The Brooklyn Papers / Tom Callan

James Martinelli leads a class at Eastern Athletic Club.

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Even the most ardent proponents of exercise will admit that working out can be boring. But you’ll never hear that complaint from James Martinelli’s students.

Martinelli, who is a dancer and an actor (he is acting director of theater at Long Island University and frequently performs in community theater), teaches his own blend of aerobic dance and weight training sprinkled with a heaping dose of his generous personality. And his students find it delightful.

"He makes you feel as if you’re a performer when you’re in his class," says Maxine Schulof, 53, a regular for six years at Martinelli’s Move & Groove and Sculpt classes at the Eastern Athletic Club in Brooklyn Heights. "I like his energy and his fun personality. He makes an hour of exercise go by quickly."

For Martinelli, who also teaches at the New York Sports Club in Bay Ridge and has private students throughout the tri-state area, "It’s not about building. It’s about strengthening what you have. It’s about inspiring yourself."

It was in public school that Martinelli discovered his dancing and acting talents. His English teacher at Grady High School in Brighton Beach encouraged him to join the First All Children’s Theatre, founded by Celeste Holmes, where, Martinelli says, "My best friend was Ben Stiller." He also became involved in dance.

"My cousin took me to her dance class every week and I watched her. Finally, the teacher, Margaret Tapona, let me take her class for free until I could pay for it by working for her," says Martinelli. "She inspired me and she was my first love."

Over the next few years, Martinelli appeared on television in "Kids Are People Too" and "We’re Dancing," in community theater and touring in shows such as "The Boyfriend," "Carousel" and "Oklahoma." Then he enrolled in Brooklyn College.

"When I got to college and they asked me to pick a major, I picked two - dance and health. I found a correlation between the two," Martinelli recalls. "They both brought out an inner joy that creates a domino effect bringing on health. I started putting together a program for myself that included dance and weight training and I’ve been doing it ever since. I happen to be very lucky to have stumbled upon this combination."

Schulof says Martinelli’s classes are "different from all other classes because of James’ knowledge of music and dance."

Martinelli explains, "Most aerobics teachers don’t have a dance background. I use different styles of dance in my program. I change direction to stimulate the brain, and I use light weights to strengthen the body."

He is also aware of the body’s limitations, something that’s become even clearer now that he’s turned 40 (although, with his boyish good looks he appears younger, as he’ll be the first to tell you).

"There is no injury in my classes. We use the natural alignment of the body and the natural way of moving," he says. "My classes are aimed at everybody. Even the more advanced people have something to learn - primarily how to treat their bodies with respect."

Carole Rapaci, 60, who has been with Martinelli for eight years, says, "I know I’ll have fun at James’ class. I might get a little sweaty, but I’m not going to be dying there. I like his music [primarily show tunes and soft rock]. It doesn’t drum in your ears like in a lot of other aerobic classes.

"I go to a lot of classes, but most of them are about the same. He brings a lot of his experience to class. He dances to his own beat. That’s why he has a following."

During class, Martinelli loves to joke and tell anecdotes about his large Italian family. He has two older sisters and a mother who doesn’t believe men should do housework. As a result, he claims to be permanently unable to do his own laundry. Fortunately, his wardrobe is so vast he never wears the same piece of clothing twice - cargo jeans, sexy T-shirts and sweats of all stripes.

But Martinelli takes his work seriously. He is concerned about people who put their egos before common sense.

"You must start small and stay small," he advises. "People use heavy weights for their own egos. Women are the worst offenders. In exercise it’s dangerous because you hurt yourself. You build your body through time and your body will last. If you build it too fast, it’s going to fall."

Martinelli takes dance classes at Luigi’s on the Upper West Side where one of his fellow-dancers is Liza Minnelli, whom he finds inspiring.

"She’s still dancing," he says of the 59-year-old star of stage and screen. "And so am I."

"It’s all about the quality of life - being strong enough physically and at the same time listening to the body’s wisdom," he advises.

But perhaps Martinelli’s biggest asset is his ability to put people at ease. Perhaps that’s why his classes are always well-attended; they average about two dozen people.

"I don’t make people feel uncomfortable," says Martinelli. "I welcome people all the time. You have to start somewhere. And it might as well be me."

James Martinelli teaches Move & Groove and Sculpt classes at the Eastern Athletic Club at 43 Clark St. at Hicks Street in Brooklyn Heights on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday mornings and Saturday afternoons. For more information, call (718) 625-0500.

©2005 Community Newspaper Group