Things to Do in Phoenix

Founded by fourth-dan black belt Richard Poage, Peaceful Warrior Martial Arts & Healing Center continues his mission to help students build discipline and learn self-defense through classes that teach shorin-ryu karate, jujitsu, and kobudo weapons training. Camps and after-school programs keep kids from spending their days sprawled in front of the TV or taking catnaps behind it. The school's healing center keeps students in top shape with holistic health services such as massage, acupuncture, and shiatsu massage.

On her quest to further understand the relationship between physical motion and energy flow, certified personal trainer and Pilates instructor Angella M. Hamilton began studying the ancient technique of tai chi under the tutelage of master David Dorian Ross. Her fascination with the time-honored practice led her to forge her own variation, combining healing elements of tai chi and qI gong to create the free-flowing Zen Method. When stricken with breast cancer at the age of 36, Angella practiced the Zen Method to keep herself healthy and empowered. Through regularly scheduled classes and workshops, she now imparts the lessons she's learned both in terms of fitness and mental strength.

Studio manager, instructor, and musician Michael Jewell lives through rhythm. He sought ballroom dance as another means to express himself through music, and throughout more than a decade of mastering fancy footwork, he’s come to truly believe that anyone can learn to dance. That’s why he and his team of instructors welcome singles and couples of any experience level to their slate-blue studio's gleaming floors. They teach swing, latin, ballroom, and two-step styles in group and private lessons, and host biweekly social parties, during which students can show off their newly acquired grooves while mingling with other dancers. The instructors also take their students on group trips and “Out On The Towns,” where they can practice their moves in public settings, rather than putting on more performances in their bedrooms for audiences of teddy bears.

Jennifer Pilates’s clients range from celebrities to professional athletes to international fitness gurus, none who live in Scottsdale. Luckily for them, she’s turned to Skype to revolutionize and expand her classroom, doling out individualized lessons online. She partners her high-tech classroom with an actual studio in Scottsdale, where students can take part in the core-strengthening practice of Pilates in both group mat lessons and private training sessions. She also conducts wellness consultations to further boost her students’ health.