Remembering Julian Littleford – by Lolita San Miguel

Dance, New York City, Pilates, Carola Trier.  This quartet of common experience was the medium that first joined Julian and me. Both of us had been professional dancers in New York City, Julian having been a principal dancer with the famous Martha Graham Company; he was trained in Pilates by Alan Herdman, who, like me, had trained with Carola Trier, with whom I had been an apprentice.

I first bonded with the slender and handsome Brit Julian Littleford during the 2nd Pilates Day celebration in Miami, where we were presenters at the Pilates Method Alliance. We met in the lounge of the hotel we were staying and it was an instant “Click!” We lost track of time and when we looked at our watches we realized we had spent hours and hours talking.

From then on, we deepened our relationship and made sure we repeated our get-togethers whenever we coincided in our Pilates tours.

Being very handsome, charming and with a winning personality-he had a grade A sense of humor, knew how to tell a story, was extremely courteous and helpful-he was top flirting material for the primarily female participants in the Pilates conferences.

“I’m human, Lolita,” he would say. “I look but that’s all. After all, why should I eat hamburger out when I have prime steak at home?”

At home waiting for him was his lovely wife Carol Mead, who also had been a dancer with Martha Graham. He truly loved, admired and respected Carol.

Home loomed large for Julian. He was a true family man. His daughter Samantha and his son Tommy were the apple of his eye and the subject of many of his wonderful stories, which, although I’m sure were embellished for effect, reflected his love for his family and proved to us over and over again that his family was the center of his universe. We always begged to hear more stories about them.

A touching story showed how much Samantha and Tommy loved their father. Tommy asked Julian why he had to travel so much. Julian answered that it was through his traveling that he could provide all the things he wanted them to have. Tommy and Samantha looked at each other and after a minute of silence, Tommy asked, “If we were happy with less, could you stay home more?”

We did many tours together with Pilates On Tour all over the U.S. and once in Hong Kong. Julian and I would hang out with Valentine and Nora St. John, meet for a drink at the hotel after classes and then go out to dinner. We never established a logical system for paying dinner. “You paid last time, it’s my turn to pick up the check,” etc. was a constant argument.

Julian was the person who tipped the scales and convinced me I should start my mentoring program-a post-graduate course type of teaching, I thought of it-something I had been contemplating for some years. Being a Libra, I carefully weighed all the pros and cons. Without knowing what I was thinking of doing, Julian one day came to me and suggested I should specialize in mentoring. As I listened to him, I knew there was no reason to hesitate any longer, and immediately launched my Pilates Master Mentor Program. That was in 2009.

He impressed me on a technical level with his approach to Pilates and I could see why he was considered an outstanding teacher by so many people. He was one of my guest presenters when I started my Pilates Master Mentor Program.  Of course my students loved him. How could they not? The last time he was scheduled to present he called me to tell me he would have to cancel because he had just received the news that his cancer had recurred. He had already bought his airplane ticket.

We spoke on a weekly basis, and he kept me posted on his health. My husband, an Anglophile, also enjoyed Julian and they called each other “mate,” Julian, pronouncing it “mite” using his old “Nowth London” accent.  We visited him shortly after he had moved his studio to larger quarters and he seemed as vital as ever.

One of the ironies of life-threatening illnesses is that the pleasures of living are heightened.  Last December we spoke and he told me he was home, relaxing by the pool, watching his family, wondering if this would be the last Christmas they would spend together.  He was relishing every minute with them, enjoying their “nows” together.

Another irony is that even though I was aware of the seriousness of his condition, I was still not prepared for the news that he had made his transition, as we say in Unity, the church I attend. Just two weeks before he had said to me, “Don’t worry, I’ll be around a long time yet.” In church we prayed for him and I believed that if anyone had survival power, it was Julian.

Often I think of him and find it hard to believe he’s not with us anymore, that I will not get a phone call from him, that I will no longer receive the nourishment his uplifting conversations provided me. We never finished our phone calls without his saying to me, “I love you,” to which I would reply, “I love you too.”

Julian, you will always be with me. I miss you very, very much.

 

 

 

Words from Michael King

I first knew Julian as we were both young dancers at “The Place” (London School of Contemporary Dance), which is the Graham School in the UK. Of course back then it was norm for a straight man to be a dancer and he so loved and cherished this “celebrity” status. He was such a talented dancer ,very good looking and so witty and through the stress of those early years we could always trust on Julian to have a positive and funny word to say in any situation.  I never remember Julian being anything but talkative and funny with all of us in his class.

