The Keeper of the Flame – by Jennifer Kries

 

 

Powerhouse.  Force of nature.  Magician.  Mischievous Flirt.  Star.  Healer.  The Keeper of the Flame.

Romana was all of these things, and more.

Romana was bigger than any space she occupied.

Her being could not be contained by any four walls -she radiated beyond them.

 

If I could say just one thing about her it would be this: that just by virtue of her energy, her presence, who she was, she made you want to be more, she made you believe that you could be more, that you could literally accomplish anything you set your mind to, and do it with real fire, laughter, passion and joy. And believe me, it wasn’t always pretty, but it was honest, and it had velocity, dynamism, punch and power. And eventually, if you kept at it long enough, if you worked hard enough, it became second nature, it became a part of you, it became a thing of beauty.

When you talk about what it means to feel ALIVE with a capital “A,” Romana was that person, and she inspired the same in everyone she came in contact with- whether it was the waiter, the taxi driver, or her next client, who was now graduating from his wheelchair to a walker because of her tireless, uplifting, nurturing instruction. Her twinkling smiles and spontaneous virtuosic performances even into her 80’s would leave a room of 30+ apprentices, teachers and clients breathless and applauding ferociously.

For Romana, everyone was equally deserving of her time and attention and for anyone who needed to heal from injury, whether it was from a torn rotator cuff, a car accident, or a broken heart, Romana knew the course of action to lead whomever she was guiding onto the path of wellness and wholeness once again.

Almost universally, I think it’s safe to say, that you found your way to Romana because you had a specific issue that needed to be addressed- you needed to “fix” something in your body because you needed to get back in the game, but what you wound up getting was so much more than you ever could bargained for.

I remember the first time I walked into the studio on 57th Street- it was like entering a sacred space, a church, a magical beehive where one true queen presided and immediately commanded your reverence. You were seduced into a world where anything was possible, where you were introduced to your body and yourself for the very first time. And to see people from all walks of life, artists, actors, doctors, musicians, athletes, dancers, who would come in with every conceivable injury and ailment, go from fragility to vibrant strength, was daily a privileged, life-changing, life-affirming experience.

Contrary to what you might imagine, I am not a morning person. Romana was literally the only one who ever succeeded in getting me out of bed voluntarily before 9am, and she performed this miraculous feat from afar, countless mornings of my young life.

Even in the dead of winter in New York City, in complete darkness, with a wind chill of -5, the streets and subway stairs slicked with treacherous ice, I would wake up at the ungodly hour of 5:30 in the morning, and not walk, but skate, 10 blocks to the L train to cross town, then to the 6 uptown on the East side to make it in time for Romana’s 7am mat class, where the race continued, as I hit the elevator at 50 West 57th, desperately pulling off my hat, gloves, scarves, coat, sweaters, long silk underwear and socks, as I flew past Drago’s desk where he signed me in, to the dressing-room, which was jam-packed with other apprentices who had performed the same act of heroism, trekking in from different parts of the city.

And like Superman in the phone booth, mere seconds later, we would magically appear ready to go in our workout gear, standing at attention, in our Pilates stance prepared to give our best for Romana, who was already smiling standing stoutly with her hands behind her back, perfect, regal posture, waiting and flirting with the handsome male apprentices, all of us ready to descend to the mat and give our all to this powerhouse, who inspired such passion that we would keep her company, working, assisting and learning how to treat every conceivable issue from scoliosis to meniscus tears, to broken ankles to post-natal conditioning, to parkinson’s- right there, in the studio for the next 7 hours, every single day, and every single day we became more of ourselves than we were the day before.

 

I would like to leave you with an excerpt from a poem by one of my all-time favorites, Mary Oliver:

 

When Death Comes

When it’s over, I want to say: all my life

I was a bride married to amazement.

I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.

When it’s over, I don’t want to wonder

if I have made of my life something particular, and real.

I don’t want to find myself sighing and frightened,

or full of argument.

I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.

Romana, you certainly didn’t just “visit” this world. You changed it for the better in immensely powerful ways that will continue long after all of us in this room are gone. Even from the beyond, Romana, you are healing, transforming and inspiring, through each one of us who was privileged to be touched by you and your passion, your dedication and joie de vivre that burned like a fire inside you, lighting the way for all of us, we who now carry the torch that illuminates the path ahead. You taught us how to see, how to touch, how to choose our words, with economy and precision, but above all, you taught us how to love our bodies, ourselves, our lives.

