| Rebecca Small Step Choreography Guru February 1, 2006 © 2006, Fitness Organica LLC |
| You may know and love Rebecca for her complex, interesting, and fun step choreography, but she has many other talents you may not know about. She's also a cook, an ancient history buff, and more . . . . |
No one can say Rebecca Small isn't dedicated to her craft, traveling eight months
out of the year for conventions, as well as making time for filming videos and
teaching locally. For Rebecca, convention season begins at the end of January,
goes every weekend until July, then resumes again in September until the end of
November. She presents at approximately 35 conventions a year worldwide. It's
tough to become established in the presentation world, and to receive so many
invitations to these conventions is a remarkable accomplishment which speaks
highly of Rebecca's expertise.
As a girl in Australia, Rebecca was very athletic and always involved in sports. She
describes herself as a tomboy, always into everything the boys were doing -- riding
BMXs, climbing trees, and surfing. She joined a gym at age 15, and as soon as she
was old enough (18), she took her first fitness trainer's course. Rebecca started
teaching right after high school. At age 19, she went to live and teach in Hong Kong
full-time before going to college. Upon returning to Australia, she resumed teaching
classes and used the money to put herself through school.
Rebecca graduated from college with a degree in Naturopathy (natural medicine),
and is a qualified nutritionist, herbalist, and homeopath. Other favorite subjects were
home economics, because she loves to cook, and ancient history. But the call of
teaching fitness was very strong, so she continued down that path after graduation.
out of the year for conventions, as well as making time for filming videos and
teaching locally. For Rebecca, convention season begins at the end of January,
goes every weekend until July, then resumes again in September until the end of
November. She presents at approximately 35 conventions a year worldwide. It's
tough to become established in the presentation world, and to receive so many
invitations to these conventions is a remarkable accomplishment which speaks
highly of Rebecca's expertise.
As a girl in Australia, Rebecca was very athletic and always involved in sports. She
describes herself as a tomboy, always into everything the boys were doing -- riding
BMXs, climbing trees, and surfing. She joined a gym at age 15, and as soon as she
was old enough (18), she took her first fitness trainer's course. Rebecca started
teaching right after high school. At age 19, she went to live and teach in Hong Kong
full-time before going to college. Upon returning to Australia, she resumed teaching
classes and used the money to put herself through school.
Rebecca graduated from college with a degree in Naturopathy (natural medicine),
and is a qualified nutritionist, herbalist, and homeopath. Other favorite subjects were
home economics, because she loves to cook, and ancient history. But the call of
teaching fitness was very strong, so she continued down that path after graduation.
"Then, after I finished on Sunday afternoon,
they took me to the train station. They
bought my train ticket to the airport and they
physically put me on the train and told me
to get off at the airport in 40 minutes. Well,
40 minutes comes and goes, and no airport
in sight! I stay on the train, waiting, waiting,
waiting . . . . Finally I asked someone when
we would be stopping at the airport. To my
surprise, they tell me that this train is an
express going in the opposite direction of
the airport! Agh! "So I got off at the first
station I could and waited for a train back to
the city -- only to find out that I had missed
my plane, as well as any other plane
leaving Switzerland that evening or, in fact,
any planes until after midday the next day!"
"It was now 8 p.m. on Sunday evening, and
I was still in Switzerland with no way to get
back to London. So I had to take a train to
Germany and sleep in a hotel on Sunday
night, then take a plane out of Frankfurt on
Monday morning."
"After the whole weekend was finished, I
came home 800 Euro poorer and I arrived
home at 5 p.m. Monday afternoon. It was a
nightmare, but so unbelievable it was funny
-- I had to laugh after I stopped crying!"
they took me to the train station. They
bought my train ticket to the airport and they
physically put me on the train and told me
to get off at the airport in 40 minutes. Well,
40 minutes comes and goes, and no airport
in sight! I stay on the train, waiting, waiting,
waiting . . . . Finally I asked someone when
we would be stopping at the airport. To my
surprise, they tell me that this train is an
express going in the opposite direction of
the airport! Agh! "So I got off at the first
station I could and waited for a train back to
the city -- only to find out that I had missed
my plane, as well as any other plane
leaving Switzerland that evening or, in fact,
any planes until after midday the next day!"
