Issue #430
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
The Renaissance of Joe Pilates’ Magic Square
by Rebekah Le Magny
Very likely you have never heard of Pilates’ Magic Square. The Magic Square is undoubtedly one of Joe’s least known apparatus, although others have also “disappeared”. I first became intrigued with the Magic Square in April 2022 when my friend Elaine Ewing revealed her discovery of a series of five color photos of Joe that were previously unknown to the Pilates community. One of the photos in the collection (by photographer John Lindquist) had been circulating for years but only in black and white. Lindquist was the staff photographer for the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, where he worked for 42 summers photographing numerous renowned dancers and choreographers. The black and white photo shows Joe with several of his small apparatus. He holds up his Posture and Poise Apparatus (also known as the headpiece) with one hand. The neck stretcher hangs from a branch. The magic circle is propped against the branch and Joe squeezes an object between his knees. Until 2022, I had assumed that Joe was squeezing the tensometer, a piece of exercise equipment patented by him in 1938 that is believed to be the precursor to the magic circle. The discovery of the color Lindquist photos revealed that the object in question was not in fact the tensometer, but the Magic Square. You can also see the Magic Square in the series of photos of opera singer Roberta Peters taken by photographer Michel Rougier in 1941 for Life magazine, but it is in the background. Joe referred to a number of his small apparatus as “Magic Squares”, including the toe and hand tensometers and the neck stretcher, due to their square shape; however, this article specifically references the apparatus depicted in the sources described above.
The newly discovered Lindquist photos brought to light exciting details about the mysterious apparatus. The square uses an extension spring, like the neck stretcher and toe gizmo. The spring, however, is stretched not by pulling on the sides, but by squeezing them, similarly to the hand tensometer, which had also disappeared from public view for many decades but is enjoying a recent revival. The magic circle, in contrast, uses steel bands that act like compression springs. Of Joe’s apparatus, only the foot corrector and the magic circle do not use extension springs.
When I first saw the Lindquist photos, I thought it would be simple and “fun” to recreate the Magic Square. (I must admit that now I chuckle at the naiveté). Breaking out my ruler, I “guesstimated” the dimensions by comparing the square to the neck stretcher and magic circle in the photo. I contacted the Spanish Pilates equipment maker, Arregon Pilates, which is run by a dynamic mother/daughter duo and was one of the first companies to produce classical Pilates equipment in Europe. This was not Arregon’s first foray into reviving extinct archival Pilates equipment at my behest. They had recently produced an interpretation of the Divana (an apparatus combining a mat, small barrel and reformer), as well as a wunda chair with swiveling archival handles. I knew that they were as passionate about the Pilates method and its history as I was. I sent them what I thought were accurate(ish) measurements, although they examined the photos to produce their own conclusions. It soon became clear that making Pilates equipment was not the “simple” endeavor that I imagined. It took months to produce a first prototype. The mechanism was infinitely more intricate than anticipated and developing the proper spring tension was an arduous task. Unlike the neck stretcher or other apparatus, the differences in tension did not merely result in an easier or more difficult workout; the square would not work at all if the tension wasn’t right. Additionally, the assembly was complicated, expensive and time-consuming. Arregon produced several prototypes, but they were not perfect, and we were striving for perfection.
Now, approximately two years after the discovery of the photos, Arregon has launched the Magic Square and the result has proven to be well worth the wait. It is truly a work of art. While it is impossible to create a true replica without an original model, it is important to remember that almost none of the equipment in use today, including the most “classical” pieces, are true replicas of Joe’s originals. That includes the large apparatus such as the reformer, the Cadillac (the springs are different), the chairs, the ped-o-pul and the barrels, and also the small pieces such the toe gizmo and the neck stretcher. There have been some replicas based on original pieces very recently but in the five decades after Joe’s death, most of the equipment evolved differently than what he originally created.
Much of the arm work and inner thigh work that we do with the magic circle can be done with the Magic Square, although the spring evokes a wholly different sensation than the compression bands used for the circle. Mastery of the Magic Square spring demands a great deal more control than the magic circle. It is quite challenging and requires some time and experimentation. Of course, that is part of the fun. Joe called his method Contrology for a reason, after all😉. It will be interesting to adapt some of the wunda chair exercises to the square although purists might frown at the idea 😜.
Why did the Magic Square disappear? Could it be that Joe found it less useful than the magic circle? Possibly, but there is little to substantiate this theory. The circle does appear in the archives more than the square, but not much more. To my knowledge, only one original circle from Joe has survived, suggesting that Joe did not make many circles. We do know that Carola had several, but we do not know if these were during Joe’s lifetime. The popularity of the circle is largely due to Romana, who may have chosen to reproduce the magic circle and not the square because it was easier and cheaper to make. Similarly, the ped-o-pul that we use in most studios is not the sophisticated, adjustable one with the bike seat (which had all but disappeared before it was re-created several years ago), but the simpler, less expensive version. Although Romana adapted the circle to many of the mat exercises, Joe’s use of it was much more limited. In fact, many of the creative ways in which we use the circle might be risky with an original circle of steel and wood.
Although don’t know when Joe first invented the Magic Square, the Lindquist photos are from 1940, and the Life magazine spread appeared in 1951, eleven years later. This confirms that the Magic Square was not something that Joe discarded. The Square is not demonstrated in the Life photo shoot, but it does appear to be strategically placed in the photos, which suggests that Joe wanted it to be visible. We will probably never resolve the mystery of the Magic Square; however, we are now able to once again partake of its magic. Thanks to the talent and tenacity of the team at Arregon Pilates, the Magic Square has returned to life.
A former corporate finance lawyer (let’s be honest, not a particularly talented one), Rebekah Le Magny woke up one morning (figuratively, because she had pulled yet another all-nighter) and decided that stinky negotiating rooms and making the rich richer was no longer the life she wanted to lead. She got certified to teach pilates by Romana Kryzanowska, had a few dozen children (well, four) and has been teaching for over ten years in Paris. She is also certified to teach vinyasa and hatha yoga and teaches pilates and yoga in her “intimate” (tiny)home studio, Atelier R Pilates Yoga in Saint Maur des Fossés, just outside of Paris. When she is not teaching, she enjoys running, swimming, reading (check out The Pilates Book Review and Discussion Club) and trying to figure out ways to feed her family without cooking. She is still a miserable negotiator who cannot even negotiate adequate computer time with her kids. For more information, check out her Facebook page, Atelier R Pilates Yoga and website, www.pilatesyoga-saintmaur.fr.