Susan and her husband Jason, both certified strength and conditioning specialists and members of the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science, opened Present Tense Fitness in 2016 in the Oregon District, at 222 East 6th St. They expanded to New York City in 2023 and recently both joined the prestigious School of American Ballet (SAB) as associate faculty teaching strength and conditioning.
More than 17,000 students from around the world have trained at SAB since it was founded by George Balanchine 90 years ago.
“We both have a great deal of respect and admiration for Aesha Ash, SAB’s head of Artistic Health and Wellness. She’s really changing the dance culture in the United States with her focus on student health, so having her respect means everything to us,” Jason said. “At the same time, the validation we got from working with Dayton Ballet artists and Dayton Contemporary Dance Company artists means just as much. Every individual dancer we work with who says we’ve helped them extend their career or dance pain-free means everything.”
Fitness for dancers
The cross-training methods taught by the Harrisons are trusted by dancers from the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, the Dayton Ballet, New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Dance Theatre of Harlem.
“Training dancers is unique because of their dual demands of having to perform very technical, very athletic movements while also having to navigate what has traditionally been a fairly toxic environment, particularly when it comes to policing girls’ and women’s bodies,” Jason said. “So, I view what we do with dancers as helping them thrive in an environment that can be very difficult for them physically and emotionally while simultaneously agitating to change the system itself.”
This training isn’t limited to those in the professional ranks as young dancers at all ages and levels can benefit from building a strong foundation for durability and athleticism.
“By the time a dancer has developed chronic injuries, it can be much more complicated to make them stronger,” Susan said. “So, it’s really important that they start young. We teach young dancers how to take care of themselves and listen to their bodies, and those are skills they will take with them the rest of their lives.”
Fitness for all
While Present Tense Fitness specializes in training dancers, its doors are open to everyone who is interested in getting stronger and more mobile while building cardiovascular fitness with deeply personalized programming and structure.
“We work with clients across a wide spectrum of backgrounds — teenagers building strength for the first time, parents trying to keep up with busy kids, folks in midlife trying to stay resilient, and older adults who just want to keep moving well,” personal trainer Callie Young said. “You don’t need to be an athlete or have years of experience; you just need to be open to showing up and working on yourself. Gender, age, and experience level don’t matter as much as willingness to show up and be present in the process.”
While Jason and Susan work primarily in New York, Young and strength and conditioning coach Christina Machi train Dayton-area dancers and athletes. Young has seen the results with her clients getting stronger, moving with greater ease, and reducing their day-to-day aches and pain.
“But it’s not just about the physical changes, clients usually end up feeling more confident and capable outside the gym, too,” she said. “Because we take a holistic approach, factoring in things like sleep, stress, and recovery, it’s really about building health and strength that lasts, not just chasing quick fixes.”
For more information, visit www.presenttensefitness.com or Present Tense Fitness on Facebook or Instagram.
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