"It was now 8 p.m. on Sunday evening, and
I was still in Switzerland with no way to get
back to London. So I had to take a train to
Germany and sleep in a hotel on Sunday
night, then take a plane out of Frankfurt on
Monday morning."
"After the whole weekend was finished, I
came home 800 Euro poorer and I arrived
home at 5 p.m. Monday afternoon. It was a
nightmare, but so unbelievable it was funny
-- I had to laugh after I stopped crying!"
Rebecca has also had other disconcerting experiences while on the road. The scariest was witnessing a friend collapse
on stage due to heat exhaustion. "He had to have his lung pierced because he couldn't breathe, and was rushed to the
hospital."
She says the strangest thing about travelling is "seeing the black market selling of your DVDs in Russia and Mexico. They
blatantly will buy one DVD, and then you see your products being sold on a stand at the convention -- but they have been
burned and the cover photocopied, and they're being sold at half price. You can't do anything about it. This is the way it is
in these countries -- it's all black market."
In addition to a full schedule of travel and presenting, Rebecca also enjoys teaching at local clubs. "I believe it's
absolutely essential for a presenter to teach at a club, to keep them in the "real" world of fitness. Before I moved to the
U.K. six months ago, I was teaching at a club three nights a week. I'm currently looking for a suitable gym where I live
now so that I can continue to teach."
Rebecca teaches live classes a little differently than the way she teaches on DVDs. "I teach nine blocks of 32-count
choreography in my DVDs and I teach three blocks of 32 in my live workouts. I only teach combinations on my DVDs that I
have tried and tested live so I know that they work and I know that they are not too much. But I choose carefully which
combinations to put together in class so my students are not too overloaded. For example, I might combine one complex
block of 32 with a medium complexity and a simpler block. But I do teach the actual combos that are featured on my
DVDs. I don't really find people having too much difficulty with my combos. At least live anyway. That's my specialty --
getting people to do things they thought they never could!"
on stage due to heat exhaustion. "He had to have his lung pierced because he couldn't breathe, and was rushed to the
hospital."
She says the strangest thing about travelling is "seeing the black market selling of your DVDs in Russia and Mexico. They
blatantly will buy one DVD, and then you see your products being sold on a stand at the convention -- but they have been
burned and the cover photocopied, and they're being sold at half price. You can't do anything about it. This is the way it is
in these countries -- it's all black market."
In addition to a full schedule of travel and presenting, Rebecca also enjoys teaching at local clubs. "I believe it's
absolutely essential for a presenter to teach at a club, to keep them in the "real" world of fitness. Before I moved to the
U.K. six months ago, I was teaching at a club three nights a week. I'm currently looking for a suitable gym where I live
now so that I can continue to teach."
Rebecca teaches live classes a little differently than the way she teaches on DVDs. "I teach nine blocks of 32-count
choreography in my DVDs and I teach three blocks of 32 in my live workouts. I only teach combinations on my DVDs that I
have tried and tested live so I know that they work and I know that they are not too much. But I choose carefully which
combinations to put together in class so my students are not too overloaded. For example, I might combine one complex
block of 32 with a medium complexity and a simpler block. But I do teach the actual combos that are featured on my
DVDs. I don't really find people having too much difficulty with my combos. At least live anyway. That's my specialty --
getting people to do things they thought they never could!"
And while we're on the subject of DVDs . . . Rebecca is considering
making some consumer-based DVDs in 2006 and will be filming with
Evolution Video (Marcus Irwin's company) again in March. "Marcus
Irwin is very cute to film with," she says. "The shoots are always very
relaxed, easygoing. All the presenters he works with are not divas
(well, most of them anyway), so it's always a lot of fun."
