NEGRENSE WAY
From Grapevine to Ginga
Kitty Cooper, Wellness Queen.
It always pays to be the first, and this is what Kitty Cooper, Bacolod’s fitness diva, has been doing. Kitty has been in the fitness industry for more than 25 years now, and I know her as one who is always “the first” in Bacolod when it comes to new concepts in physical fitness.
When Jane Fonda became the byword in fitness, Kitty Cooper was an aerobic instructor, armed with her numerous certificates. She was teaching aerobics at the Shape Up Studio, owned by her mother, Mitos Cooper, and was also giving strength-training exercises to basketball players. Just when you thought you had mastered your “step touch” and “grapevines”, Kitty introduced a new concept in fitness. In the 90s, she pushed fitness into a whole new level by offering Pilates in her studio. With her training and machines from abroad, Bacolod learned something new. People were relieved from their body pains, yet still have the workout they sought for.
Baby Capoeiristas battle it out with
Professor Sapo.
With Pilates, Kitty added the concept of “wellness” with her fitness programs. She also organized yoga classes, bringing together mind, body, and spirit. Today, Kitty has gone all the way in making Bacolod feel good, which can be found in her new wellness center at Burgos Extension called Mandala Centering Place. You won’ t miss her Indian-inspired building, accentuated with wooden shutters and filled with decor she acquired from her many travels. Within the four walls of this building, numerous activities happen. There are Pilates classes in groups or individual basis. Her yoga classes come in Ashtanga, Bikram, Yin, and Power Yoga sessions. She is also the pioneer of the Bowen Technique, which is a gentle, holistic therapy of neuromuscular re-patterning. Today, Bowen is considered an alternative cure for various diseases. Kitty does not only offer the service, but she also has training classes for those who wish to learn about this technique.
An addition to her list of “firsts” is the Capoeira class, taught by Petrus Batista, Jr. (Professor Sapo) of the Escola Brasileira de Capoeira (EBC). Capoeria is something new in the Philippines, which is an Afro-Brazilian art form that combines martial arts, music, dance, and games. It’s a new kind of training, and this writer can tell you that the grapevine you used to do is no match for the workout you get in Capoeira. Another feather in Kitty’s cap will be the introduction of Capoeira in Iloilo. It is slowly growing in popularity worldwide, marked by numerous Capoeira schools in the United States and Europe. Soon, there will be capoeiristas all over the Philippines, since EBC has sent its teachers to Manila and Bacolod to teach this art form.
To bring fitness closer to the people, Kitty graces the local TV channel every week, where she demonstrates Pilates to her many viewers. So now we wait what Kitty will think of next. Surely, it’s something that will make us feel good. And if you feel good, you look good.