more athletic and, well, frankly, younger and more “spry?”

It is hard for me to admit that I cannot do some of the things I used to do. It pisses me off. I fight the negative voices in my head that tell me I am weak, vulnerable; unfit. I have been brought to tears in the gym, when I am trying to lift a weight over my head and I cannot do it without my neck rebelling. I get unreasonably enraged.

When I was a kid, I was very athletic. I was intensely competitive, especially with boys. I wanted to do whatever they did, and just as well. I had older brothers whom I wanted so much to emulate.  I wanted to prove that I was able to throw a football, kick a ball as far as any boy could, and lift a dresser and move it across the room. And I did all of those things, by the way, and rather well. I believed that boys had it better—had more freedom, more respect, and because they were physically stronger, they were better protected. This belief served me well as a child—kept me motivated, moving forward, and pushed me to excel. But honestly, it serves no purpose anymore. Feminine strength is just as important as masculine…emotional strength, is just as revered (or should be,) as physical. It’s time to say bye-bye to the old voices, and make room for new ones.

So what is a woman, who views herself as athletic and in good shape to do, when she has to rearrange her work outs and her mind set? How do I rearrange my thinking to accept where and who I am right now?

Well I have a few ideas (and the list is growing!):

More yoga and different styles as well: Yoga is great for working the muscles without high impact pounding on the bones.

Increase my meditation practice: I always feel better when I do this, so why is it that I don’t do it more? I vow to do so.

Boxing: just because I think it’ll feel really great to slam into a bag, or someone’s target gloves—great release of tension.

A few series with personal trainers: to get not only individualized attention and focus on my level of ability and limitations, but also to learn various styles of exercises from a few more pros.

A discussion on psychotherapy: the benefits of having a support system, for overall emotional well being, looking at the taboo of seeing a therapist, and how psychotherapy has changed over the years.

Various diets: and when I say diets, I don’t mean necessarily diets to lose weight. I mean diets that are geared toward specific results, IE: the blood type diet.

Workshops/retreats: health related—emotional, physical, and mental.

Discussions/interviews with people in the health fields: dietitians, therapists, Yogis, body builders—you name it.

DVD exercise write ups: A chance to hear what I have experienced by working out in the comfort of my own home, and what I think of certain work outs.

All of this and more; which I will be sharing on a regular basis with you. You name it and I am willing to try it. So stay tune for a series of interesting, and insightful articles on all things “health.”

by Allison Roberts

Picture yourself hanging upside down from a brass pole. Imagine spinning around the pole, landing gracefully into a cute little pirouette, and flipping your hair back sexily. Take a bow. Now keep these images in mind, and add on the fact that you can lose weight and firm up as well; and you now have pole dancing exercise classes.

Located at 1000 Turk Hill in Fairport NY, is Xpolse dance studio. Xpolse’ houses 8 pole, some chairs, yoga mats, free weights, and a full length mirror running from one end of the room to the other; plus a male blow-up doll wearing a hat. (He does have a purpose and it’s not necessarily what you think…so behave).

Jennifer Dovidio, 27, is the owner of Expolse’. She started the company out of her love for dance (she has 15 years of formal training,) and the desire to be an entrepreneur. Jennifer also shared with me that she has battled with cancer, and that this experience made her realize that life was short, and that she needed to do what she loved.

Xpolse’ offers classes from beginner, intermediate, and advanced Pole dancing, to Lyrical Pole, Chair dance, Burlesque, Aerial Arts, Pole power, and Avenue of Exotica. Jennifer also offers personal training, workshops group parties; which include bachelorette, birthday, and Girls’ Night Out.

“Probably the number one reason why people do pole dancing is because it makes them feel good. It boosts women’s confidence, and allows them to feel comfortable in their own skin,” Jennifer explained. “But it’s also a great core, upper and lower body work out as well. Women who do this regularly see great changes in their bodies, and some of them use the skills they’ve gained to do something special for a significant other at home.” (Wink, wink, nod, nod).

