Tiny Dancer.

"Xtend Barre Pilates: An efficient way to create a strong and healthy body at any age - developed from a dance/pilates background - you'll enjoy the workout of a dancer and the benefits of Pilates all in one," says the Urbanfront Pilates website [www.urbanfrontpilates.com].

A 60% off Groupon, an internal dare and a constant search for fun ways to cross train led me to an airy Pilates Studio on the corner of 17th and Sansom with a wall of windows overlooking an intersection of Philadelphia's best - hotels, restaurants, people and pets - on a Tuesday night.

The beautiful imp of an instructor floated across the floor with such comfort the studio itself seemed to embrace her; an easy smile putting the room at an even calm against the rush hour below; and, of course, the stance of a dancer.  From her rhythmic demands for tempo and pulse to her happily non-pretentious pronunciation of "plié" and "arabesque," this place instantly came alive and brilliantly so.  Even in its perfection, it was subtle.

This is not a class for the feint of heart nor is it like anything you've ever done before unless you were a ballerina in a former life.  I was not.  More specifically, I was the only child of a small town sports legend.  And so I didn't do gymnastics, I shot a basketball.  I didn't wear tutus and prance off to dance class, I went to the batting cages.  I don't dance.  Yet somehow, I found myself, grip socks and all, in what looks very much like a ballet studio, barre and all, on a random Tuesday night.

The workout is fast and immediately intense.  A one pound weight in each hand is more than enough to have you meditating beyond the burn just 20 minutes in.  The warmup is rapid fire movements and constant adjustment from the window, to the middle, a bit above or behind - all toward the common goal of not whacking another student with your weights.  As acclimation sets in, however, you realize that you are, in fact, moving and responding to commands from the front of the class.  You are using the barre and approaching it correctly.  There is stretching and lifting and bending and your limbs suddenly do what you ask of them at the exact moment you ask it.  There is, dare I say it, a bit of grace.

And at the end, when you are on your toes, arms stretched out and above your head, eyes closed, balanced and breathing deep, you will feel accomplished and self-contained and you will be shaking.