Like many little girls, Fajr Bashir was obsessed with her tutu.

She was enrolled in ballet classes at 2, and remained devoted until her 13th birthday. Then everything changed.

“When I turned 13, I became a little rebellious,” she said.

“I didn’t want to dance ballet any more. I had just started pointe and I hated it. I ended up joining United Dance Productions and did hip-hop instead.

“It is the complete opposite of ballet, but I wanted to enjoy dance again. I wanted to free up and not have to do everything perfectly and worry about my posture so much.”

She laughed: “I wanted to do something that resonated more with me. I wanted to be cool.”

That is the type of freedom Ms Bashir hopes to bring with Rebel Dance. The 31-year-old holds dance fitness classes at Island Physique, the studio she moved to Par-la-Ville Road, from the Old Berkeley, last weekend.

It’s yet another feather in her cap as last month a 12-minute high-intensity interval training workout she put together was featured in Self magazine.

Music, however, is what she’s passionate about. Her Rebel Workout class incorporates Afrobeats and soca. Her newest, Electro Rebel, uses house, pop, rock and electro; Soca Rebel is all soca. Before class, she turns the lights down low.

“It’s a dark room with spotlights and flashing lights,” she told Lifestyle. “I find a lot of people, when they come to a dance fitness class or fitness, period, they close up. They’re scared of what other people think.

“I wanted to create an environment where people felt comfortable in their own skin, able to free up and dance like no one’s watching. The class is so intense that you don’t have time to look at what other people are doing. You’re really focused on getting through the routines.”

The moves, she said, are “high-intensity cardio”.

“There are low-impact versions of the dances, but the routines are really high energy. They are used to really ramp up the heart rate and get you sweating.

“Growing up, I was always into the music. I did African dance as a child. That resonated with me more than the ballet.

“I grew up in a back-of-town area where a lot of dancehall was being played. There was a strong 90s dancehall movement, so I was very intrigued by the old school dancehall steps.”

She qualified as a personal trainer in 2013 after encouragement from her brother, M-Core personal trainer Monroe Darrell and sister, La-Jene Darrell.

She started boot camp training in parks and two years later got her yoga certification. The music lover is also a singer-songwriter and her style is reflected in her work.

“My musical style has a lovers rock reggae influence, but there’s also crossover. It will cross over with R & B, it will cross over with pop, rock. I’m the same way when it comes to my dance fitness. I don’t like to stick to one style.”

Ballet still finds a way of creeping into Ms Bashir’s world.

“The thing that I took away from ballet is I’m very much a stickler for form,” she said.

“That has never left me. I watch my clients’ form, technique and posture when it comes to training. But when it comes to dancehall or hip-hop, posture goes right out the window.”

The Self profile came after her name was put forward by one of her clients, Shiona Turini.

The HITT workout is something readers can do anywhere, including on vacation.

“I’ve always had a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm. I’ve always been passionate about fitness and I love to motivate and encourage others,” she said.

“Fitness doesn’t come as second nature to a lot of people, so I’d like to help other people to reach that for themselves.”

• Visit http://bit.ly/2h3OfLM or www.islandphysique.com/