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Celebrating Latinx Heritage Month
For the last month, we’ve been honoring Latinx Heritage Month—the annual celebration of the history and culture of the U.S. Latinx communities. We’ve heard so many inspiring stories from our barre3 community, which we are humbled to share with you.
Check out what the barre3 community has been sharing with us:
LESLIE HERNANDEZ
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: How long have you been a barre3 member?
LESLIE: A little over a year.
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: What is your cultural background?
LESLIE: Half Venezuelan and half Puerto Rican. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in the U.S.
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: What is your favorite part about being Latinx?
LESLIE: I love my heritage and culture. Even though I was raised in the U.S., I feel grateful to have such a deep connection to my Venezuelan and Puerto Rican background. When people ask where I’m from, it’s a mouthful, but it’s an important part of who I am.
I have too many favorite parts about being Latinx. The holidays are the best! In Latin America, we celebrate Christmas Eve, and my family has continued that tradition in the U.S. Thanksgiving isn’t really celebrated in Latin America, but our families have embraced it and made it our own. For example, our family will serve our traditional foods like Venezuelan Ensalada De Gallina or a Puerto Rican cheese flan for dessert.
I grew up learning to speak Spanish, dance merengue and salsa, but I also attended at least 13 bar and bat mitzvahs. I grew up outside Boston, so that was pretty typical! I had a very diverse upbringing, and now that I have a daughter of my own, I am trying to give her the same experiences.
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: What is your favorite part about being a part of the barre3 community?
LESLIE: It’s a very supportive community, and the fact that the studios have a daycare has been pivotal to my routine and health. I’ve taken my daughter with me since she was 10 months old, and it was so great to find a community of mothers going through a similar experience as my own.
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: Do you have a favorite barre3 memory?
LESLIE: The few memories that really stand out have been mainly just seeing myself grow stronger. Right after having my daughter, I felt the weakest I’ve ever been and remember trying the best I could. The teachers embrace this and don’t make you feel out of place or judged. However, after going to barre3 for a year, I’m in the best shape of my life. I find little ways to challenge myself, and I’m the strongest I’ve ever felt.
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: Anything else you’d like to share?
LESLIE: Although these days I spend most of my time raising my daughter Camila, I am also a jewelry designer and curator. I founded ARO in 2016, an e-commerce store that discovers independent jewelry designers from around the country. I also have an in-house jewelry collection that is designed and prototyped in Austin, Texas and made in Taxco, Mexico. I’m so inspired by their culture and people, which is a big reason why I decided to partner with our production company in Mexico. Taxco is a very beautiful and inspiring home to many jewelers and metalsmiths.
MARIA PAZ
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: How long have you been a barre3 instructor?
MARIA: One year as an instructor, four as a member.
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: What is your cultural background?
MARIA: I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and my heritage is also Spanish and Portuguese.
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: What is your favorite part about being Latinx?
MARIA: My culture! I love that we are family oriented, love music, food, fútbol and our language! I cook every day and have my children with me so they learn to love where our food comes from and how it is made, teaching them not only the nutritional value but also the cultural value. Just like I remember my mom teaching me about it.
I love that each country In Latin America is unique, but we all share a strong tie through our language (among the Spanish-speaking countries) and similar culture. Our language is very important to me. When I came to the U.S., I always kept my language at home, and now it is what we speak at our home with our children, too. I love as part of our culture I get to now enjoy watching fútbol (soccer) with our children, and we get loud and passionate about it!
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: What is your favorite part about being a part of the barre3 community?
MARIA: Our collective support. It made me feel again that I belong; being an immigrant means to have to start all over again somewhere new, with a different language and culture. The barre3 community gave me back that sense of belonging.
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: Do you have a favorite barre3 memory?
MARIA: Have a few! My favorite is the moment in class when I learned that I could push past the plateau and feel strong! Wow!
Another of my favorites was taking outdoor classes during the pandemic, in the rain or shine, heat or cold, showing up as a community to support each other during such an unprecedented time.
Watch a day in the life with Maria here.
MELISSA MAURICIO
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: How long have you been a barre3 instructor?
MELISSA: I’ve been an instructor for almost four years.
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: What is your cultural background?
MELISSA: I am Mexican-American and grew up right on the border of El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua.
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: What is your favorite part about being Latinx?
MELISSA: So many things! As I’ve gotten older, I’ve appreciated more and more how special it is to be of Mexican heritage. I grew up with my abuelita making traditional Mexican foods and desserts, so I have many beautiful memories of that. She didn’t speak English, so both Spanish and English are native languages for me. I’m so grateful for that.
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: What is your favorite part about being a part of the barre3 community?
MELISSA: My favorite part about being part of the barre3 community is being surrounded by other people who love movement that feels good. There’s no shame or judgment at barre3, and it’s a safe place where anyone can come and just be. I’m so thankful to be an instructor where I get to lead classes that feel grounding and empowering, and my hope is that our clients can take that feeling outside of the studio and into their daily lives.
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: Do you have a favorite barre3 memory?
MELISSA: My favorite barre3 memory is becoming an instructor! As I was going through the process, there were definitely moments of doubt and fear. Getting certified felt like a huge accomplishment and it’s something I think about often when I have moments of self-doubt in other areas of my life.
Watch a day in the life with Melissa here.
Read more Latinx Heritage Month stories we featured this month here.