Your spirit will live on in every “dance” we do on the apparatus, and through every heart we touch and every body we change through the original brilliance of Joe himself, a legacy you carried with such grace, power and passion. The only way to repay your immeasurable gift is to pass it on with as much bright enthusiasm and generosity as you brought every day, in every session, every smile, every moment, to pass it on to future generations, with an evolved consciousness, with open hearts and open arms, so that everyone may taste this same magic that you created every day of your life.

An eternal thank you, Romana, and as you used to say, “love all around” …

 

 

 

 

 

Remembering Romana – by Lolita San Miguel

As with many others who became Pilates teachers, I was introduced to the

Pilates Method as a patient. In 1958, as a soloist with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, I suffered a severe trauma to my knee and the well-known orthopedic surgeon Dr. Henry Jordan recommended I go to Carola Trier’s studio at 200 West 58th Street in Manhattan for rehabilitation through the Pilates Method in order to avoid surgery. It was there that I met her two assistants, with whom I bonded immediately, Kathy Grant and a lively former dancer with sparkling blue eyes and a lovely smile. Her name was Romana Kryzanowska.

Romana and I shared many things in common. Both of us were ballet dancers trained at George Balanchine’s School of American Ballet. Both of us spoke Spanish. Like me, she became aware of the Pilates Method as a result of a dance injury, hers being in the ankle. And we were together at Carola’s for approximately seven years.

At the time I met her she had just returned after fourteen years in Peru, where she lived with her husband Pablo Mejía. It was there that her children, Paul and Sari Mejía were born. She was a single parent and lived with her mother, Sari Pickett Kryzanosky, a lovely, artistic lady (she was a painter) who I met several times.  Romana worked long hours teaching ballet besides Pilates and her children also studied ballet. She was a very proud mother and was overjoyed when her son Paul joined the prestigious New York City

Ballet. Paul fell in love and married the company’s leading ballerina, Suzanne Farrell. This became a cause celèbre not only in the dance world but made headlines in the entire world, for Suzanne, everybody knew, was

70-year-old George Balanchine’s muse and he was in love with her. The marriage angered Balanchine and he fired them both. Everyone sympathized with the young lovers, but no dance company would dare incur the wrath of the powerful “Mr. B” and so the young lovers were for all practical purposes blackballed and could find no work. At this time I was teaching Pilates Mat group classes at Clark Center for the Performing Arts, where Kathy Grant was the Director, and Romana was teaching ballet. I mention this incident because I remember that it affected Romana greatly. I recall her tears and anguish at the situation, seeing these two beautiful young dancers turned into pitiful dance orphans, coming to Clark Center to give each other class. Eventually Paul and Suzanne found work outside the U.S. with Maurice Bejart’s company in Brussels.

After I moved to Puerto Rico I lost touch with Romana but we coincided in Jackson, Mississippi, at the 1994 Jackson International Ballet Competition. We met at the hotel lounge and sat and laughed for hours recalling Carola, Joe and Clara. The last time I saw Romana in person was at the Ft. Lauderdale airport in 2009. She was on the way to Texas, where she lived with Paul.  Our flights had been delayed and again we enjoyed meeting each other and reminiscing about our mentors.

Romana was a dedicated mother, daughter, teacher and friend, who loved the Pilates Method and looked after Clara and kept the studio and the Pilates flame going after Joe’s death. I am-as we should all be-most grateful for her contribution to the Method. Her legacy will continue very much alive in her many students and family.

¡Adiós, amiga!

Lolita

 

Words from Michael and Ton

Romana was our mentor and friend and we spent years with her in NYC.

Romana was one of the most gifted and motivating teachers we ever worked with. She was energetic, powerful, dramatic, loving, giving and very intuitive. She had that rare ability to make everybody feel unique and special. A session with Romana was an all inclusive experience, connecting the body, mind and soul. It was Romana who gave us the nickname “the boys” and it was Romana that first put us together to teach the workshops as a team which launched the career we have today.

