St. Albert Indoor Activities

As he trained to become a dance instructor, Devon Panko's journey took a series of unexpected happy detours, starting with his achievements in the finals and semi-finals of national dance competitions. As he competed while simultaneously training for his teaching certification, doors kept opening for him, including opportunities to choreograph TV and movie stars such as Lily Tomlin and Fred Willard. Now teamed with Orianna Panko, also an accomplished choreographer and winner of several national dance titles, Devon lends his expertise as the head instructor at Panko Dance Ballroom and DanceSport Studio.

Instructors at the studio lead four levels of classes tailored for dancers from the inexperienced to the seasoned. Within the bright and airy studio, dance experts demonstrate the steps of international styles that range from viennese waltz to samba, as well as North American styles such as west-coast swing and country. For more customized instruction, lesson packages help prepare students to dance at weddings, competitions, or to impress at a driver's-licence renewal. The Panko team also buttresses the class schedule with supplementary events that include swing workshops and regular Friday night dance parties.

Inside St. Albert Bowling Centre, pins clatter across 24 hardwood lanes, mixing with the sounds of celebration as bowlers compete in 5-pin or 10-pin bowling. The centre's string pin-setting machine dutifully places toppled pins upright, saving guests from having to exercise their powers of telekinesis. Bumpers are available to help bowlers age 8 and younger, and on weekend evenings, neon and disco lights illuminate the centre as the sound system is cranked up.

On the outdoor 18-hole mini-golf course, putters manoeuvre around obstacles such as the spinning blades of a windmill and the tapping feet of impatient golf partners. The game room offers similar hand-eye challenges, with video games, skee-ball, and air hockey. Players can take a break to sip slushies or nosh on pizza at the snack bar.

Infrared heating panels raise the temperature of Hot Yoga Wellness Edmonton's hot room to 37 degrees Celsius, heating up muscles for deeper stretches while helping to rid bodies of toxins. During the facility's drop-in classes, instructors guide up to 30 students of all levels through poses designed to reduce stress, increase circulation, and lower blood pressure. Classes include Vinyasa flow, traditional hot Hatha, and Rocket Inspired yoga, where pupils hold Ashtanga poses while whispering the names of their favorite astronauts. For a less strenuous workout, the studio dials down the heat to a warm 32 degrees Celsius during the signature foundation series.

At Nirvana Hot Yoga, five skilled instructors lead students through a variety of yoga styles and practices in heated rooms in order to unleash yoga's many benefits. In Yin yoga classes, practitioners hold poses for up to seven minutes, thus limbering up the body's tendons, joints, and ligaments. Hatha Flow classes focus on breath control, relaxation, and strength of mind and body. Other disciplines on offer include Vinyasa, which works to align movement and breath; prenatal yoga to help prep mothers-to-be for labour; and Zumba classes to help prep students for the birth of their inner flamenco dancer.

Aromas of warm cedar emanate from the recycled cork flooring where instructors lead Hatha, Vinyasa, Ashtanga, yin yang, or detox classes within a studio heated to a warm 34–36 degrees Celsius or a hot 40–42 degrees Celsius. As the heat helps bodies release toxins and deepen stretches, the yogis guide their students through fluid movements and deeply held postures designed to strengthen muscles. After completing limb-limbering poses, students repose on a rented mat to experience a deep relaxation that's second only to sharing a sauna with Plato.

Once they complete muscle-toning workouts in the cedar-ceilinged studio, guests can freshen up in the vibrant orange changing room or socialize in the welcome room.

The internationally certified black belt instructors at Tien Lung Taekwon-Do Club help students build self-confidence and physical fitness with self-defence programs and seminars. With numerous staff members serving on the Canadian National Team, Tien Lung prepares students for tournaments or instructor certification with competitive and leadership programs. Parent-and-tot classes start tots 2–3 years old on a path to physical fitness, and after-school programs provide a martial-arts alternative to daycare or dropping little ones off at the nearest backyard wrestling match.