About – Nia Gauteng

What is Nia?

Nia is a fitness art that builds strength, agility, flexibility, and grace in the body and mind, bringing about transformation on many levels beyond the physical. By following the Body’s Way, people of all ages, fitness levels, and exercise backgrounds learn to explore their own bodies and the way they move.

Nia is the most advanced form of fusion fitness, blending martial arts, healing arts, dance arts, and self-healing to create a high-powered, synergistic workout that will not only keep you in fantastic shape, but will also help you to rediscover the joy of movement and being at home in your body. Rich in diversity in both music and movement, Nia addresses the whole person through integration, play, and sensory awareness. Nia uses the pleasure principle to seek comfort and ease in order to move, strengthen, and heal the body in a natural, organic way. It is a workout that is fun, yet efficient, providing cardiovascular conditioning while inducing the feel-good sensations of dance. Nia is for anybody who wants to move.

History of Nia

Nia was born out of the aerobics craze of the 1980s in the United States. In 1983, Debbie and Carlos Rosas took off their shoes and created barefoot fusion fitness. After getting support from the medical community for the cardiovascular benefits, Nia was launched nationally in 1987.
In 2002, Kathy Wolstenholme brought Nia to South Africa.

How does Nia work?

Nia uses three tools to stimulate, motivate, and create positive change: Music, Movement, and Magic.

Music is used for inspiration and as an energy you learn to sink into, ride on, and flow with. Movement is used to integrate your body, mind, emotions, and spirit. The Magic is you. How you do what you do, how you interact and connect, and how you create.

As a science, Nia uses systemic movement, moving the entire body with grounded steps and stances from the martial arts (Tai Chi, Tae Kwon Do, and Aikido), the dance arts (Jazz, Modern, and Duncan Dance) and the healing arts (Alexander Technique, Yoga, Feldenkrais). Nia works because it is natural, organic, and free, and because you personalise every aspect of Nia to lovingly guide you.

What makes Nia unique

Nia follows natural time rather than mechanical time. In mechanical time we have to learn, remember, and perform in somebody else’s time (remember the impatient teacher when you didn’t get something right). Natural time however, recognises that each person learns in their own unique way and time. Simply put, you don’t have to get a new move the first time you do it (or the second, third, or fourth) and you definitely don’t have to do it exactly the same way as the teacher. You find the way of doing the move that feels comfortable and gives you a sensation of pleasure.

Because the teacher shows the moves in real time, it makes no difference whether you are new to Nia or have missed a class, you can still comfortably join in and experience the Nia magic. This is also why Nia does not have beginners and advanced classes. Everybody joins in the class in their unique way, without fear of doing it wrong.

Nia is presented in a way that guides each person to listen to their body and to make their own movement choices throughout the class.

Studio Kairos

Studio Kairos is 22 years old in November 2025!

Kairos comes from the Greek word meaning timeless, the opposite of chronos, which means linear or mechanical.

We all live in man-made mechanical time with tight deadlines and are constantly racing against time. In Kairos or natural time, we can tune in to our biorhythms rhythms and cycles, which fluctuate according to our bio-rhythms. In Nia one of the White Belt principles is Natural Time.

It was my dream to create a dedicated space for us to do the wonderful work of Nia. I have endless gratitude for this dream coming to fruition. Once again, this Nia Johannesburg space could not have been created without the amazingly enthusiastic students, teachers and trainers who display and share their gifts with such courage and generosity.

Susan Sloan (White Belt Trainer, and Studio Kairos Founding Member)

Our History

Studio Kairos has been the hub of the Nia technique in Johannesburg since its founding in 2003. The first classes were held at the Masonic Hall in Parktown North, and in November 2006, the studio moved to its current location in Dunkeld West.

The studio was established by Susan Sloan, who, along with Ann Schwankhart and Michelle Hudson, introduced Nia to Johannesburg after it was brought to South Africa in 2002 by Kathy Wolstenholme. Kathy’s pioneering work in establishing Nia in South Africa was instrumental in laying the groundwork for the studio’s growth.

In 2005, Susan partnered with Avril Joffe to further expand the studio’s reach and offerings. Avril brought her unique vision and energy to Studio Kairos, helping to nurture it as a community-centred space for movement and mindfulness. Under their joint leadership, the studio thrived, and cultivated a supportive environment for all participants.

In 2012, Kim Hatchuel joined Susan as a studio partner after Avril Joffe stepped back to focus on other commitments. Kim dedicated more than 12 years to managing Studio Kairos with love and care, and has been the heart of the studio, keeping everything running smoothly. At the end of 2024, Kim passed the admin baton on to a new pair of hands, and we express our endless gratitude for her unwavering commitment and passion. Thankfully, this isn’t a goodbye! We’re thrilled Kim will continue gracing our studio with her vibrant energy, one cha-cha-cha and hip bump at a time.

Simon Phiri, who was the studio’s caretaker for two decades, was a dedicated team member. His warmth and tireless efforts ensured that the studio always remained a welcoming and well-maintained space. His commitment went far beyond maintenance – he was a beloved figure in the community, consistently contributing to the positive atmosphere that Studio Kairos is known for. After Simon’s untimely passing in May 2024, his nephew, Andrew, stepped into Simon’s well-loved shoes and took on the role of studio caretaker. Andrew’s enthusiasm and commitment ensure that the studio continues to be a beautifully maintained and inviting space for all who enter.

Today, Studio Kairos remains a beacon for movement and mindfulness in Johannesburg, continuing Susan’s original vision to create a space where people can connect with their bodies, cultivate joy, and embrace the transformative power of Nia.

Our Mission

Studio Kairos will continue to provide a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment for the community to explore and express body/mind awareness, and expand their lives. Everyone will be able to nourish and cultivate their body, mind and spirit as our classes are carefully chosen for their effectiveness and overall enjoyment. We aim to educate and empower people to live happier, healthier lives. We also offer continuing education, training, and workshops.

Our Vision

We envision that Studio Kairos will continue to provide support for the community with uplifting activities, opportunities for joyful present moment engagement, providing excellence in educational, cultural and recreational experiences. We will provide opportunities for the community to continue to enjoy the benefits of Nia, while celebrating creativity and diversity in a supportive joyful community.

Our Values

Creativity

We believe that by providing opportunities to express themselves, individuals will achieve their full potential.

Diversity

Recognising and respecting individual needs, we will provide a wide-range of unique and interesting classes, workshops and trainings.

Excellence

We will strive to exceed expectations by offering quality experiences and by listening to our members’ feedback to grow and improve.

Outreach

We will actively seek new ideas and partnerships for the mutual benefit of the community at large.

Responsibility

We will ensure that we are able to respond in a positive and uplifting manner, with all available resources being utilised to support the Mission and Vision.

Teamwork

In the spirit of togetherness, we will encourage open participation with mutual trust and respect. We recognise that good partnership in dancing is a lovely metaphor for good partnering relationship in the world.

What Makes Us Unique

Studio Kairos is the perfect space for Nia. It is big and bright with huge windows overlooking the bowling green.
The space allows us to bring in lots of natural light and sound and we can celebrate with our teachers and international trainers.
The space has an atmosphere of cooperation and acceptance, without any competition.
We have beautiful wooden floors, which are kept very clean every day.
We have experienced and certified Nia teachers/trainers.