The people in line wait for Caleb Marshall, the instructor and a senior, to begin his cardio hip-hop class.
For the entirety of Marshall’s 45-minute class, the energy in the room is as intense as the heat. Sweat rolls down participants’ backs and their foreheads.
Marshall shouts or lip syncs to every song, running through the lines of students between hip-hop moves.
The SRSC offers over 15 different group exercise classes, but Marshall’s class is exceptional. On a typical day, his class packs over 100 dancers.
What makes this class stand out is simple — the teacher.
Marshall has been dancing and performing since third grade, but when he came to IU, he was suddenly lost, he said. Teaching cardio hip-hop quickly became his new passion.
“I had grown up performing, and when I got here, I stopped,” Marshall said. “When I started teaching, that completely filled the void I had felt.”
Marshall started teaching in his sophomore year after frequenting the SRSC’s classes and going through a six-week training period.
From the beginning, he said he wanted to change the way people felt about group exercise.
“I really wanted to change it into a big concert,” Marshall said, emphatically. “I want everyone to feel like they are performing on stage. I want it to be fun.”
Those who attend Marshall’s classes experience his goal in action.
“I love the classes because it doesn’t feel like exercise,” freshman Tanisha Dasmunshi said. “Caleb makes it a really positive environment, and he’s very energetic, which is motivating. The class gives me something to look forward to.”
Despite the pressure of performing and producing new routines, the support from those who enjoy his class is what makes the effort worth it for Marshall.
“It’s why I do it,” Marshall said. “It makes me so happy to see so many people come in and want to be silly and have fun and dance. That really drives me to keep pushing myself and to keep everything fresh and new.”
Marshall said his experience teaching hip-hop classes has influenced his life goals . After studying telecommunications and video production, he combined his academic pursuits with his passion for group exercise to create a YouTube channel.
His channel, “The Fitness Marshall,” features videos of Marshall and backup dancers performing his original choreography.
The videos are edited and put together by Marshall, who said he creates them as an outlet for his passions of dancing and video production. It is also a response to the people who love his class.
“The people who come to my classes week after week, the ones who wait almost an hour just to get their favorite spot, they mean so much to me,” Marshall said. “I wanted to be able to leave the participants with something they could continue to do when I leave.”
Despite any sadness from leaving behind teaching, Marshall said he is excited to pursue his dreams beyond the SRSC.
“I would like to change the way people see fitness and group exercise. I want to be the next Richard Simmons,” Marshall said, laughing .
But for now, Marshall follows the dream of revolutionizing group exercise classes through the SRSC and his YouTube channel.
He said he wants as many people as possible to feel included in cardio hip-hop and experience the freedom and fun of the class.
“If you can’t do a move, do something else,” Marshall said. “Just keep moving, keep smiling, keep having fun.”
