Things to Do in Rochester

The Rochester Americans trace their roots back to the 1956–57 AHL season, when they entered the league with a bang by advancing all the way to the Calder Cup championship. They ended up losing the series to the Cleveland Barons, but their fast start did, indeed, portend future success; in a stunning spell of dominance, Rochester won three Calder Cups from 1964–68, losing in the championship series in 1966–67, the one season they failed to capture the title. The Amerks seized Calder Cup glory again in 1983, 1987, and 1996 for a total of six championships. Today, the Amerks are in their 31st season as the AHL affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres and remain one of the league’s most storied franchises.

Over the last 24 years, Chris Herzog has been in and out of the ring, competing in kickboxing, judo, and Russian sambo competitions, just three of the combat styles in which he holds an instructional certification. Joined by 16-year boxing veteran Wally "The Weapon" MacDonald—nicknamed for his ability to set off airport metal detectors with his mind—the two provide comprehensive instruction in many styles of martial arts popular in professional fighting today.

The academy divides its programs into classes focused on learning a particular skill. Striking packages focus on the essentials of muay thai and Western boxing, while grappling packages draw from Brazilian jujitsu, judo, and Russian sambo. The ironfisted instructors even tailor their classes to kids, teaching character development and confidence.

When the instructors at MGOS Academy of Irish Dance—certified by the Ireland’s An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha to teach Irish dance—wanted to branch out, they created Ashford Ballet Company. Today, the two studios partner up to cover a diversity of dance styles to children, with Ashford Ballet Company’s New York State–certified staff tutoring tykes in the intricate steps of ballet, tap, and jazz.

The family-friendly studio makes the kid-centric space amicable for parents—who can sit in and watch their children's classes or cheer silently from behind the observation window—as a way to put kids at ease. When designing the curriculum, co-director Caitlyn Redmond and her fellow instructors swapped tales about their own childhood dance experiences (both good and bad), and from those stories settled on a philosophy based on nurturing individual progress, rather than adhering to a strict curriculum. "When you have a cookie-cutter approach to teaching dance, some kids don't fit the mold," she said. But at Ashford Ballet Company, "they all have a place to dance and feel included."

That includes the kids in her Movement for Dancers with Special Needs classes, which Caitlyn, who is also a special education teacher, began teaching to combine her two passions. "It increases their level of self-confidence. It gives them an opportunity to express themselves in a different way," she said.

She believes all their dancers—who range from toddlers to teenagers—reap those same benefits as they work together in a non-competitive atmosphere. At the end of the year, students perform in a one-hour recital designed to highlight each student's growth and show off their skills with plenty of solos, offering a departure from traditional dance studios' four-hour Macarena marathons.

The Little Theatre brings a roster of reel wonders to Rochester, with a slate of films running the gamut from quirkily mainstream to accessibly indie. Cinephiles can nab tickets (evening showings: $8, weekend matinees: $6, seniors: $5, children 5–12: $5, and students on Sun.–Thurs.: $5) to any number of upcoming features appearing on The Little's five flickering screens, such as the risqué Ewan McGregor dramedy Beginners or the sardonic sojourn documented in acclaimed director Michael Winterbottom's The Trip. A slew of other silver-screen selections are sure to satisfy moviegoers from all walks of taste. The Little's 70-seat, jazz-infused café pitches in to delight the less movie-centric senses of taste, spidey, and smell, with its eye-fetching collection of local artwork and appetizing menu of rich quiches ($8) and grilled paninis ($9). A fluid fleet of specialty coffees ($1.50–$3.75), globetrotting vinos ($6/glass, $18.50/bottle), and sudsy brews ($3.50–$4.50) lithely impart an impressive cineaste vocabulary sure to impress neighboring critics and wide-eyed ushers.

When Marina Lisser was 14, she decided to take up dancing, despite the fact that in her native Russia, she was considered much too old to start. Firmly flouting social convention, she thrived, competing at the professional level and landing a fifth-place finish in the European Cup finals. Eventually, she went on to earn a master's degree in Dance Forms and write a dissertation on the psychology of competition.

But none of that prepared her for the shock that awaited her when she landed in New York City to work for Fred Astaire Dance Studios in 1993. She hadn't realized she'd be teaching a totally new kind of student: adult amateurs. She'd only taught professionals and children who wanted to dance for a living. If 14 was too old to start dancing in Russia, how would she teach adults in America?

Through trial and error, she figured it out by ignoring, according to a feature in Democrat and Chronicle, whatever holds her students back. "I'm one of those horrible Russian teachers," Marina confessed. "We want what we want; there is no such thing as limits."

Today, she and her staff of instructors specialize in two styles: American Smooth and Rhythm, and International Standard and Latin. Students learn to waltz, tango, and foxtrot atop the ballroom's sprung wood floor, which cushions feet and joints, while wall-length mirrors help them self-correct their form. In addition to teaching social dance skills and helping affianced couples prepare for their first dance, the instructors also ready competitive dancers to take first place medals in everything from cabaret dancing to swing, often by deftly prancing over the laser security systems that guard them. Marina is certified in dance therapy, as well as social and competitive wheelchair dancing, to make dance accessible to everyone.

Inner Bloom's resident Hatha yoga instructor, reiki master, and reflexologist Sarah Lamb discovered yoga in 1998 as a new way to explore her inner self. During yoga classes, such as Gentle Morning Flow, and reiki and reflexology healing treatments, Sarah aims to help clients attain a mind and body balance. Inner Bloom’s minimalist studio induces a sense of relaxation, akin to the relaxation a marshmallow feels after escaping another s’mores season unscathed.