When the clock strikes 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays in Geneva, the dance party begins for Michelle Berls and her dedicated students who are ready to turn up the music and get moving.

Berls is a Jazzercise instructor and the owner of Jazzercise Geneva at Strikers Fox Valley, and for more than 30 years she has been hip shaking and following the footwork of routines to the latest hits and more.

“I’ve taken aerobic workouts with boring songs and repetitive movements, but this is 16 songs in a set and everyone is so different, it makes the time go by fast,” Berls said.

In 2026, Jazzercise will celebrate its 57th anniversary. One of the keys to its longevity has been its ability to evolve through the decades, bringing in new movements, classes and weight training that help members burn calories and build strength and flexibility.

Berls remembers a time when women resisted weight training. Today her students, who range in age from their 20s through their 70s, pick up their weights and build bone strength.

“You get a nice, toned look too,” she said.

When her sister-in-law invited her to a Jazzercise class in the 80s, she thought it would be another typical aerobics class.

“I was in my 30s, had two little ones and was looking to lose the baby weight,” Berls said, adding, “And I was looking to have an hour to myself.”

A class turned into a few more, and soon Berls said she was hooked.

Jazzercise instructor Melissa Liesen shares a similar path. She was invited to join a class as a young mom and discovered she loved the workouts. Liesen has been enjoying Jazzercise for 23 years, including 21 as an instructor, and today she is also the owner of Jazzercise Elburn, which draws residents from Batavia, St. Charles, Sycamore, DeKalb and Sugar Grove.

Liesen, a former gymnast and cheerleader, realized she was a natural at memorizing routines. When she started as an instructor, she received DVDs with routines to learn throughout the year. She even remembers using CDs to play and change the music. Classes today are more seamless, with playlists on phones and new routines available through online trainings each month.

Liesen and Berls said their classes draw students from a wide range of ages, and one of the most versatile aspects of Jazzercise is how instructors can dial up or dial down the intensity in each routine.

“You can come in at any level and still feel successful by the end of class,” Liesen said. “It’s not a competitive class. It’s much more about you doing you. We’re going to help you get there and build out where you are at this point. I think that’s one of the reasons Jazzercise has been around as long as it has been.”

With varying classes, from cardio sculpt to high intensity interval training, students can feel comfortable attending daily, Berls said. With its roots in dance, instructors use terms like plié instead of squat, and chassé for quick side steps.

Liesen said she loves that Jazzercise routines use popular songs from the U.S. and across the world, including music from Spain, Italy and even K-pop.

When she is instructing, Liesen said she reminds her students that class is as much about fun as it is about staying active and mobile. She said she and her students have experienced first-hand speedier recovery from injuries and surgeries and credit their active lifestyles.

“It’s functional movement,” Liesen said. “We focus on functional movement for a reason. Our overall goal is to keep ourselves as healthy as possible so we can live independently.”

At Jazzercise Geneva at Strikers Fox Valley, the evening classes four days a week are a good fit for those coming right after work, Berls said. Liesen offers morning and evening classes at Jazzercise Elburn, and Jazzercise South Elgin also offers morning classes.

Berls, who became an instructor at 47, said it is hard to believe she has been dancing with Jazzercise for more than 30 years.

“It went fast,” Berls said.

And it is not just the dancing that keeps students coming back. Berls said her students often arrive 20 minutes early just to catch up with each other before the music starts.

“We’ve built a community,” Berls said.