Renowned Brazilian dancer Justin Neto (center) helped Christine Lubitsky mark her 50th birthday on Jan. 19 at the Flippin Fabulous studio.
It was a Flippin Fabulous time on Jan. 19, when Justin Neto – a renowned Brazilian dancer and dance teacher with more than three million followers on social media – made a special appearance inside the Cinnaminson dance studio.
Life-long township resident Jeff Lubitsky contacted Neto and his team to make a special appearance for his wife Christine’s 50th birthday. She’s been taking adult hip-hop classes at Flippin Fabulous on Wednesday evenings and is a huge fan of Neto’s fitness routines, all choreographed perfectly for the GenX music lover, as Christine explained.
Decked out in their best 1980s workout gear, a group of Cinnaminson women danced the morning away that Sunday to Whitney, Madonna, Irene Cara and Queen.
Flippin Fabulous Dance is a new studio in the Sherwin Plaza on Route 130 and is owned by a township resident, Baheejah Potter, who offers classes for both children and adults in all styles of dance and gymnastics.
“I think it’s so important to keep moving and finding a fun form of exercise you enjoy,” Christine said. “I was so happy to discover the Wednesday hip-hop class at Flippin Fabulous. You do not need a ton of talent. It’s for people who simply like to dance with a great group of people.”
And that’s what the Sunday morning this month was all about, with high-energy dance moves from Neto perfect for the throwback 1980s tunes.
“He creates dance routines to the music of my childhood, ‘FlashDance,’ ‘Fame,’ ‘Ah-Ha,'” Christine noted. “My generation grew up with Richard Simmons, and Justin’s energy and love for what he does reminded me of him. I told my husband I was going to take one of his classes in New York. To my surprise he organized what I like to call my GenX 50th dance party with Justin and Miss B at the dance studio.
“Justin has a lot of followers, celebrities included,” she added. “He was so friendly and the life of the party. I could not believe how many routines he did with our group. Every song he picked was a hit. We were all singing, dancing, and sweating. It was an amazing workout.
“He made everyone feel like a kid again at big dance party.”
In addition to the dancing – and a brunch provided by the Early Bird Restaurant in Riverton – the women in the Flippin Fabulous class made charitable donations to help those devastated by the California wildfires; St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis; and their own charity, Cinna-Mission, which hosts monthly sandwich making at the community center for partnering homeless shelters.
