History of Pilates

As a German citizen interned in England at the start of World War I in an alien enemies camp, Joseph Pilates developed an exercise system he called “Contrology” in order to maintain his overall health. He continued to build this system by working with fellow prisoners by designing his “reformer” machine for injured soldiers who were bedridden and in the process of recovery. After the war, Pilates moved to NYC opening a studio to expand his vision and exercise practice to further his ideas and method. The system he developed is now called Pilates, after him.

As a Pilates instructor I can find value in the choreography he established with each routine and ways of using the machines, yet would like to emphasize my interest with working with clients in a way where they do not fundamentally feel a need to change who they are. Because of this, I do not work from a standpoint that aspires for a process of work where the outcome is a person’s intense desire to control their bodies in any extreme fashion. As a professional dancer and choreographer I am unbelievably qualified with the mechanisms which exist to encourage people to discipline and engage with their anatomy as a form of general health and wellness, but I do not teach with the intent of altering who a person is, rather the hope to honor it. I bring my belief that movement has the capacity for healing and my steadfast commitment to work with people in a way which resists the abusive and damaging dominance the fitness industry can propagate.