Janet Welsh, MFA – Master Instructor
Janet Welsh, MFA – dancer, choreographer, educator – is the creator of Core Flow Fitness®, a unique fitness system blending elements of Dance, Pilates, Yoga and Bodywork.
She received her Master of Fine Arts in Dance from Mills College in 2000 and her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from California Institute of the Arts in 1982. Janet has also worked closely with chiropractors and Feldenkrais practitioner, Pauline Sugine. Engaged with fitness for the last twenty years, Welsh served as Director of Wellness and Fitness for the Mauna Kea Resort in Hawaii, where she developed programming to bridge the gap between the healing arts and fitness.
In the 1980’s she built an extensive clientele in Los Angeles, working with the film industry, Elite Models, dancers and at-risk youth. She has danced and choreographed in Los Angeles and the Bay Area, appearing with Donald Byrd, Molissa Feneley and on MTV and other commercial television projects. Her choreography was also featured in the 1984 Olympic Arts Festival.
Janet views the body from an architectural perspective, looking always towards an increased capacity for precision, range of motion, spatial awareness, core initiation of movement, efficiency, and overall ease and balance. Janet has taught at Mills College and at the Montclair Women’s Cultural Arts Center in Oakland. Currently, she teaches Core Flow Fitness® at Shawl-Anderson Dance Center in Berkeley. Janet also works as a Somatic Arts practitioner at the Claremont Resort and Spa in Berkeley.
Mackenzie Holtog
Mackenzie Holtog is a the first certified teacher of Core Flow Fitness®, a dynamic fitness system that blends classical dance technique, Pilates, yoga, and body awareness techniques. She has had the privilege of receiving her training in Core Flow directly under its creator, Janet Welsh.
Mackenzie has spent most of her life as a dancer, studying Vaganova Method ballet, modern dance, and rhythm tap from the age of 9, as well as teaching children’s modern and tap classes for several years.
Mackenzie holds a BA in World Arts and Cultures, with an emphasis in Dance, from UCLA. There she trained extensively in Release technique and choreography and had the opportunity to both perform and create a number of dance and dance-theater works. During her time at UCLA, Mackenzie also became engaged in learning about the function of movement and the human body and pursued studies in anatomy, kinesiology, Pilates, and Bartenieff Fundamentals.
After graduating from UCLA, Mackenzie attended the National Holistic Institute in Emeryville to become a certified massage therapist. She currently has a successful massage therapy practice at Inner-Action Sports Rehab in Walnut Creek, specializing in Myofascial Release technique and other medical massage modalities, and serving a diverse clientele, including elite athletes.
Mackenzie is thrilled to be teaching Core Flow Fitness®, which harmoniously combines her love of dance, fitness, somatics, and bodywork.