Mount Pleasant Magazine March/April 2016

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Step inside the studio at Barre
Evolution, collect your weights, towel
and strap and find a spot near the front.
Sit on the floor and wait for the class to
begin. Look around at the other women as
they come into the studio and notice the
diversity of age and size. The music starts, the instructor
steps forward and the differences disappear. For the next
hour, the class will move together,
and members
young and
old will “tighten, tone and trans-
form” their bodies.
Barre Evolution co-owners Nancy
Meyer and Nicole Wallen have built
a successful business based on years of
experience, business savvy and heart.
“It’s not just for hot, young
women. It’s a lifelong method focused
on small muscle movement and is
effective over a long period of time,”
said Meyer.
The two women met in 2009
when Meyer moved from New York
City to Charleston with her fam-
ily. She’d been taking barre classes
in The Big Apple for years and was
dismayed to learn that there were no
studios in Charleston. Eventually, she discovered a class at
Mt. Pleasant Pilates and Wellness, owned by Wallen.
“It was like kismet,” said Meyer of their meeting. “We
didn’t really know each other but quickly started talking
about opening a barre studio. It just clicked. Our partner-
ship is successful because our strengths compliment each
other to create symmetry.”
Wallen is Charleston’s only certified Prenatal and
Postnatal Pilates Specialist and has years of experience
studying and teaching the classical Pilates method. Both
women have backgrounds in business and together stud-
ied the “Core Fusion” method with veteran Debbie Frank
Empowering and
StrengtheningWomen
Barre Evolution
Feeling Good
in Manhattan.
The Barre Evolution method is high intensity and low
impact. It’s designed to elongate muscles, lift seats, flatten
abs and chisel the upper body. It’s a full body workout,
fusing influences of ballet, Pilates, yoga and orthopedic
stretching. Each class is broken down into four segments:
warmup/upper body conditioning; thigh/lower body
strengthening; glute work; and finally, core conditioning
and back strengthening. What makes
it unique is the sense of community.
Instructors are trained to form per-
sonal connections with their students,
asking them about injuries and offer-
ing modifications as needed.
“I’m not athletic at all,” said
Brittany, a 28-year-old teacher and
new mom who learned about Barre
Evolution from a parent of one of her
students. “It’s more about toning and
definition without creating bulk. I’ve
taken everything from spinning to
kickboxing to aerobics to Zumba, but
yoga mostly. Yoga alone didn’t give
me the body I’ve achieved with Barre
Evolution.”
Barre can be done three to five
times a week without taking a toll on
the body. There are a variety of classes
that include open level, cardio, express and open level with
extended stretch, among others.
Barre Evolution, which already had studios in Mount
Pleasant, Greenville and West Ashley, opened its fourth
in North Mount Pleasant in March. Meyer and Wallen
said their growth will be planned and strategic so they can
share their method with a wide range of people without
losing touch with values that continue to empower and
strengthen women in the community.
To learn more about Barre Evolution, including classes, schedules
and instructors, visit .
By AMy Mercer
Photo courtesy of Barre Evolution.