Meet the instructor behind Equinox’s newest low-impact cardio format and what you can expect in each class.
Equipment-free cardio is often synonymous with burpees, jumping jacks, and skaters — the types of moves that leave you breathless and, at times, with aching knees. But at Silhouette, the newest class format at select Equinox Clubs in New York City, you’ll trade in those classic exercises for heart-pumping movements meant to help you build a long and lean dancer physique without the impact.
An athletic approach to a barre or Pilates class, Silhouette is taught by former professional dancer and Equinox-certified barre and Pilates instructor Alexis Sweeney. “People could not believe how sweaty they got and how much their heart rate elevated, even though you're never jumping — your feet never leave the floor,” she says.
The one-of-a-kind class is Sweeney’s brainchild, offering a contemporary take on traditional barre classes that’s rooted in Pilates principles — with a mix of deep house music, mindfulness meditation, and breathwork layered in. “By the end of it, you're literally dripping and melting into your mat, solidifying that deep core and breath control, calming the nervous system so that you walk out of there inspired, empowered, and energized,” she says.
Sweeney’s fitness journey stretches back to high school, when a severe scoliosis diagnosis led her to seek out modes of exercise that would help her heal naturally while allowing her to move her body, she says. At the time, she began taking Pilates classes as part of her balletic training, for its low-impact benefits as well as its emphasis on posture and alignment.
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Later, while studying dance at New York University and balancing her career as a professional dancer, Sweeney struggled with body dysmorphia and overexercising that left her “in a really dark place, mentally and physically,” she says. In between auditions, Sweeney began teaching at Equinox. But she felt she was missing a cardio component from her workouts. “I'm not a runner. I hated going on the treadmill. I'm not an elliptical person,” she says. “So I was like, ‘How can I fuse all three of these together?’”
After hearing that clients wanted a more athletic approach from their barre classes without having to go for a run, Sweeney began playing with instability work, using props such as gliders and Pilates balls. “You're flirting with imbalances to activate even more muscle fibers in the legs, the core, and all of that,” she says.
In January 2020, the Silhouette method was born, which Sweeney says is rooted in training yourself from the abdominals to stand long and tall, elongating your spine. “It starts with the posture, using breath control to really learn your body — to feel good in your body for years and years to come.”
She launched her classes online and eventually offered them through her Silhouette by Alexis app. Fast forward three and a half years later, and Sweeney has her workouts available on four different apps that stream in more than 14 countries. Now, her classes have debuted in person at eight Equinox Clubs throughout New York City.
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Starting each class with standing breathwork, Sweeney emphasizes “nurturing the silhouette from the inside out.” Her classes are focused on training posture and breath control with elongating movements in order to get rid of stress and tension in the body.
What sets Silhouette apart is that it takes muscle endurance to a new level; the class is structured to completely fatigue a specific muscle group before moving on to the next. Sweeney starts by fatiguing the right side body, then switches left side body and ends with fiery abs work. Drawing from her experience as a dancer, Sweeney says, “There's a flow aspect. It's definitely where I unleash my creativity. Even when I first started teaching, people were like, ‘Your style is so different.’”
Post-COVID, Sweeney saw a rise in people looking for a workout that also offered a mental escape. That’s why Sweeney weaves the mindfulness layer of breathwork and yoga principles into each of her classes. “It's even more than just burning calories,” she says. “It's like, ‘How can I clear my mind? How can I really enhance my focus, elevate my daily performance, be there for my family?’”
Silhouette has helped Sweeney overcome her struggles with body image caused by her spinal curvature, she says. And it’s a gift she recognizes every day, proving the doctors who told her she would be immobile without a metal rod in her back wrong. “It all comes back to feeling comfortable in my skin and trying to help others feel comfortable,” she adds. “It goes back to nurturing your body, loving the silhouette you're in, and embracing what makes your individuality shine.”