We first met Romana at Drago’s gym on west 57th street in NYC. We stepped out of the elevator and entered into another world. The buzz and energy in the room was palpable. People doing Pilates, flying around on the rings, hanging on the parallel bars, doing somersaults on the mat. It was crazy. We stood in the corner, observing this charismatic women filling the entire studio with movement and energy, and we knew we were at the right place. Romana spotted us and walked towards us and with that famous smile and twinkle in her eye asked “and how can I help you gentlemen?” We told her that we would like to become Pilates Teachers. So we talked a little and we were both aware that she was checking us out from top to toe. But not judging, just observing; which was one of Romana’s many talents. To observe but not judge. After a couple of minutes she said: “ok, let us see. Be here tomorrow at 7:00 AM”. We both laughed. Being from the theatre world that was awfully early. So we said: “We are sorry, but we don’t do 7:00”. She looked us up and down, crossed her arms and said: “Fine, be here whenever.” She turned around dramatically, and walked away. The next day she almost killed us during our session. She had made her point.

In the course of what we call our first apprenticeship we got to understand Romana very well. She took us under her wings. She told us that she would teach us the way Uncle Joe had taught her. No books, no workshops and no counting hours. She told us: “I’ll decide when you are ready”. We were in the studio, taking sessions, observing, assisting and every day a question and answer. Every day she would ask the same question: “What did you learn today?” Every day she expected you to have learned something new. She would say: “If you learn one new thing every day you will be a genius”. Romana was a very intuitive teacher and to really understand why she did what she did, you had to pay attention, be with her (or you would miss something), and ask questions.

Family was very important to Romana. Knowing that Ton is Dutch, and was not able to spend time with his family every holiday she invited us to her apartment. We had Easter egg decorating competitions, of course Romana was the judge, Christmas party’s with dancing and champagne and if there was no official holiday, we had dinner party’s. She always had people staying at her apartment. There was a chef and a violinist. So dinner prepared by a chef or entertainment by a violinist, was wonderful. Or if the weather was nice we sat downstairs outside at one of her favorite restaurant and disused the people walking by. She would often ask: “what do you see and how would you fix it”.

During our second apprenticeship (to become Teacher Trainers for her original certification program) we learned more about her teaching philosophy. What she had learned from Joe and Clara and her peers Carola Tier and Kathy Grant whom she had worked alongside with. We were also lucky that we had unlimited access to the archival material that was in the office at 2121 Broadway. During our sessions or dinner we would discuss the material. Romana believed that Pilates is a workout and not therapy. She used to say: “keep them safe, keep them moving and keep it fun.” For her this meant that every person should give 100% out during their workout. She used to say: “You will get out of Pilates what you put into it.” This did not mean that everybody should, or will ever, perform the most advanced version of an exercise. She believed that everybody should strive to perform the most advanced version of an exercise that they can perform. If the best you can do is a super advanced version of The Hundred; you should do that. If the best you can do is a super modified version of The Hundred; you should do that. With this philosophy each person works at their highest level. The point is not what version do you perform. The point is; is this version the very best you can do, as this is where the benefit of the exercise is. Romana used to say: “It is not about the exercises, it is about what the exercises do for you when you are not exercising.”

Romana taught a wide range of clients. On one end of the spectrum were clients with challenges like double hip replacements, knee replacements, osteoporosis, etc. And on the opposite range of the spectrum she worked with professional actors, singers dancers from Broadway, the MET and all the major dance companies in NYC as well as Olympic athletes. Her range of teaching and who she could teach was truly amazing. Everybody worked out at the best of their capabilities. Some clients could only manage to do 20 minutes, doing the most fundamental and modified version of each exercise. The client might never have lost a drop of sweat. Did not breathe hard but physically and mentally they were at their limit. When they reached this point she stopped the workout, looked at them, smiled and said: “I think that was an elegant sufficiency.” Her next client could be the Olympic Athlete and she switched her style and worked them hard and they were dripping in sweat within 3 minutes. Each client worked as hard as they could at their 100%. In both workouts Romana’s attention to flow, dynamics and rhythm never faltered. Both ends of the spectrum are classical Pilates.

Romana loved life and lived it to its fullest. On the end of the work week, on Friday afternoon, the Dixie cups would come out. She would fill them with champagne and we would toast “Love all around!”