For the last month, we’ve been honoring Latinx Heritage Month—the annual celebration of the history and culture of the U.S. Latinx communities. We’ve heard so many inspiring stories from our barre3 community, which we are humbled to share with you.
Check out what the barre3 community has been sharing with us:
LESLIE HERNANDEZ
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: How long have you been a barre3 member?
LESLIE: A little over a year.
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: What is your cultural background?
LESLIE: Half Venezuelan and half Puerto Rican. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in the U.S.
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: What is your favorite part about being Latinx?
LESLIE: I love my heritage and culture. Even though I was raised in the U.S., I feel grateful to have such a deep connection to my Venezuelan and Puerto Rican background. When people ask where I’m from, it’s a mouthful, but it’s an important part of who I am.
I have too many favorite parts about being Latinx. The holidays are the best! In Latin America, we celebrate Christmas Eve, and my family has continued that tradition in the U.S. Thanksgiving isn’t really celebrated in Latin America, but our families have embraced it and made it our own. For example, our family will serve our traditional foods like Venezuelan Ensalada De Gallina or a Puerto Rican cheese flan for dessert.
I grew up learning to speak Spanish, dance merengue and salsa, but I also attended at least 13 bar and bat mitzvahs. I grew up outside Boston, so that was pretty typical! I had a very diverse upbringing, and now that I have a daughter of my own, I am trying to give her the same experiences.
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: What is your favorite part about being a part of the barre3 community?
LESLIE: It’s a very supportive community, and the fact that the studios have a daycare has been pivotal to my routine and health. I’ve taken my daughter with me since she was 10 months old, and it was so great to find a community of mothers going through a similar experience as my own.
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: Do you have a favorite barre3 memory?
LESLIE: The few memories that really stand out have been mainly just seeing myself grow stronger. Right after having my daughter, I felt the weakest I’ve ever been and remember trying the best I could. The teachers embrace this and don’t make you feel out of place or judged. However, after going to barre3 for a year, I’m in the best shape of my life. I find little ways to challenge myself, and I’m the strongest I’ve ever felt.
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: Anything else you’d like to share?
LESLIE: Although these days I spend most of my time raising my daughter Camila, I am also a jewelry designer and curator. I founded ARO in 2016, an e-commerce store that discovers independent jewelry designers from around the country. I also have an in-house jewelry collection that is designed and prototyped in Austin, Texas and made in Taxco, Mexico. I’m so inspired by their culture and people, which is a big reason why I decided to partner with our production company in Mexico. Taxco is a very beautiful and inspiring home to many jewelers and metalsmiths.
MARIA PAZ
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: How long have you been a barre3 instructor?
MARIA: One year as an instructor, four as a member.
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: What is your cultural background?
MARIA: I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and my heritage is also Spanish and Portuguese.
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: What is your favorite part about being Latinx?
MARIA: My culture! I love that we are family oriented, love music, food, fútbol and our language! I cook every day and have my children with me so they learn to love where our food comes from and how it is made, teaching them not only the nutritional value but also the cultural value. Just like I remember my mom teaching me about it.
I love that each country In Latin America is unique, but we all share a strong tie through our language (among the Spanish-speaking countries) and similar culture. Our language is very important to me. When I came to the U.S., I always kept my language at home, and now it is what we speak at our home with our children, too. I love as part of our culture I get to now enjoy watching fútbol (soccer) with our children, and we get loud and passionate about it!
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: What is your favorite part about being a part of the barre3 community?
MARIA: Our collective support. It made me feel again that I belong; being an immigrant means to have to start all over again somewhere new, with a different language and culture. The barre3 community gave me back that sense of belonging.
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: Do you have a favorite barre3 memory?
MARIA: Have a few! My favorite is the moment in class when I learned that I could push past the plateau and feel strong! Wow!
Another of my favorites was taking outdoor classes during the pandemic, in the rain or shine, heat or cold, showing up as a community to support each other during such an unprecedented time.
Watch a day in the life with Maria here.
MELISSA MAURICIO
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: How long have you been a barre3 instructor?
MELISSA: I’ve been an instructor for almost four years.
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: What is your cultural background?
MELISSA: I am Mexican-American and grew up right on the border of El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua.
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: What is your favorite part about being Latinx?
MELISSA: So many things! As I’ve gotten older, I’ve appreciated more and more how special it is to be of Mexican heritage. I grew up with my abuelita making traditional Mexican foods and desserts, so I have many beautiful memories of that. She didn’t speak English, so both Spanish and English are native languages for me. I’m so grateful for that.
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: What is your favorite part about being a part of the barre3 community?
MELISSA: My favorite part about being part of the barre3 community is being surrounded by other people who love movement that feels good. There’s no shame or judgment at barre3, and it’s a safe place where anyone can come and just be. I’m so thankful to be an instructor where I get to lead classes that feel grounding and empowering, and my hope is that our clients can take that feeling outside of the studio and into their daily lives.
BARRE3 MAGAZINE: Do you have a favorite barre3 memory?
MELISSA: My favorite barre3 memory is becoming an instructor! As I was going through the process, there were definitely moments of doubt and fear. Getting certified felt like a huge accomplishment and it’s something I think about often when I have moments of self-doubt in other areas of my life.
Watch a day in the life with Melissa here.
Read more Latinx Heritage Month stories we featured this month here.