The class I attended was basic beginner pole dancing.  The women attending were a mix of ages—from late 20’s to early thirties. I asked Jennifer what the average age range was and she said that summer classes tend to fall on the younger side, but that during the school year, the highest concentration of women are either in their late 20’s or mid 40’s, with the smallest age range being 30’s, and the oldest, 60.

The poles at Expolse’ are bolted in to the floor and the ceiling. They are brass and about the thickness of a fat flag pole. I positioned myself directly in the front row, not because I wanted to, but honestly I didn’t realize there was a front row. Shoot. Now not only did I have to look at myself in the mirror, but whether they wanted it or not, the women in the back row, had a clear and personal view of my buttocks. Great.

We started with shoulder, neck, and leg stretches, and then moved into some basic pole positions, including launching ourselves around the pole, in ways that I suspected if you weren’t stabilized, might dislocate your shoulder.  Some of the moves were pretty challenging. At one point, we had to hook our dominate leg around the pole, holding the pole with both arms, and launch around the pole, bringing the opposite leg across and into position of the leg you’d originally had. Somehow we wound up on the other side of the pole, and bowed sexily; while trying not to hit our heads on the pole or our knees.

The moves we covered were: the Wrap Around, Wiggle Down, Body Wave, and Pirouette. Then we ended the night with about five moves choreographed together into a little dance number that my husband probably would have enjoyed tremendously if he could have seen it. The dance consisted of a lot of wiggling of our dairy-airs, walking slinkily around the pole, a few spins, some floor hugging, and then sliding down the pole backwards, landing with our toes pointed out toward the mirror and our legs crossed into a sexy little squat.

I had a blast. No kidding. I even signed up to take the last 5 sessions! Oh, and by the way, I asked Jennifer what the blow up doll was for.

“Mostly he is for the girls who come in for a Bachelorette party to take pictures with. Plus, he’s sort of handy during the lap dance class. He is special for the bride and she gets to practice with him.”

LOL!

Life’s too short to be bored by your workout.

by Allison Roberts

You set your routine, you start out strong, you’re sure nothing can stop you.

But something happens on the way to fitness bliss. You get bored, not buff. And who can do leg presses while stifling a yawn?

To help find ways to banish the doldrums, we searched around town for some places where people were working up a sweat and a smile on their faces.

In a three-part series, we’re trying them out to see if we can find the sweet spot between working out and playing.

Hoop Dreams

Want to lose 130 pounds? Try Hula Hooping.

No really.

At the Downtown Fitness Club on Chestnut Street, Jen Moore teaches Hula Hoop exercise/dance classes. Last year at this time, she weighed nearly 300 pounds.

“I figured I was doomed to be fat,” she said. “I was fat my whole life. Then I tried hooping because I knew I was too big to run. Hooping was fun, and I didn’t feel like I was sweating that much.”

In a photo from a year ago, when she started her regimen of hooping and eating better, she looked like a totally different person.

The last time I tried Hula Hooping was not when I was 8, as you might expect, but when my daughter was about 8. I stunk at it. So when I found out the Downtown Fitness Club offered Hula Hoop exercise/dance classes, I got both excited at the prospect of trying it and sort of nervous. What if I threw the hoop across the room and took out the instructor, or broke a ceiling light? Those hoops can get spinning pretty fast, you know.

But I went anyway. Really there was nothing to lose. At best, I might find a fun exercise that could actually help me stay fit. At worst, I could play with a Hula Hoop without having to pretend I was trying it out for a kid, like I have to do in Target.

I never thought of hooping my way to being fit. But Moore promised big things. She said the benefits of what she teaches are both mental and physical. Hoopdancing builds core strength, tones the entire body, provides cardiovascular workouts with low-to-no impact, increases energy and develops balance and coordination. Mentally, hooping clears and quiets the mind, generates joy and laughter and lifts one’s mood. Apparently you can burn up to 600 calories an hour—an average of 7 to 10 calories a minute. Also, hooping commands focus. You have to think about what you’re doing.

