Eve Schott of Salisbury is channeling her love for music and dance into her studio, Eve Schott Aerobics and Zumba.

Ive always loved dance, she said. I like Zumba because of the challenge and the dance aspect. I love the music.

Zumba is an aerobic fitness program based on various styles of Latin American dance. Schott holds Zumba and step aerobics classes at her studio at 127 School St. in Boynton. Zumba is held at 6:30 p.m. Monday and step aerobics is 6:30 p.m. Thursday. She also teaches step aerobics at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Frostburg State University Activities for Life held within the Cordts Physical Education Center, 101 Midlothian Road, Frostburg, Maryland. All classes are open to the public. She became certified as a step aerobics and group fitness teacher in the late 1980s and was certified as a Zumba instructor in 2010.

I started aerobics in Fort Lauderdale in the 1980s, the 55-year-old Schott said. I took theater and dance in college and I always enjoyed it. Step is easier for me because its more straightforward. With Zumba, I challenge myself to memorize things. Id like to get certified in Zumba Step, which is a combination of both.

Tammie Grove of Meyersdale has been taking Zumba and step aerobics classes in Boynton and Frostburg for four years.

I love her classes, she said. Its great. We have a good time and you dont know youre working out. Its lots of fun and Eve cares about us. When were hurting, she wants to know whats wrong and how she can help. Come and try any of her classes.

Schott said that the importance of exercise is undisputed. It improves peoples bodies and minds.

In a small community like ours, group fitness is important in so many ways, she said. One of the most important being the benefit of social interaction. Social interaction where you actually show up, not social media keeps us connected, stimulating the brain and improving mental clarity. Key factors in warding off depression and possibly even dementia and the onset of Alzheimers disease.

Gentle, low impact exercises such as walking and stretching, when done on a regular basis, can improve memory, balance, muscle tone, flexibility and heart health by increasing blood flow to the brain and throughout the body, she said. The bottom line is exercise makes you feel better.

Schott is originally from Woodbine, Maryland. She attended Glenelg High School, Catonsville Community College, Catholic University of America and Towson State University. Her degree is in mass communications, public relations and marketing. She and her husband, Chris, own C&S Pyramid Builders Inc., a commercial concrete and masonry business. She is vice president and general manager. They are the parents of Hannah, of Denver, Colorado; Haley, of Pasadena, California; and Mason, at home, who is a junior at Meyersdale Area High School.

Her parents, John and Anne Cole, live in Keyser, West Virginia. He hunted in Garrett County, Maryland. He liked the area so much that he bought a 100-acre farm near Salisbury. At the time, the Schotts were living in Florida.

He asked us to come and take care of the farm, and we moved here in May of 1991, she said. My parents later moved to West Virginia. My father is constantly looking at new houses. They decided it would be warmer in West Virginia.

She did some video production work in Florida, but knew coming to the rural area she couldnt get a job in that field within commuting range.

It made more sense to be self-employed and Chris has real talent in construction, she said. So we started our own businesses.

The C&S Pyramid Builders Inc. machinery and materials were being stored at the farm and the Schotts decided that they needed a building to house the business. The building on School Street was for sale. It was originally a school, then a church. They bought the building in 1998. C&S Pyramid Builders Inc. and Eve Schott Aerobics and Zumba are in the same building, with classes held in the former gym. Chris is a karate master and teacher. He isnt currently teaching, but plans to restart karate classes later this year.

Because of Chris ability to remodel houses, the Schotts like to rescue and remodel buildings. They currently own five buildings, including the farm and their business. One house is the Hocking House in Frostburg, Maryland. It was built in 1844 and is on the National Historic Register. Another house in North Carolina that they own is listed as a historic preservation building, but is not on the national register.

Eve has always enjoyed being in theater productions. In 2014, she had a major role in the Cumberland Theatres production of Neil Simons Plaza Suite.

It was a challenge to remember because it was a huge role, she said. I hadnt done theater since 2008. I didnt know what I was getting into, with the costume changes and doing my own hair and makeup. But I really enjoyed it.

When she was in a college theatre company, she traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland, where the company performed MacBeth in the Edinburgh Theatre Festival.

During my month stay, I visited London, the Isle of Skye and took a long train to Wales, where I hiked, camped and had my first Guiness stout at a local pub, she said. What a great experience.

Her other hobbies are snowboarding, gardening, drawing, painting and collecting art and antiques.

The best thing about living here is the sheer beauty and peacefulness of the landscape and the quaint towns, Scott said. I love the countryside. I rode horses as a kid and always loved the outdoors. We have good neighbors (Paul and Barbara Wright). I love the mountains, hills and old growth forests and the change of seasons. I love the Springs Folk Festival, the Springs Farmers Market and Amish roadside stands. I love going to auctions and there is less competition for businesses here and a lower cost of living than urban areas. The downside is we are a little bit removed from the city. Id like to be closer to restaurants, shops, theater and the arts.

She doesnt like winter weather, which poses a challenge for the business. When a contract calls for concrete and masonry work to be done in the winter, it has to be done.

Her goal is to have more growth in her fitness classes. She said that diversity among the participants is another great benefit of group fitness. Beginners and those more advanced, women and men, young and old, can benefit from taking the same class because each individual is encouraged to exercise at his own pace or fitness level. Motivation and confidence also increases when exercising regularly with others who share the same or similar health and fitness goals a lot like being part of a team plus it is more fun.

Id also like to start group trail walks, Schott said. I had one at my house about a year ago. We are close to state parks in Pennsylvania and in Maryland and a lot of people would love those. There is so much opportunity in this area. People who live here are tougher than city folk, but people become reclusive in small towns. We can go out to nature areas, which is not much different than walking out our front doors.

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Eve Schott shares her love of dance with her classes - Daily American Online