Amy Taylor Alpers

Pilates Center of Boulder, Passing the Torch™ Mentor
Amy Taylor Alpers studied dance at The Julliard School and received her BA and MA in Dance from New York University. She studied Pilates with Romana Kryzanowska, receiving her teaching certificate in 1989. Amy and her sister, Rachel Taylor Segel, founded the Pilates Center of Boulder and developed their Teacher Training program.

​

Brent D. Anderson PhD

PT, OCS, Polestar Education, Passing the Torch™ Mentor
A licensed Physical Therapist and Orthopedic Certified Specialist for over 13 years, Brent is a leading authority in performing arts medicine and Pilates-evolved techniques for rehabilitation. He founded and directs Polestar Pilates education, one of the world’s leading Pilates certification organizations. He lectures widely at national and international symposia.

​

Dane Burke

PT, Director of Clinics & Co-Founder of Northstar Pilates Solutions, LLC. , Balanced Body Master Instructor
Dane graduated with a BS in Physical Therapy in 2002 as well as a BS in Exercise Science with a concentration in Athletic Training in 1999, both from the University of Buffalo. Dane is now a Master Instructor at Balanced Body and conducts training on Mat and Reformer for those wanting to become Pilates instructors.

​

Allyson Cabot

PT, Core Conditioning, Balanced Body® Master Instructor
Allyson holds a B.S. in Kinesiology from UCLA and graduated with a B.S. in Physical Therapy from the California State University of Long Beach in 1991. She is certified in Pilates, Gyrotonic, and is a co-owner of Core Conditioning.

​

Lizbeth Garcia

Owner of Tilcia Studios
Lizbeth has 17 years of group exercise fitness experience and the past 12 years has been teaching Pilates. She has gained wide recognition for several of her DVD workout titles. A PMA gold-certified instructor, Lizbeth currently teaches instructor training program and continuing education as Master Instructor for Balanced Body and IDEA World Presenter.

 

Nico Gonzalez

Mercy Healthplex, Balanced Body® Master Instructor
A Balanced Body® master instructor, Nico delivers teacher training programs in all aspects of Pilates. He works for Mercy HealthPlex, a hospital-based wellness facility, where he manages the Pilates program, group fitness staff and wellness program. He has a weekly cable access television show and has appeared in many fitness videos. Nico is certified through PMA, ACE, and AFAA, and also instructs Zumba, Spinning, Resist a Ball and BOSU.

 

Dawn-Marie Ickes

MPT, Core Conditioning, Balanced Body® Master Instructor
Dawn-Marie holds an MPT from Mount Saint Mary’s College. She is PMA gold-certified in Pilates and was elected to the first board of directors for the Pilates Method Alliance. Dawn-Marie has practiced Physical Therapy since 1996. She teaches educational programs worldwide integrating Pilates and rehabilitation. Dawn-Marie and Core Conditioning recently completed the first Comprehensive Teacher Training Course within the MPT curriculum at CSUN.

​

Melissa Kakavas

Director of Pilates Education for Evolve Movment, Balanced Body® Master Instructor
Melissa Kakavas began her pilates training while dancing in New York, and became certified to teach by Power Pilates, Inc. and The Physicalmind Institute in 1999. She continued her education by becoming certified in Gyrotonic®, Gyrokinesis®, and Thai Yoga Body Therapy, and also holds specialized certifications in Pilates for Osteoporosis, Gait-Patterning, and Pre and Post-natal Pilates. She is a member of the Pilates Method Alliance as well as a PMA Certified Instructor and is a Balanced Body Master Instructor. Melissa is most rewarded when a student learns to overcome weaknesses, find new strengths and nurtures a strong sense of self through intelligent movement.

 

Elizabeth Larkam

MS, Balanced Body® Master Instructor, Passing the Torch™ Mentor
Currently leading the Pilates program at YogaWorks in northern California, Elizabeth taught at Pilates & Beyond for Western Athletic Clubs and worked for 15 years as a Pilates Dancemedicine Specialist at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco. Elizabeth is PMA Gold certified, a Guild-Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner, Gyrotonic™ and Gyrokinesis™ instructor, Franklin Method™ teacher and OM Yoga instructor. Co-founder and former co-owner of Polestar Education, Elizabeth now teaches and presents worldwide for Balanced Body®.

 

Julian Littleford

JL Body Conditioning, Passing the Torch™ Mentor
British-born Julian Littleford moved to San Diego in 1990 after spending 8 years as a principal dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company. He was originally trained in the Pilates method in England by Alan Herdman and was one of Mr. Herdman’s original teachers in the late 1970s. He is currently the Pilates director for the San Diego Padres baseball team.

 

Chantill Lopez

EHS Pilates Sebastopol Instructor, 
Balanced Body® Master Instructor
As a modern dancer and athlete, Chantill first experienced the joy and benefits of Pilates. Over the years it has continued to manifest into a practice of staying mindful, aware and conscious in her body and her day to day life. She began practicing Pilates more than 14 years ago and has taught in both California and Hawaii. She holds Pilates certifications from the PhysicalMind Institute and Body Kinetics in Mill Valley. She is also certified in Yamuna Body Rolling and has continued to study and train in methods such as Yoga, Feldenkrais, Franklin Method and the Halprin Process.

 

Tom McCook

Center of Balance, Balanced Body® Master Instructor, 
Balanced Body® Master Instructor
Tom McCook, founder, and director of Center of Balance is a nationally recognized fitness and movement specialist. Beginning his full-time career in personal training in 1984, Tom designs programs for health and life performance for working professionals, people rehabilitating from injuries and world class athletes including Olympic Gold Medal swimmers Natalie Coughlin, Jenny Thompson and Misty Hyman. Teaching Pilates since 1995, Tom’s approach integrates a range of training disciplines including Yoga, Shiatsu, stretching, The Franklin Method and Pilates in order to broaden his effectiveness in designing programs for optimal health. In 2003, Tom produced “Yoga and Pilates for Balance” an exercise video that brings together the benefits of Pilates and Yoga.