“In hooping, you can’t just unplug and disconnect from your body like you can when you get on a treadmill,” she explained. “So it’s great for people like me who were really big and therefore disconnected to their bodies; it forces you to reconnect.”

It all sounded good to me; so I took up an Aerobic hoop (a bit bigger than some of the others) and stood in the back of the room. Three other women were also attending—one older than me and two younger—plus Moore. It was nice and comfy in the room, and although the low ceilings were a bit of a hazard during some of the overhead spins, I felt comfortable and sort of “hidden” from the eyes of those in the weightlifting room (when you’re clinging to a big circle of plastic in a gym, it’s hard to look a weightlifter in the eye).

Moore started out by showing me two hip techniques: the “Pump,” which is where you propel the hoop around the waist on the horizontal plane, and the “Warrior,” where the hoop is swung back and forth over the hips vertically on alternating sides of your body—one foot facing the front of the room, the other behind.

I have no idea if the Hula Hoop Gods were in the room that night, but I got both of those moves down and the hoop stayed up. The way Jen explained how to move my hips was pure brilliance. I was suddenly “hooping!”

I was having fun, and I was extremely to be keeping the hoop up. But then I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I looked like I was in the throes of a full-blown seizure while trying to keep the hoop moving. (I suspect the gracefulness and fluidity of hooping comes after more time and practice).

We ended the night by doing a few other moves: the “Halo,” where you twirl the hoop on a horizontal plane above your head with one hand, and the “Swish,” where you use one hand to keep the hoop spinning in front or alongside your body.

I did hit the ceiling once. And my hoop flew out of my hands twice during the Halo, knocking over my neighbor’s hoop pile and water bottle. But other than that, I didn’t give myself—or anyone else—a black eye.

Weeks later, I ran into one of my fellow hoopers from the class. She said to me, “Were you sore the next day? ’Cuz you’re obviously in
shape and so if you were sore, I don’t feel so bad for being sore.”

I laughed out loud and said, “Yes! My God! I was sore. My shoulders were killing me!”

My hand felt a little sore, too, the next day from spinning the hoop around it, and so did my abs. That made me think my core was probably sufficiently worked out, and I did break a sweat during class. Just as important, I laughed a lot during the workout.

It takes time to get proficient at anything new, so the class challenged the perception I had of my abilities. But I realized that’s just fine.  I’m not going to be a professional hooper, and I can live with that. That actually might be another advantage of this sort of exercise: There’s not much pressure to excel, so there’s less in the way of having fun.

Plus, now I know my hips can still move when they need to—like the next time I’m invited to an 8-year-old’s birthday party.

Hoop classes are also held at Goddess Hour, 1470 Monroe Ave. in Rochester (224-0277; www.goddesshour.com), and Victory Fitness Center, 4 Elton Street in Rochester (370-2480; www.victoryworkout.com). For information on Jen Moore’s classes at Downtown Fitness Club, call 756-4090, visit www.downtownfitnessclub.com or search for RocCityHoopdance on Facebook.

- Allison Roberts, founder of EstroFest comedy troupe, is a local visual artist and writer.

by Allison Roberts

I know some people have a hard time getting off the couch to exercise. I wish I could sit on the couch and not exercise. For me, relaxing is the challenge, which is how I’ve come to earn my aches and pains (that, and reaching a certain vintage).

So I set my sights on yoga to see how it could help. My idea was to compare three different approaches to see how they might benefit me in different ways. Could yoga meet many of my fitness needs, from relaxation to exhilaration? Call me a downward-dog guinea pig on the quest to feeling better.

Power Vinyasa

Heated Power Vinyasa, which I tried at Midtown Athletic Club, takes place in a room that feels like a sauna. I immediately felt stifled by the heat, then sleepy and relaxed—so far, so good.

Men and women stretched and chatted or stared at the ceiling in what looked like meditation (probably they were just going over their grocery list). I sat down and tried not to groan too loudly while stretching out my neck. Immediately my cell phone rang, nearly giving the woman behind me heart failure.

