By Maureen Werther
Audrey Mangini, owner of Bloom, A Movement Studio, is someone who doesn’t like to be told “no.”
Mangini has been dancing since the age of two and she played soccer throughout her school career. When she suffered a knee injury requiring surgery at age 18, she was told that she would never be able to run again.
Within two months of the surgery, Mangini proved her doctors wrong. During that time, she also began taking Zumba classes to aid in her therapy and recuperation. She loved the classes and became an avid student.
When her father said, “You’re so good at this, why not just teach it yourself,” Mangini followed his advice and, within a few months, she became a certified Zumba instructor. But, she took her love of movement, dance, and fitness even further.
Bloom originally opened in 2005, under different ownership, at the Regent Street Arts Studio, 153 Regent St. in Saratoga Springs. The building has a long history as home to dance studios, and Mangini fondly remembered taking classes there as a young child.
Five years ago, she decided it was time to open her own studio. Mangini, then 22, bought Bloom and took over the previous owner’s lease at the Regent Street location.
Five years later, Mangini’s business is still going, offering a number of different classes to meet the needs of a diverse population. Bloom now has eight different instructors, including Mangini.
She said the variety is what differentiates Bloom from other studios. “We offer something for everyone here,” she said. Her classes attract women of all ages and levels of ability and fitness. Instructors offer an assortment of movement and exercise class options.
“Being on Regent Street is wonderful because people can walk here from their homes or jobs on Broadway. And, if they’re driving to a class, they don’t have the hassle of trying to park downtown. There is always parking available in and around the neighborhood,” Mangini noted.
Each instructor sets his or her own pricing for classes, and schedules/pricing are all available on the website, www.bloomsaratoga.com.
Bloom space is also available to rent for private workshops, and interested people can contact Mangini by email at audrey@bloomsaratoga.com.