I definitely believe in cross-training. Ms. Griffin tried Cardioballet Plus after she and a friend agreed to try each other's favorite class. Her friend tried kickboxing. They both stuck it out and take classes together. Compared with other dances and exercises, ballet has a formidable reputation, instructors say.
Many people think ballet is difficult, they say.
That's an erroneous assumption, says Ms. Metzger, who will be introducing the New York City Ballet Workout to California this year. We feel strongly that the class is geared toward everybody. It's just like yoga. Everybody does the same pose. . . . Our approach is to modify the steps so they're pedestrian - they can be learned fairly easily.