 

Nancy Myers, CPT

EHS Pilates, Balanced Body® Master Instructor
A movement practitioner for over 20 years, Nancy is co-owner and CEO of EHS Pilates in San Francisco, and a Balanced Body Master Instructor and CoreAlign® Master Trainer. PMA-certified with extensive knowledge in anatomy and kinesiology, she has dedicated her career to an emphasis on posture and gait analysis. Nancy is currently working on her masters in Holistic Nutrition, and holds a BS in International Business. In addition to her Foot and Gait Mentorship program at EHS, she teaches internationally and current writing projects include “Fabulous Feet” and “Pilates on the CoreAlign”.

 

Portia Page

Propel Pilates & Fitness, Balanced Body® Master Instructor
Portia has been in the fitness industry since 1992 as a teacher, competitor, program director, instructor trainer, international presenter, and video co-star, fitness director and creator. She is a Gold Certified Pilates Teacher through Pilates Method Alliance and a Balanced Body® Master Instructor. She has also been a Master Instructor for 24 Hour Fitness and has helped develop and cultivate several new programs for their instructors as well as conducted training throughout the US for classes from 10-200 people. She holds current certifications with both ACE and AFAA and has a BS in Cognitive Science from the University of California at San Diego.

 

Pilates Sports Center

Four instructors from Pilates Sports Center have contributed to our podcast series: co-founders Andromeda Trumbull, DC, and Kelli Altounian, and master teacher trainers Joshua Smith and Seth Hampton. PSC’s fusion of Classical and Progressive principles has led to joint ventures with high integrity companies in the fitness world. They have an active teacher training program and have also produced several DVDs on jumpboard workouts and Pilates for men.

 

Shelly Power

BS, Polestar Education
Shelly is the Director of Fitness and co–founder of Polestar Pilates Center Miami. Shelly is a Polestar Principal Educator, and has taught for Polestar Education since its inception in 1992. She has been a member of International Association for Dance Medicine & Science (IADMS) since 1996, and is a member of the Pilates Method Alliance. Shelly danced professionally for 12 years with the Sacramento-based modern dance company Dale Scholl Dance/Art. She received her BS degree in Dance from California State University, Sacramento, where she served on the faculty from 1992-1998. She studied Pilates and worked as a physical therapy aide with Brent Anderson at his clinic, Anderson Physical Therapy, in their native Sacramento for 7 years, and later moved with Polestar to Miami in 1998. Shelly teaches nationally and internationally for Polestar Pilates Education. Shelly also administers exams, conducts Pilates workshops and Polestar Mentor and Educator training worldwide.

 

Christine Romani-Ruby

MPT, ATC, PHI Pilates
Christine is a rarity in the Pilates world, an experienced Pilates professional with a strong background in physical therapy and fitness. Christine holds an MS in Physical Therapy and a certificate in Athletic Training. She is a licensed physical therapist, an associate professor at California University of Pennsylvania an ACE faculty member, a certified athletic trainer, and gold-certified Pilates Instructor through the PMA. Presently, Christine is a doctoral candidate in education and leadership at Indiana University of PA. An international presenter, Christine is owner of PHI Pilates, and co-owner of PHI Pilates Studio.

 

Lindy Royer

PT, Park Meadows Pilates & Physical Therapy, Balanced Body Master Instructor
Lindy is a licensed Physical Therapist and graduate in Physiotherapy from Cumberland College of Health Sciences in Sydney, Australia. She is a Franklin Method Educator, and has over 30 years of experience in Physical Therapy and group fitness. Lindy is the founder of Park Meadows Pilates & Physical Therapy, specializing in Pilates-based rehabilitation for pain, injury and neurological disorders, and is a Balanced Body Master Instructor.

 

Gabrielle Shrier

MPT, Core Conditioning, Balanced Body® Master Instructor
Gabrielle holds a BS in Kinesiology from UCLA and an MPT from USC. She is PMA gold certified in Pilates and certified in Gyrotonic. Gabrielle has practiced physical therapy since 1994, specializing in neurologic disorders, orthopedics and woman’s health. Gabrielle has developed educational programs for healthcare professionals, integrating Pilates and rehabilitation, teaches for Balanced Body®, and is a co-owner of Core Conditioning.

 

Stacy Sims

Pendleton Pilates
Stacy Sims is the founder of Pendleton Pilates and the author of the novel Swimming Naked. She studied Pilates with Troy McCarty, and opened her first studio in 2001, followed by a second location in 2003. Stacy is also the founder of the True Body Project, a non-profit organization that helps teen girls and women connect with their bodies and voices.

 

Cari Riis Stemmler

Paragon Pilates & Physical Therapy, Balanced Body® Master Instructor, Core Conditioning
Transitioning from a career as a professional dancer, Cari started teaching Pilates in 1997. She is a PMA Gold certified instructor as well as a practitioner of Ashtanga, Hatha and Anusara yoga, and a Certified Fitness Trainer. Cari owns Paragon Pilates & Physical Therapy and teaches instructor training programs and continuing education for Balanced Body.

 

Valentin

Pilates Body by Valentin, Balanced Body® Master Instructor
Valentin is the founder of Pilates Body by Valentin, a full-service training studio in Dublin, California. She is a 27-year group exercise instructor, IDEA International Presenter, and a Balanced Body Master Instructor. Her former ballet training has provided her with a strong foundation for creative Pilates group reformer, chair, and circuit. Her emphasis on precision, technique, and motivation has proved to be highly successful for her clients.

​