More reasons to feel self-conscious: I then noticed a woman elegantly launched into a full-blown headstand, her legs in a full split. I’m in trouble, I thought. I tried to remember the last time I’d even attempted a headstand—now I remembered: never. My head hurt just looking at her.

Try not to worry. I said to myself. Everyone is where they are. You aren’t in bad shape and you don’t have to be a master yogi to enjoy the benefits of this class. Plus, you can get a smoothie after at their nice café.

As the class progressed, I realized I had done enough yoga to get by, though as we moved along, I certainly wound up in positions that challenged both my mental and physical stamina. A few times I wondered if I could maintain some of the poses, but that was part of the challenge for me, and if I needed to rest in downward dog for a few minutes, I did. I know when it’s OK to rest (you know, like when your thigh is shaking).

A woman next to me, at least 10 years my senior, was kicking butt. I felt an enormous sense of hope, watching her lock her strong legs and arms into various stances. In 10 years, I figured, I could still be in good shape.

By the end of the class, I was definitely sweating—especially doing a full bridge. It felt wonderful to be that hot, to feel my muscles straining to work and to feel that release from pushing myself. I knew that I would be sore the next day, and I was. But in a good way.

After the class, I asked our instructor, Randi Moss-Lattimore, how she got into yoga. “I was just like you—into all the high-impact aerobic classes and running—and then one day a friend of mine mentioned yoga. I was not interested, thinking it wouldn’t be hard enough. But I decided to try a class. Wow. I wound up crying through the class. Tears just gushed out,” she explained as I devoured my Chunky Monkey Protein shake smoothie.

As Randi explained it, yoga uses and then releases muscles, and along with that comes a release in emotion: “The things I need to work on—aside from the physical—can be worked on through yoga because we hold our thoughts, feelings and emotions in our muscles, and moving our bodies gives us access to these areas.”

Restorative Yoga

Restorative yoga—as I experienced it at Full Circle Massage & Wellness in Fairport—is in many ways the opposite of power vinyasa: mellow, slow and serene. The Cheshire cat image you didn’t like? It just seems sort of non-descript now..or sort of expected imagery, like mellow slow serene without an image is sort of…expected or am I not making sense?….It uses some of the same stances and positions as other yoga, but it incorporates “props” such as pillows and foam blocks to help support the various positions so you can “relax” into them.

Even our instructor, Mackenzie Welch, exuded relaxation with her calm voice, starting us with meditation. It seemed to go on forever, and I kept waiting to get going. But, of course, the meditating was the “getting going”—settling our minds into the present.

All that relaxation is the opposite of what I usually look for in a class. It is not intense, I did not sweat and it is very low-key. Which, of course, is the point. As I let go of the idea of having to “do” something, I began to enjoy the process.

Throughout the class, Mackenzie quietly reminded us that we did not have anywhere to go except right where we were, and that it was OK to let go of all the stuff we were holding onto in our busy little brains.

My mind would return to the moment (back from ruminating on whether I needed to stop on the way home to buy toilet paper) and I’d be back in the room again.

By the end of the class, I was asleep on my back, snapping myself awake by suddenly snorting out loud (that’s really embarrassing, by the way).

But that’s also a clear sign of relaxing—especially for someone who normally takes Benadryl to fall asleep. On this day, yoga won against stress—can we cut this underlined sentence? I think it’s funnier to end with the Benadryl? (Am I a pain?)

Internal Yoga

Internal yoga is even more low-key, if that’s possible. I took the class at the Yoga with Estelle studio from Doug MacIntyre, who has been an instructor since 1989, when he originated Internal Yoga as a synthesis of hatha postures, breath work, guided meditation and affirmation.

Rather than focus on physical attainment, Internal Yoga works toward attaining a feeling of peace. MacIntyre touts the benefits of Internal Yoga as increased flexibility, improved balance and sleep, decreased anxiety and irritability, decreased back and neck pain and a better sense of calm.

