Meet the fitness instructor bringing ZOMBIEROBICS to Manchester

Fiona Ledgard is bringing fitness with a difference to The Deaf Institute for a special Halloween event. The Manchester based fitness instructor and personal trainer is putting on a ZOMBIEROBICS dance session as part of a huge ‘Saved By The ‘90s Halloween Party’on the 26 October.

ZOMBIEROBICS? This is a fun and freakish fitness session, designed to get audiences down and dancing to the music, with fancy dress encouraged – of course.

After all, music and movement are two of Fiona’s key passions. In her work as a fitness instructor at Platt Lane Sports Complex (also part of MMU Sport), Fiona is accustomed to working with the feel-good powers of exercise and seeing its positive impact on people.

And in her experience as the drummer in ILL, a radio broadcaster and keen musician, Fiona brings rhythmic flair and songs which resonate too. After all, her Females In Training (FIT) sessions at MMU Sport are regularly full to capacity with attendees enthused by the high-energy, exciting music on offer.

Attendees at the ZOMBIEROBICS session, due to be in the main space of the Deaf Institute from 11.30pm - midnight, can expect a range of tunes which feed into the ‘90s theme of the event as a whole – plus some Gothic tracks too.

As part of the event, Fiona will be in full Halloween dress, Zombie style, and encourages other attendees to do the same. HAUNT Manchester spoke to her to find our more:

“The idea came to me when I was dancing to Anointed (DJ Adrian Brian Thompson and DJ Deany Sevigny) and their AWESOME goth DJ set in the basement of The Deaf Institute at Bollox Pride. I was getting lost in music dancing to Sisters of Mercy and thinking how good it would be to create aerobics sessions to stomping goth classics. I love dancing with all my heart. It is one of my favourite forms of expression.

“I teach Zumba classes at Platt Lane Sports Complex and I play the drums in ILL. I really listen to rhythms and get a feel for them. Most of the time when listening to music, I am already visualising how you could move to different tracks, because I love dancing so much.

“I recently delivered a Spice Girls Dance-A-Thon at the Spice Up Exhibition and it was so much fun. I've been asked back! The exhibition of Spice Girls clothing and memorabilia has now been extended until Christmas, at The Great Northern.

“Because of the wonderful feedback, and instant success of my new Zumba classes and The Spice Girls event, I've been coming up with new ideas for getting more people dancing! I love delivering fitness classes, and attending them too of course. There are so many benefits to group exercise, and dancing with other people, in unison, is highly powerful when it comes to lifting spirits!

“I wanted to bring these ecstatic dance experiences to club nights in Manchester, so I got in touch with a few different venues and promoters with the idea of delivering a Halloween related dance session.

“I am over the moon and beyond excited to be leading a ZOMBIEROBICS dance session at The Deaf Institute at the Saved By The ‘90s Halloween Party (Friday 26th October). I will indeed be dressed up. People are encouraged to go for it with their outfits at this club night! I will definitely be incorporating Zombie related dance moves in the session too. People can expect high energy ‘90s pop (Backstreet Boys, MJ, MC Hammer etc) and I might throw in a couple of goth hits too!

“All fitness levels and all abilities are welcome. The main aim of the session is to encourage people to lose their inhibitions and have fun! I know for a fact that the ZOMBIEROBICS session will put a smile on people's faces, and get people moving!

“People can come and watch, get involved, join in and drop out whenever they like. But I'd encourage all participants to stay until the end to do cool down stretches before they carry on with the rest of their night!”

Fiona was also keen to tell us about the Halloween inspiration and why she was keen to get involved with such an event:

“I've always found Halloween a really interesting time of year, you can feel an exciting change in the air as winter is coming. Halloween originated a long time ago. The celebration comes from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. People used to light bonfires and wear costumes with the hope of warding off ghosts.

“Celts believed that November 1st was the first day of the new year. It marked the end of summer, the harvest and the start of the cold dark winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death.

“They also believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when the ghosts of the dead were believed to return to earth. This is where the Halloween focus on ghosts and horror comes from!

“I guess a lot of people these days just see Halloween as a time to dress differently, be playful and party! I'm down for that! And I'm happy to celebrate the lives of the people we have lost by encouraging those of us still here to live in the moment, living our lives to the full, by the power of dance!”

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Read more from Fiona at her blog.

Tickets for the Saved By The ‘90s party, which includes the ZOMBIEROBICS  session, can be found here.

Photo credits:

Collage: Deb Jump, JA G Wallis, Megan Powell, Michael Mayren

Fancy dress images: Deb Jump, Harri Shanahan, Deb Jump, Lauren Small