Fitness classes at the barre

Liz August, left, Chelsea Dinkins, Sharon Leal and Annie Kuo stretch with resistance balls at the ballet barre. Barre exercise classes are traced to Lotte Berk, a dancer in Europe who opened a studio in 1959. A student of hers brought the workout to New York more than a decade later.

Audra Skaates, owner of the Main Barre in downtown Los Angeles, leads her class in a full-body stretch. Barre classes have gain popularity with a combination of graceful movement, core fitness, adaptable levels and simple setups.

Chelsea Dinkins, left foreground, works her core in Audra Skaates’ Main Barre class. The idea of barre is to target specific muscles, such as transverse abdominals, psoas majors, inner thigh and obliques -- ones that don’t always get attention.

Betty Hallock uses fabric straps in Audra Skaates’ barre class.

Liz August, center, stretches through and exercise that also works on balance at the Main Barre.

Much of the work in a barre class (generally mostly women, though open to all) involves small movements done in precise ways.

Barre teachers say the workout’s combination of dance exercises, yoga and Pilates is perfect for an age when many people spend hours sitting or hunched over devices.

Liz August, right, uses hand weights at the Main Barre. Commonly, studios have mirrors and ballet barres along two walls. Students also use light weights, bands and balls.

Celeste Perez ends a session in Audra Skaates’ class. Studios have their own styles, some focusing more on cardiovascular workouts, some more on yoga.