Rebecca is 35 years old, and married to fellow presenter Steve
Schiemer. When she's not teaching, presenting, or filming, she
enjoys cooking, mixing music, eating out, reading, and playing her
pinball machine and Playstation. "But only the karaoke and dancing
games," she adds.
Although there are no children yet, Rebecca hints that there may be.
"Ask me again in three years."
making some consumer-based DVDs in 2006 and will be filming with
Evolution Video (Marcus Irwin's company) again in March. "Marcus
Irwin is very cute to film with," she says. "The shoots are always very
relaxed, easygoing. All the presenters he works with are not divas
(well, most of them anyway), so it's always a lot of fun."
Rebecca is 35 years old, and married to fellow presenter Steve
Schiemer. When she's not teaching, presenting, or filming, she
enjoys cooking, mixing music, eating out, reading, and playing her
pinball machine and Playstation. "But only the karaoke and dancing
games," she adds.
Although there are no children yet, Rebecca hints that there may be.
"Ask me again in three years."
Her career blossomed in Australia. She had worked her way up into
doing tours, conventions, and training instructors. In 1997, Rebecca felt
she had gone as far as she could in the Australian fitness industry, and
started to look overseas. "It was time to either change careers or change
locations, so I chose the latter," she says. Rebecca moved to Germany,
where she lived for eight years, and then moved to the U.K. six months
ago.
With all the travel Rebecca does, she has visited some interesting places.
"Israel, United Arab Emirates, and Lebanon are all great to work in. The
people are all so friendly and fanatical about fitness. The irony is that they
all hate each other, but don't realize how much alike they all are! Eastern
Bloc countries are also nice to visit because they're so appreciative of
you. I really like working in Italy, too. I've worked there for about seven
years now, and I love their attitude toward fitness. They have fun, don't
take things too seriously, and will try anyone or anything new."
I asked Rebecca what funny experiences she might have had in her
travels. "It wasn't funny at the time, but I had a convention in Switzerland
last year, and I actually arrived on the wrong day to teach. I arrived on
Friday night and thought I was teaching on Saturday and had booked my
flight to go home Sunday morning. I was so excited because I thought I
had my first Sunday off and at home in six months. I had all these plans
to have a wonderful day with my husband and it all totally backfired! After
finding out that I had to teach on Sunday and not Saturday, I had to buy
another flight home, at my own expense, on Sunday night. So that was
all okay. I had to pay for an extra ticket and stay an extra day -- fine."
doing tours, conventions, and training instructors. In 1997, Rebecca felt
she had gone as far as she could in the Australian fitness industry, and
started to look overseas. "It was time to either change careers or change
locations, so I chose the latter," she says. Rebecca moved to Germany,
where she lived for eight years, and then moved to the U.K. six months
ago.
With all the travel Rebecca does, she has visited some interesting places.
"Israel, United Arab Emirates, and Lebanon are all great to work in. The
people are all so friendly and fanatical about fitness. The irony is that they
all hate each other, but don't realize how much alike they all are! Eastern
Bloc countries are also nice to visit because they're so appreciative of
you. I really like working in Italy, too. I've worked there for about seven
years now, and I love their attitude toward fitness. They have fun, don't
take things too seriously, and will try anyone or anything new."
I asked Rebecca what funny experiences she might have had in her
travels. "It wasn't funny at the time, but I had a convention in Switzerland
last year, and I actually arrived on the wrong day to teach. I arrived on
Friday night and thought I was teaching on Saturday and had booked my
flight to go home Sunday morning. I was so excited because I thought I
had my first Sunday off and at home in six months. I had all these plans
to have a wonderful day with my husband and it all totally backfired! After
finding out that I had to teach on Sunday and not Saturday, I had to buy
another flight home, at my own expense, on Sunday night. So that was
all okay. I had to pay for an extra ticket and stay an extra day -- fine."
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