Style news: Toronto’s Misfit Studio revamps a dance studio for its yoga and pilates classes

Over the past nine years, Toronto’s Misfit Studio has transformed several unconventional spaces into temples of movement: a coach house, a renovated church and the upper levels of a listed heritage property on Ossington Avenue, where it continues to operate. In September, the dance, yoga and Pilates-based studio opened the doors at its newest permanent location inside a former children’s dance studio dating back to the 1980s.

Through an extensive renovation, Misfit creator Amber Joliat and general manager Andrea Hellenbart were able to construct their dream studio, a loft-like space that includes an elegant waiting area, spacious change rooms and restrooms and a room reserved for private sessions. A retail space stocks workout gear as well as collaborations with local brands like Fortnight Lingerie, Anice Jewellery and Gold Apothecary, with plans to launch e-commerce in the coming weeks. To complete the visual experience, interior designer Lindsay Bell looked to the decor legacy at Misfit’s other locations, which incorporated Joliat’s love of vintage, collage and antiques. “The most beautiful thing about this studio is that it has evolved as I have evolved,” Joliat says.

For anyone new to Misfit Studio, Joliat recommends sampling from their wide variety of classes, a schedule that includes everything from classic Pilates to kundalini yoga. “If you’re having a day where you just want to dance around and feel joyous and feed your inner child, we’ve got trampoline classes. We’ve got floor-based, high-cardio, let-your-inner-animal-out dance parties and then we’ve got really chill, restorative, mindful, lengthening and stretching classes,” she says. “You just have to show up and be yourself and be open minded. That part is key.”

Misfit Studio, 979 Bloor St. W., Toronto, 647-271-9037, misfitstudio.com.

Misfit Illustrated Tank Top, $29.

Misfit Studio Mat, Squish Ball and Weighted Balls, $104.

Misfit Studio x Anice Necklace, $80.

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