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Fitness and dancing star at Studio Rincon

by Jane Knoerle

Their own children were the inspiration for Studio Rincon, the new yoga, dance and fitness studio, which opened recently at 3536 Alameda de las Pulgas in Menlo Park, say Bill and Kathy Petrin.

"Our inspiration derived from the passion our three boys have towards music, dancing and performing," says Mr. Petrin. The boys, Logan 10, Dylan 5, and Kalin 2, love to "put on a show," right down to making the tickets, say their parents. Logan has been taking dance since he was 4, Dylan since he was 2.

"We found our children gain confidence, have better focus in school, and have such a great overall time on the dance floor," says Mr. Petrin, whose children are in the Las Lomitas School District.

Studio Rincon offers much more than dance for kids. It features a packed schedule of classes for adults and children, ranging from Anusara yoga to hip hop for all ages, adult core and cardio fitness, and ballet.

Highlight classes at the studio include: "YogaRok," "Zumba," "TapHop," and "Drench" cardio hip hop. For those of us hopelessly out of touch, "YogaRok" is traditional yoga poses combined with music from the hip hop, rock and pop worlds. "Zumba" fuses Latin rhythms with easy-to-follow moves and is offered at the studio three times a week.

"TapHop" classes for all ages begin with choreographed hip hop dancing, followed by tap lessons to hip hop music. "Drench" cardio hip hop is a workout with hip hop dance steps.

No previous dance experience is necessary to join the classes. While the ages of 5 to 8 are considered ideal for children to try new things, there are "Mommy & Me" dance and yoga classes with toddlers as young as 18 months. Yoga, ladies jazz night, cardio workouts, and salsa night appeal to a variety of adult interests.

The Petrins say they have wanted a business close to home and, since both are into fitness and their kids are into dance, an exercise and dance studio seemed a natural fit. They haven't quit their day jobs, however. He is a software engineer. She is co-owner of Kingfish restaurant in San Mateo, with her brother, Robert Kirkbride.

The Petrins like the idea of being part of the growing number of local businesses in the West Menlo Park community, including Lulu's on the Alameda and The Mix frozen yogurt shop. "We live just a mile from the studio. This (The Alameda) is our route," says Cathy Petrin.