{the Alliance… here we come!}

The ALLIANCE!

Who? What? When? Where? How? Why?

There are two questions I’ve been pondering lately. Not because I’m unsure of the answers, but rather, because I know there are hundreds, no… thousands of people around the world who don’t know the answers. 

One: “Who is/was Lotte Berk?”

Two: “What is Lotte Berk?” 

At first glance, you might think to yourself, “they are one and the same.”, but the TRUTH is, they’re not and I felt it was time to open up the conversation. 

In a sincere effort to address these questions, as well as provide a sense of community and a genuinely supportive discussion, I will be taking a deep dive into these questions, with an amazing group of women, at an upcoming event I’m hosting, and ‘you’ are invited. The specifics can be found at the link below, but I’ll tell you a little about why I’m doing this and why it matters. 

I’d like to preface my story with this…

“You would think the origins behind barre fitness would be easy to access, given both the size of the industry and the legendary 60-year distinction of Barre originator & creator, Lotte Berk. Well, unearthing the facts has NOT been easy to access, until now.”

Unlike Pilates, Yoga, and other world-famous fitness techniques, the real history of Barre, honestly?… has only been openly discussed in hushed tones, in small group gatherings, at a distance, under the radar, and tucked away like a small, mysterious secret society. It’s for this reason that I have put together, ‘The ALLIANCE!’ At the heart of this creation is a love story. If you’d like, you can learn more about that here. But quite simply, I wanted to create a space where anyone who wanted to, could learn about Lotte Berk. Not just the ‘Who?’ (her persona, her background, the stories of her mischief, radical behavior, sex life, rebellion, neglectful mothering) but the ‘WHAT!?!’ The actual method, theory, and technique that Lotte Berk herself, single-handedly created. I’ve been envisioning this gathering for a really long time. A place where we could come together, to collectively and openly talk about the ‘original work’ of Lotte Berk, to acknowledge and celebrate her legacy, and to share the real story of Lotte’s game-changing fitness style. To see this brought to life is a dream come true. The ALLIANCE! Roundtable UK, which I’m hosting on April 23rd, is the first step toward that dream. It’s an opportunity to come together (in person and virtually) to discuss and learn what made Lotte’s work so different from anything else that was (and still is) out there, why it’s stood the test of time, and what made it so unique in its approach that it literally gave birth to an entire industry… today, known as BARRE.

Over the years, interpretations of Lotte’s work have shown up throughout the fitness industry. They continue to be offered today, as Barre classes, at gyms and studios around the world. Yet, with all these iterations, you’d be hard-pressed to find a place where you could learn ‘the ORIGINAL’ work of Lotte Berk. In addition, it’s been challenging, (to put it mildly), to locate teachers who were personally trained by Lotte herself, even though they are still practicing today. There’s a reason for this, which we will be addressing thoroughly at The ALLIANCE! Roundtable UK. Thankfully, there’s been a silver lining and she’s the living legacy of Lotte and Lotte’s work. A remarkable woman, who I am honored to call my friend, Lotte’s daughter… Esther Fairfax. At 87, Esther is a benevolent force, an advocate for anyone who wants to learn and carry on Lotte’s original work, and for over 50-years, in the countryside of England, she’s been doing just that.

I would be remiss if I didn’t make mention of the fact that the version of Lotte’s work being taught by Esther and many other teachers in England still today, is different from what was being taught as Lotte’s original method in the US, which eventually gave rise to the Barre method. This is not to say in any way that ‘this’ is better than ‘that’ but,  to say they are the ‘same’ would be doing a monumental disservice to the legacy of Lotte’s work, to Esther, and to the millions of people doing Barre today. Lotte would want people to have access to her work, as she intended it to be taught. Esther wants that too and I want that for her.

Esther is my featured guest at The ALLIANCE! Roundtable UK. She will be sharing with all of us the lifelong journey she’s been on and her unremitting dedication to keep the true version of her mother’s work alive in the world, while continuing also being taught as, “the original work of Lotte Berk”, as Lotte created it. 

During our time together, Esther and my other featured guests (many who were personally trained by Lotte and Esther), will be giving us an education on the importance of understanding the origin of Lotte’s work and learning the original language of barre. For anyone craving a deeper connection, who wishes to broaden their knowledge and be more genuinely rooted to where this work actually came from, this is the place for you.

The ALLIANCE! Roundtable UK is an opportunity for you to hear and learn from Esther herself. You’ll get to connect with other like-minded people who are sincerely interested in and inspired by the ‘original method’ that was created by the one and only, Lotte Berk. In addition, I have a remarkable contract and litigation attorney who will be sharing with us the ‘ins and outs’ of trademark usage and much more. Her heart and generosity are as big as an ocean. You’re going to love her (as well as what she has to say!) I also have a trusted friend and mentor, whose soulful approach to business will help us all pull back some layers and go a bit deeper with our own “Why?!?”

So loves… that’s it! I really hope you will join us. You don’t want to miss this. We can’t wait to inspire and share with you, what The ALLIANCE! is all about. I’m so excited to see you. Last chance to sign up, here!

Love, 

Kelly

Co-Founder, Owner

The London Method

The Alliance