The History
As much as we know about Joseph Pilates, there is much we do not know. To many it seems like Pilates has become an overnight fitness craze. But, the truth is Pilates as an exercise system has been in the United States since the 1920's.
It all began with a man named Joseph Pilates. Joe was born near Dusseldorf Germany, of Greek ancestry. He had a brother, Fred, and a sister. As a young man he traveled to England. Some say he was with the German Circus, other stories include teaching boxing and working for Scotland Yard. It is irrelevant because World War I broke out. Joe was interned and began developing his system of exercise. He hung springs off of the hospital beds, enabling bedridden patients to exercise against resistance. This was the birth of "Contrology", what Mr. Pilates called his system. In England, the system is taught at the Laban Centre to this day.
Joe then came to America and opened a small studio and in the forty one years he lived in New York, he was able to develop over 100 exercises in his method. In addition, he held over 20 different patterns for his inventions, wrote two books on his system of exercise, lectured to doctors and chiropractors, and taught celebrities, dancers, writers, social figures and New Yorkers wanting to get in shape and feel better. We are fortunate to have Joe's writing and photo history which he himself documented. He died in 1967 at the age of 86.
He was survived by his widow Clara Pilates. Joe did not have a will, but Clara knew who Joe would have wanted to run his studio and continue his great work. In her copy of "Return to Life" Joe signed it to his most "conscientious disciple". Romana Kryzanowska, is that indeed. After working with Mr. Pilates for thirty years, she has brought the exercise system to the popularity it has today by continuing his work and developing the first Certification Program.
Many of his other students have gone on to teach his work as well. Kathy Grant taught Joe Pilates' system up until her death in May 2010. At New York University Mary Bowen incorporates her work as a Jungian analyst with the work Joe Pilates taught her in the many years she took lessons from him. Carola Trier was one of his students who he helped open a studio of her own in the 1950's. Eve Gentry, Bruce King, Ron Fletcher, and Lolita San Miguel were all students of Joe Pilates and went on to teach.
Although most of my training was done with Romana, I have had the good fortune to have studied with many first generation instructors. Joe Pilates had the amazing ability of knowing peoples bodies. When Romana's daughter Sari worked with him, he knew she had a delicate neck. He developed an exercise exclusively for her. He took an exercise known as Knee Stretches and adapted it to his student Eve Gentry. Consequently, in all the trainings I have done there is consistency as to what Joe Pilates would have done. That's because Joe worked with the body of his clients and did what was most beneficial for that individual.
Traditional Authentic Pilates, was born to give teachers a system with work that we know Joe Pilates would have taught. There are no balls, bands, rollers, and devices not created by Mr. Pilates. Instead, it is a system using all of the tools Joe Pilates himself left us through his many forms of documentation. Plus a solid knowledge of the human body that Mr. Pilates used to adapt to each client and each body. Traditional Authentic Pilates (TAP) preserves the work of Joseph H. Pilates: attainment and maintenance of a uniformly developed body, mind, and spirit. The exercises are broken down into five levels so that regardless of fitness level or physical limitation anyone can achieve this goal which is the intent of Mr. Pilates from his origins back in England when he first used those springs off of the hospital beds during the war.
Sabrina Vaz: Master Instructor
www.traditionalpilatesofcapecod.com
Ms. Vaz has practiced Pilates for over 20 years. She began her formal Pilates training as a dancer and choreographer while studying Laban's Principals of Movement at The Laban Centre in London England. Upon return to the states, Ms. Vas studied with Mary Bowen. Mary was one of Joseph Pilates former students. At Ms. Bowen's suggestion she went through a certification with the Physicalmind Institute of Santa Fe New Mexico. Shortly after she went through certification courses with Stott Pilates.
Consequently, her quest for further knowledge lead her to the world’s foremost authorities on Joseph Pilates, his protégé, Romana Kryzanowska and Sean Gallagher. Today, She teaches in the tradition of Mr. Pilates New York City Studio which she learned from the source.
In addition, Sabrina is a certified Gyrotonic® instructor and Gyrokinesis® instructor and pre-trainer, certified Yoga instructor and Thai Body Work Practioner. She studies under Julio Horvath, the creator and has worked with him in Austria, Germany, Rome and Miami. She brings her extensive movement background to all of her work.