Anne-Marie Mitchell

With nearly 30 years as a dance and fitness professional, Anne-Marie is thrilled to join the Aero Joe family. Both her biological parents were professional ballet dancers and Anne-Marie began her dance training in 1974. By 1976, she was touring the southeast on “The Freedom Train” and various children’s theater productions. She began her serious ballet training in 1981 at the North Jefferson Academy of Dance which led to her being accepted in the Ballet program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham at the age of 14.   The UAB Ballet directors graciously encouraged Anne-Marie to audition and attend the Summer Intensive programs taught by ABT and Joffrey Ballet in New York.   While dancing with Joffrey II (the apprentice company), Anne-Marie began fell in love with the Pilates classes at the Pilates Studio directed by Romana Kryzanowska and New York Aerobix.   Coming home to Birmingham in the autumn of 1984, Anne-Marie could find very few gyms that offered these types of classes, so she decided to become a Jazzercise fitness instructor.   This first certification sparked a passion for knowledge. As Anne-Marie learned and grew, she earned more certifications (Pilates Method, Step Reebok, Yoga, aquatic exercise, senior fitness, Zumba, and national group exercise/personal training certifications).   She eventually became a national presenter and developed her own fitness programs. The newest chapter in Anne-Marie’s history includes Aerial Yoga here at Aero Joe. She recently attended a teacher training course with Aircat Aerial Yoga in Boulder, CO where she trained with 20 year veteran aerialist Cathy Gauch. This beautiful fitness program allows students to gain the benefits of muscle toning, deep yogic stretching and graceful movements; all facilitated by the silky yoga hammock. Anne-Marie believes in tailoring each class so that every student feels they can successfully try new poses and emerge from class feeling relaxed and energized with a sense of joy and accomplishment. Anne-Marie retired from professional dancing in 1990, but she still stays involved with local ballet companies. For the past several years she has trained dozens of dogs to work with the dancers in the Birmingham Ballet’s “Muttcracker”.