A familiar face at Barre 2 Barre, Yenny Yee holds an integral position as taking on the role of studio admin, videographer, and event organizer. This week, we interview our resident studio manager!

How did you get involved with Barre 2 Barre? What is your role within the team?

While I was in Hong Kong, I frequented the Cupping Room near where Barre 2 Barre was located. I was busy on a solo dance journey overseas to choreograph dance moves, and passed by the studio often. While I didn’t have enough time to attend barre fitness classes in Hong Kong with the tight schedule, I returned to Singapore only to be interviewed by Barre 2 Barre co-founder Jessica. I was surprised, truly. I was given the role of a hands-on studio operations manager, working with Jessica on strategy, working with local partners on collaborations and events, and working with clients to grow this barre community.

What does wellness and being healthy mean to you?

My personal motto is: A Positive State of Mind. That’s what defines ‘being alive’ to me. I started engaging in fitness more seriously when I was researching in Singapore General Hospital (SGH). At that time, being healthy meant keeping fit. Then, I came across a patient who had been doing bone marrow sampling for far too many years. My team knew his time was coming but he always smiled no matter how many times we had to aid the extremely painful process. He helped me realise various things, but what stood out the most to me was his state of mind, the strongest I’ve seen despite his age and cancer stage. Wellness became more than staying healthy; it involved gaining more of a positive outlook on harsh situations that I face.

Tell us about your barre journey.

I started my barre journey about 4 years ago out of curiosity. After a minor car accident, I looked into alternative fitness while I take a break from street jazz and kickboxing. It turns out that only Pilates could help me re-work my spinal mobility. I only started pursuing Barre as a mind body practice during my Pilates Teacher Training when I was able to use what I learned from Pilates into Barre classes. I became an avid Barre student to purely enjoy the ‘shake’ even until now!

What physical or mental benefits have you experienced in or outside of class since starting barre?

I was struggling with the sudden weight gain after hospitalisation during lockdown and I felt a huge drop in my performance as a dancer and fitness instructor. It was depressing. Attending classes by BarreAmped, the method that Barre 2 Barre teaches, helped me regain my physique. It was a strong head start to Yenny 2.0 =D

What else do you like to do for your fitness and well-being?

I like to share the journey to a healthy tomorrow. I particularly enjoy learning new angles to tackle physical or physiological issues faced by people from different backgrounds. It’s fun listening to other people’s experiences!

Tell us a fun fact about you.

I enjoy creating and improvising. In recent times, it has been re-creating traditional recipes to make it gluten-free. Here’s my favorite Chewy Gluten Free Chocolate Cookies Ingredient List: (It tastes like Famous Amos!)

220g Oat flour
110g black sesame flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
270g maple sugar
2 tsp vanilla powder
2 beaten eggs
1 tsp soy sauce
180g butter
100ml avocado oil

What’s the most beautiful place you’ve ever been?

The most beautiful place I’ve been to would definitely be Lake Biwa 琵琶湖 in Kyushu Region. It was a solo trip because I needed to find my energy back after giving so much over 2 years of non-stop teaching and doing choreography. I woke up at 5 am that morning and cycled from the Ryokan (Onsen resort) for 2 hours to catch the morning sunrise of the famous Tori Gate standing over the gleaning lake waters. It was the most breath-taking picturesque I’ve ever seen and with little to no traffic, I simply enjoyed the peace in a clear state of mind.