The small studio was warm, light and inviting. We started by sitting on our mats, quietly focusing on our breath. Doug asked us to use our own mantra or the one he suggested: On the inhale, say “I am,” and on the exhale, “protected.” He added, “Think about how nice it would be if you didn’t struggle so much and fear so much.”

As we moved through the class, we very slowly went from position to position and were encouraged to go at our own pace. Doug suggested that if we struggled with a pose or felt any discomfort, we should rearrange ourselves—the point of the class wasn’t to be uncomfortable but just the opposite.

Now I know this might sound touchy-feely or crunchy-granola to some people. And the thought of just relaxing and not pushing myself? Please…But once I was able to accept that I wouldn’t be sweating and pushing in this class, I was able to immerse myself into it and accept it.

And even though my mind wandered at times, I was able to come back and focus on my breath. At the end, Doug invited us to wrap up the night by shaking hands or hugging our fellow classmates.

Now, I’m not entirely shy but I’m also not much of a hugger. Yet I ended up embracing everyone in that room. Talk about relaxed—I nearly melted into their arms and oozed onto the floor.

So how to compare? If I needed to silence my sometimes unkind internal dialogue, Internal Yoga and its focus on visualizing would do the trick. If I’ve worn myself out in a busy week, restorative yoga would revive me. If I’m tense from too much stress and worry, Heated Power Vinyasa would help me sweat it out.

Given my personal tendency to push myself, Power Vinyasa can be a great alternative to high-intensity workouts. I feel the start of a powerful addiction to Power Vinyasa forming—no doubt an addiction I’ll have to curb with some Internal Yoga down the line.

Allison Roberts, founder of EstroFest comedy troupe, is a local visual artist and writer.

Studios mentioned
Yoga with Estelle, 34 Elton St., Rochester, www.yogawithestelle.com.

Midtown Athletic Club, 200 East Highland Dr., 
Rochester; 461-2300 or www.midtown.com.
Full Circle Massage & Wellness, 220 Fairport Village Landing, Fairport; 388-6343 or www.fullcirclemassage.net.

Whenever I watched belly dancing, I’d feel a bit intoxicated by what I saw. When I heard it could be a good workout, too, I knew I had to try it.

I headed to the Goddess Hour in Brighton for a beginner class. Instructor Bethany Swank, who started teaching seven years ago when the Goddess Hour first opened, fit the part perfectly with her long flowing hair and that belly dancer’s body: voluptuous and graceful.

Many people would be happy to know the ideal type for this pursuit.

“In other countries, where belly dancing is revered, the women are bigger, fleshier and encouraged to let it all sort of jiggle,” Swank told us. “Their softer, fuller size reflects wealth, prosperity and fertility, so it is considered a good thing to have some meat to move around.”

But I stole a glance at myself in the mirror and laughed out loud. If what she said is accurate, I’d be considered dirt poor and infertile. (You know that song “Brick House”? Well I’m a “Straw Hut.”)

There were about 10 women in the class—of varying ages. Some of them wore a scarf with tiny bells sewn on, tied around their waists, which made noise while they danced. (I wanted one of my own). We started class with stretches, then moved into basic arm and hand movements—keeping our fingers in “belly dance” form: middle finger slightly touching thumb. From there, we worked the hips and belly in clockwise circles. We moved our chests side to side and then up to the 12 o’clock position, over to 3 o’clock then down to 6. We also got our hips wiggling and jiggling in ways they just don’t go under any other circumstances.

One move—undulation—was especially tricky because we had to stick our chests out at 12 o’clock while also jutting our pelvis forward and squeezing our buttocks. In slow motion the move is awkward, but when sped up it becomes a kind of body roll or wave. Done correctly, the move is graceful, sexy and smooth. I had a hard time getting all of the body parts to do what they were supposed to do, when they were supposed to do it. For a while, I’m pretty sure I looked like I was trying to dislodge a hairball.

