“Karen spotted me right away and started introducing me to everyone,” Uhlman remembers. “The classroom was filled with laughter and chatter.”
By the time that first class was over, Uhlman had been invited to the after-exercise coffee klatch at a neighborhood cafe and to an upcoming book group meeting. “Karen creates a community by joining together the people around her,” said Uhlman. “Simply put, Karen makes connections. She connects people and she connects people with the community.”
Those who have known Karen Hochwalt over the years would say that’s a pretty accurate assessment of a woman who’s been called “magical” by those who know and love her. At age 70, she’s still going strong, both with high kicks and compassion. She knows when one of her students has a birthday, a new grandchild, or has lost a spouse or parent. She senses when they need a hug.
Hochwalt’s skill as a teacher comes from her years as a professional dancer with the Cincinnati Ballet Company followed by decades as a choreographer, dance and aerobics instructor. When she moved to Dayton in 1981 she immediately began the Dancercise class at the Oakwood Community Center (then the YMCA). That class is still going strong and includes some of the original students.
Over the years, Hochwalt has also led classes at a number of ballet schools and at Kettering and Sycamore hospitals. There was a time she was teaching a total of 27 aerobics and ballet classes per week.
Debra Schenk, who first met Hochwalt when she took a water aerobics class from her at the University of Dayton 35 years ago, said everyone has a Karen story.
“She was vibrant and encouraging. Just the same as she is today,” said Schenk. “In her Dancercise class we mourn each other’s losses, care for each other when needed, celebrate birthdays, births, anything. We have a social coffee group, book club, luncheons, Christmas cookie exchange and shopping events.”
Schenk said Hochwalt is very knowledgeable about the body and “has eyes on all of us. She keeps us all moving and gives us the opportunity to age well.”
An angel at Stivers
For the past 20 years, Hochwalt has also been an adjunct instructor at Stivers School for the Arts. The school’s dance director, DeShona Pepper Robertson, considers her colleague a “bubble of joy” who inspires everyone she teaches and has helped elevate the ballet program to new heights.
“We had no girls en pointe before Karen; at one point she had 20 girls on pointe shoes,” said Robertson. “Miss Karen is someone who cares immensely. It was never just a job for her. She inspired so many and always went the extra mile. She would stick her neck out and be an advocate for inner-city kids. She knew when a student was hungry and she’d bring an extra protein bar to class; she knew when her students needed ballet shoes and would go back to her Oakwood friends and tell them her ‘kids’ needed expensive ballet slippers.”
When Hochwalt officially retired last spring, there were surprises in store. At the annual Spring Choreograper’s Showcase, her former students returned to Dayton to perform a montage of dances their beloved teacher had choreographed over the years. Current Stivers students danced to her piece entitled ‘Angelicus.’ At the end, each young dancer presented Hochwalt with a white rose and said “You’re my angel.”
Not surprisingly, many of Hochwalt’s exercise students were in the audience.
“It was a celebration of love,” said Debra Schenk.
When choreographing a new piece, Hochwalt said she always begins by immersing herself in music that inspired her, then developing a theme.
“I always sought input from my dancers.” she said. “Choreography is a deeply personal and expressive process. It became a way for me to communicate emotions and ideas that words alone could not convey.”
In the beginning
As a child, Hochwalt was always on the move, spending most of her time outdoors — playing basketball, softball, or running around with her cousins for games such as capture-the-flag and hide-and-seek.
“I had a wild imagination — I remember thinking I could fly, just like Peter Pan. I would jump out of trees, convinced that I could suspend myself in the air for a moment before gravity took over. The thought of the flight thrilled me.”
Her love of movement dates back to toddlerhood when her mother took her to a free community dance class in Louisville, Ky. She took ballet classes in elementary and high school and in her junior year joined the Louisville Ballet Company.
“Dance became my escape, a refuge from the academic and social pressures of high school,” she said.
Hochwalt studied at the North Carolina School of the Arts before transferring to the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), where she earned my BFA in Dance. Hochwalt said one of the biggest challenges of dancing professionally was overcoming the insecurities that come with the constant self-comparison in a competitive environment.
Other interests
When she’s not teaching, Hochwalt “connects” with others in a variety of ways. Not surprisingly, it’s all centered around being active: tennis, pickleball, walking the dog. She loves hiking in nature with her husband, Mike, and their family: three sons, two daughters-in-law, three grandkids. All of these activities, said Hochwalt, provide “a wonderful balance to my life.”
Danou Walther has been taking Hochwalt’s classes for 40 years.
“She is my exercise guru and I have so much admiration for her,” Walther said.
“What I like about Karen is her friendly and gracious personality. She always makes the workout fun and convivial. Her energy is catching, and 40 years later she is not slowing down.”
Walther remembers Hochwalt’s pregnancies and her many broken bones and pulled muscles.
“Then she would teach us sitting down,” she said. “Always positive and smiling. She shared with us all important events affecting her family: engagements, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays ... the arrival of her grandchildren. During the pandemic, she organized Zoom classes and taught from her home.”
Walther said Hochwalt has created an “exercise family” and cares about each person in her class.
“Thanks to Karen I think I am in very good health and good shape for my age,” said Walther. “I will be 82 next month and I hope to continue these classes for a few more years.”
Whether she’s teaching a ballet class for high school students or a Dancercise class for adults, Hochwalt’s mantra remains the same.
“Make sure you have fun. Dance is a lot of hard work, but it should never feel like a burden. It’s important to keep the joy alive.”
About the Author
