ANNA
Anna is a visionary and a teacher. She is brimming with ideas and ways to connect with and heal both herself and those walking anywhere near her. She loves to learn and teaches by example.
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Anna met Pilates as a way to heal from excruciating back pain from childbirth, and body pain from 30 years of professionally dancing. She applies her own diagnosis with Ehlers-Danlos to support EDS clients in joint stability.
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In gaining confidence and trust in healing herself, she has stepped into her abilities to intuitively understand bodies. As a BASI certified instructor, Anna also holds specialized training in working with individuals with chronic Back Pain, EDS, Pilates for Dancers, Pilates for Scoliosis, and in training athletes. Additionally, she holds certification in Progressing Ballet Technique.
Her vision is to reframe your perspectives by reforming how your body feels. At her studio, you will experience compassion and love in caring for your body, and carry that forward into your day. Reforming how we exist in the world with more peace, more joy, more love.
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MELANIE
Melanie comes to Pilates with a competitive athlete background, training as a swimmer through college, and then triathlons and distance running later on.
She has used pilates for years as a form of cross training and injury rehabilitation.
Melanie is a BASI certified instructor and has specialized training in working with individuals with injuries, post surgery and the aging population.
Guest Teacher- Bernadette
Bernadette Mirentxu Torres grew up in San Diego, California, and began her ballet studies at the age of six. She attended intensives at American Ballet Theatre- New York, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Houston Ballet where she was offered a year-round scholarship, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Additionally, she was offered a trainee position with the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago. As a pre-professional, Ms. Torres competed in the Youth America Grand Prix, attending the New York Finals and the World Ballet Competition
attending the Orlando Finals.
At the age of 17, she received her first company contract with the San Diego Ballet and rose through the ranks to Principal by the age of 22 with the California Ballet. In her first year as a professional, Ms. Torres was approached by the Artistic Director to begin teaching in the school due to her keen eye for detail and technical understanding. This is where she discovered her passion and curiosity for teaching.
Ms. Torres opened her first business, Happy Hour Pilates and Wellness in January 2020. Her passion for Pilates, anatomy, and helping people from all walks of life feel better was her driver for opening her doors. In September 2020, after years of teaching ballet, she opened her second business, the Torres Di Dio Ballet Program (TDBP). As the Artistic Director of TDBP she created a program intent to meet the needs of students and parents seeking quality education, in a more personalized environment. Emphasizing technique, artistry, anatomy, dance history, and the business of dance, Ms. Torres’ students and
program earned recognition in the city of San Diego as being a school with excellent technique, a true focus on the student as an individual, and equipped with an innovative business strategy. Her students have placed at major competitions, earned year-round and summer intensive scholarships at prestigious schools, and have obtained spots in BFA programs nationally.
An avid supporter of continuing education, Ms. Torres holds an AA in Accounting with Honors from Southwestern College and a BS in Business Administration-Management from San Diego State University. Additionally, she holds certifications in the Progressing Ballet Technique, the Royal Ballet School Teacher Training- Continuing Education Webinars, BASI Pilates, BASI Pilates Masters, Pilates for Dancers, Pilates for Pregnancy and Beyond, Pilates for Injuries and Pathologies, and NASM-CPT. Annually, Ms. Torres attends conferences in Pilates, Dance, and Business as she believes education and continuous growth are lifelong practices.
Bernadette Torres is currently the Academy Principal at the Colorado Ballet Academy, shaping the next generation of artists.
Substitute- Fiona
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Fiona has been teaching Pilates since 2005. Having attained a master’s degree and worked as a journalist, she entered the fitness industry at the age of 52. Teaching Pilates has been her passion ever since, and now in her 70s she can attest to how beneficial the work has been for her own body.
As a teacher, Fiona strives to impart a deep understanding of the intention behind Pilates. Not content with simply coaching her students through a series of exercises, she makes it her goal to take them to a more profound level of body awareness. “Don’t just move” is her mantra!
Join us for class and feel the difference.
I know you will be back!
Anna and her qualified team will support you with both in-depth knowledge and warmth in maintaining and gaining health through prehab and pain-free movement.