Next we did “snake hands”—a slow-moving shimmy with our shoulders first, then stomach, while our arms moved slowly up the sides of our bodies. Then we picked up the shimmying pace until I felt a little motion sickness. The combination of moving one body part quickly while keeping the rest moving slowly was hard to maintain (think of rubbing your belly while patting your head). But again, when done correctly, the move is cool looking.

I could feel my abs working pretty steadily throughout the class, and also with the amount of arm movements we were doing—the shoulder shimmy for example—my shoulder and arm muscles received a pretty intense workout.

The benefits of belly dancing are both physical and emotional, says co-owner Michelle Charles. “Belly dancing increases muscles in the core, and it’s actually really great for preparing women for childbirth because it works the pelvis and stomach muscles. Belly dancing has great aerobic benefits if you stick with it—and because you’re having fun, it doesn’t really feel like exercise.”

But the emotional benefits seemed most intriguing. “Women often end up making the closest friendships they’ve ever had in our classes,“ Charles told me. “One of our students is 72 years old, and she has become very close to some of the other women in her classes who are in their 30s. These women might not have had the opportunity to get to know one another under another condition, but because of belly dance class, they have made a tight bond that has lasted more than six years.”

The Goddess Hour itself is the product of two women bonding: Charles approached Connie Thornton with a business proposal. “Connie was a scientist for like 30 years,” Charles explained, “and then got laid off. I was a marketing director and could not keep up with the intense hours—I had a toddler. At the same time, Connie and I were both teaching Belly Dancing independently at other studios. I approached her with a business plan and three months later, we opened the Goddess Hour.”

They have more than 200 students come through the studio a week—all there for different reasons; some for the exercise and some for the friendships that develop.

“I have had students come through who are recovering from cancer who, while still wearing their head scarves to hide their bald heads, wind up feeling sexy again,” Charles said. Divorced women have told her that the classes freed them and allowed them to find their sensuality again.

The class wasn’t doing anything for my sensuality—maybe because I hadn’t mastered the moves. But I was certainly having fun. Before closing out with stretches, we spent some time focusing on choreographed dance steps that would eventually become a full dance routine. We worked to a song recorded by a female Middle Eastern singer with a lovely hypnotic voice. The song, we learned, told the story of a belly dancer who, while dancing in a crowd, notices an ex-lover in the audience. He had hurt her, so she is angry with him, but she’s also very proud because she’s got it going on in the belly-dancing department. While dancing, she proceeds to move in ways that makes him ooze with jealousy.

The vocals and beats in the song were intense (even if I couldn’t understand a word she was singing). If I had known what I was doing—could swing my skinny hip out and have it mean something—I think it would have been a powerful little number. It never hurts, though, to have a goal. Learn a belly dance that can ruin a bad ex-lover’s day? That wouldn’t be half bad.

Over the course of the last three issues of this magazine, I’ve reported on my quest to find fun fitness in the form of three pursuits—belly-dancing, pole dancing and hula hooping.

Before I wouldn’t have thought of them for exercise, yet all three turned out to be good workouts. I broke a sweat in each one, was at least somewhat sore the following day and—most important—I challenged myself not to rely on the same old familiar workouts.

Having said that, this also means the classes challenged my perception of my abilities. And that’s an occupational hazard of trying new routines—one that shouldn’t actually discourage anyone. In some cases I was better than I thought I’d be; in others, not as much. And frankly, that’s just fine. I am not going to be a professional hooper, but at least now I know that if invited to an 8-year-old’s birthday party, I can hoop with the best of them.  I may not be able to hang upside down on a pole, but I managed to do the “Fireman spin” with some dignity—and I only wound up with four bruises. While belly dancing, I may not have looked immediately graceful, but I successfully shimmied and did not elbow any of my fellow dancers in the rib. Sometimes it’s the simple successes we have to focus on.

Allison Roberts, founder of EstroFest comedy troupe, is a local visual artist and writer.

Antonio Barbagallo