AKT Class Review
244 E 84th St (4th Floor)
New York, NY 10028
During NYC Dance Week. I had a chance to take and review the AKT “Band” class at AKT. Below is my experience and the information you need to know about class.
The Formalities:
- AKT was founded by celebrity trainer Anna Kaiser
- AKT has 3 studios in New York City (a fourth one coming soon) and more studios around the country. I went to the NYC Studio on East 84th
What is AKT (Anna Kaiser Technique):
- AKT is a dance based cardio concept. AKT offers classes called Dance, Bands and Circuit.
- Routines change every 3 weeks. I took the Bands class which includes: Stretch bands with handles, hand weights and a box you step on (think step aerobics with a 14-inch high step).
Week 1 – learn the combo.
Week 2 – add on to the combo.
Week 3 – keep and repeat what you learned.
My AKT Experience:
My AKT Instructor was Victoria Ellis, dancer and a senior trainer at AKT. More on her story below.
What defines AKT, in my opinion.
Nature of this type of cardio workout is designed to bring you up a level.
Victoria suggested that after four AKT classes you will be able to keep your muscles engaged and work harder for longer. You will feel stronger and less winded. Muscles are working the whole time and not fatiguing. Victoria knows this because she is a dancer and her goal before joining AKT was to improve her stamina to take her dance skills to the next level. She admits that she reached her goal because of AKT.
What was my first AKT class like?
The class is routine/combo based and consisted of several sections: warm up, cardio, arms, legs, abs, cardio, cool down.
You will be repeating the same routine/combo before moving on to the next section. In my first class, the first minute of the routine was learning the steps but once I got the timings right, I was able to dig into the workout.
How I felt after class?
I was sweaty but my body responded well to this class. I needed to work on my stamina, so I had to power through the class. By the end of the 1st cardio section I was sweating and feeling the burn. The arms, legs, abs section was a breeze, it seemed like the hardest part for me, was the cardio. The last cardio section was tough. It was a repeat of the first cardio routine, but this is the section that tests you. If you can get thorough the last cardio routine, reward yourself!
What you should know if you’re new to AKT?
Victoria told me that there are modifications for injuries, but I think you would need to be in decent shape to get the most benefit from this class. The class is energetic so if you need to modify an exercise you would need to know your limitations and reduce your range of motion or not use the box, bands or weights. The instructor is focused on leading the class through the routine. During the slower arms, legs and Abs section the instructor will give corrections.
What I did not expect.
The intense work of my arms. You are pulling down on overhead bands while you do the cardio routine, so you are always working your arms. And by the end of class my heart rate was at its highest level I felt every muscle in my legs and my arms were throbbing.
Why I liked this class.
I got the stamina and work out I needed in one class. The cardio part of class is non-stop and using the bands, the box, the squats, while doing the cardio is intense. The cardio and stamina improvements you will get from this class will benefit you beyond what you think.
Who would you recommend this class to?
Anyone that needs to work on stamina. This is the technique to do if you ever want to walk, run, jog, dance for more than an hour without getting winded. Your heart rate and muscle stamina will improve. I bet after 1 month of taking an AKT class 3x a week that you can climb a mountain and not get winded.
Victoria’s story:
“I was dance major in school and I wanted a workout that will keep me in shape after college. I found AKT online and I loved that AKT is a dance based cardio system that I thought we keep me in shape. The AKT routines are constantly challenging.” Said Victoria. “Every 3 weeks the routine changes and you never really plateau because you are always improving. I’ve been sore for 4 years that’s how I know [AKT] is working.”
My take on AKT.
If improving your cardio and muscular stamina is your goal add AKT classes to your weekly routine. I love the concept of working on strength training while constantly moving and keeping the heart rate up. Victoria suggested I try the AKT Dance class which includes a disco ball.
And, I’ll always say yes to a disco ball! Lol.
Class Review by Tasha Norman: Pilates/Stretch Instructor, FitEngine and NYC Dance Week Founder.
1 comment
A one-star is generous. I took a class when they first opened and was swarmed after the class by their sales people to purchase a two month special deal. I wasn’t impressed with the class but was hoping it would get better as the classes grew and multiplied in time. I am a Collegiate Dance Coach, I’ve worked within the dance world for over 25 years and earned a scholarship to dance in college. In short, I know dance industry and was very disappointed with the teaching and choreography offered in the classes. If you have an actual background in dance this studio wouldn’t be for you – it’s cheesy dance moves. Furthermore, I cancelled my membership two months after the “special” incentive I had purchased. I tried to stop in and cancel several times, but keep in mind the studio is only open 10 minutes before and after classes. I learned that it’s hard as hell to stop in an actually have a person cancel your membership! In addition, the studio has no app where you can go on and easily cancel your membership? It’s a pain to cancel! I finally gave up trying to time my evenings perfectly where I could catch someone at the front desk who could cancel my membership. Instead, I called and spoke to someone over the phone and explained to her my hardship with trying to cancel due to the limitation with their open hours. With that said, she told me no problem that she would take care of it and from what I assumed is that she would? However, six months later I receive a text message with charges from AKT in the amount of $152??? HUH, I cancelled this 6 months ago? AKT continued to charge me $152 for 6 continuous months, roughly $912 all together. At that point, I reached out to the manager at the time in 2021 and she was like, “Oh yeah, we had this one employee who did things like this all the time – she no longer works here.” After that conversation, I talked to the owner Amanda Davis who said she would reimburse me the $912 dollars and referenced their previous employee who made many oversights similar to mine. After speaking to Amanda I wanted to double check my bank statements to make sure I had the timelines correct. Once I followed up, I received an email from her saying she will only reimburse 1/2 the amount owed to me. HUH? I literally had a conversation with this woman where she promised to refund the full amount – than she went back on her word? Who does this? Terrible business practice! Here’s the kicker, this “owner” didn’t even have the nerve to call me back and have a conversation with me, but instead had her husband call me? Brian, maybe? He calls me acting like he knows the situation, but really doesn’t have any idea about previous conversations or promises that his wife and his previous manager made with me during our conversations. He just stuck to “well, you should have read the contract – we had it in writing.” I explained to him the difficulty a person has in cancelling their membership due to the limited timeframe they’re actually open – he didn’t care! He just kept defaulting to the contract, although I was explaining to him that I did call and his employee who answered said she would take care of cancelling my membership and in good faith I believe she did. He could careless about my experience and refused to offer me a full refund. He kept saying there doing a million in profit in Cincinnati and opening up new locations – ARROGANT AF. On the other hand, I am over here trying to help get two orphans adopted from Colombia and fundraise $60,000, while this guy won’t even reimburse my $912 dollars. Keep in mind, his wife promised during a previous conversation that she would reimburse the $912 that was overcharged. Just two business owners talking out of both sides of their mouth, while telling me how their making millions? Oh, and he owns 20 million in real estate? Fascinating, right – I ended up hanging up the phone with him because I could tell it’s straight GREED on their end. He told me to take personal accountability for not reading the contract? My response was simple: Hold on a second, your WIFE and your MANAGER at the time agreed and could pin-point the employee who messed up regarding cancelling my membership, but I should take accountability? At the end of the day, I understand contracts and reading fine-print, but I also believe in doing right by people. Contracts are a part of my daily business, but what happened to people standing by their word and doing right by people. I was excited to support a dance-fitness based club being that spent 10 years in the fitness industry and 20 years in the dance industry, but unfortunately I can’t with AKT. The fact is: the owners have gone back on their word and promises and the references to their wealth makes me sick. If you’re in Mason, try SOLIDCORE that gym is amazing! Right next store and they take care of their customers and care about the community.