When we both were invited and went to work and train with Alan Herdman together in his new and very large studio, we both not only painted the studio but spent many hours together training, assisting and working alongside each other. There were three of us, Julian myself and an Israeli dancer Avi .

Alan Herdman had set up the Pilates Studio in Tel Aviv with the Bat-dor Dance Company and Avi was with us from there from the company.

Avi was full of energy and used to drive Alan crazy as he suddenly breaking into pirouettes facing the mirror in the middle of our training sessions and I remember Julian saying “Avi- if you don’t stop turning ” I am going to bloody glue your feet to the floor”.

He always had something to say and the clients adored him, but as with life after spending so much time together through those early years we went on to lead separate lives, Alan sent me to work at the Houston Ballet and then Julian went to New York and as with life we lost contact.

The last time I spoke to him was when I was presenting at Inner Idea Convention in San Diego a few years ago with Lolita and he came on the phone and with his ” how the devil are you ? ” it was like I was taken in a flash back into those early years again back to the beginning of our careers.

A wonderful talented and such a giving person that will hold such a special place in so many peoples heart. This explains in words what is so hard for me to do.

You can shed tears that he is gone.

Or you can smile because he has lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that he’ll come back.

Or you can open your eyes and see all he’s left.

Your heart can be empty because you can’t see him.

Or you can be full of love you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday.

Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember home and only that he’s gone.

Or you can cherish his memory and live on.

You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back,

Or you can do what he’d want.

Smile, and open your eyes, love and go on.

Julian- Gone but not forgotten.

 

 

Celebrating Julian Littleford – by Kathy Corey

On September 22, 2013, I attended a celebration of Julian Littleford’s life.  It was an amazing tribute to a strong, vibrant, incredible teacher and friend.  There were so many people that the crowd extended far beyond the area provided for standing room only.  There were many tears but the feeling of the gathering reflected the enthusiasm and dynamic joy that Julian lived every day of his life.

Anyone who met Julian knew his energy and zest for life was inexhaustible.  I met Julian through the Pilates community and we became good friends.  He had an intelligent curiosity to seek deeper into the Pilates work as well as life in general and I always enjoyed our conversations.

Julian possessed a quiet strength and a British sense of humor.  He often caught me off guard with a sly comment that I mistook as a genuine statement only to see that irreverent twinkle in his eye that meant, “just kidding”.

There are so many wonderful words to describe Julian – lively, athletic, graceful, upbeat, centered.  He was a brilliant light in the Pilates world.  He will be missed.  But through his teaching, his work and his words, he will always be with everyone he touched.

For those of you who never met him here is a bit of his history.  For all of us who knew him, it is a reminder of his greatness.

Kathy Corey

 

Julian Littleford, August 14, 1960 — August 31, 2013

Julian Littleford, an internationally recognized leader in Pilates fitness training, former principal dancer with Martha Graham Dance Company, and much-loved husband, father and friend, died of cancer at his home in San Diego on August 31, 2013, at the age of 53.

Julian not only led a remarkable life, but he led it remarkably well. As a boy growing up outside London, England, he excelled at gymnastics and like many boys enjoyed playing         rugby, yet he also discovered an affinity for dance. He soon realized he wanted nothing more than to dance and, at the age of 17, headed to London, to study and pursue a career in modern dance.

His exceptional talent and hard work soon led him to New York City and a coveted position performing with The Martha Graham Company, working directly with the iconic Martha Graham herself. He became a principal dancer for Graham, performing lead roles in many of her classic pieces, and had the opportunity to teach some of those roles to the likes of Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov when they gave special performances with the Graham Company.

Dance gave Julian not only artistic fulfillment but also introduced him to the love of his life, his wife, Carol S. Mead. They met when Carol joined The Martha Graham Company, performed together around the world, and were married in 1985.

At the age of 26, Julian had his first battle with cancer. Despite debilitating surgeries and chemotherapy treatments, he continued to perform and eventually emerged cancer-free. In 1990 he and Carol retired from performing, crossed the country and made San Diego their home.

Despite doctors’ prognoses that his cancer treatments would prevent him from ever having children, he and Carol were blessed with a baby, Samantha, in 1996, and another, Thomas, in 2001. His “miracle” children were sources of great joy for Julian and, just as his natural talent and hard work made him an exceptional dancer, so, too, did his natural talent and hard work make him an exceptional father. He lavished love upon his children, supported them steadfastly, and honored what makes each of them who they uniquely are. He taught them life’s lessons by example, demonstrating the rewards that come from working hard at what you love; practicing respect, kindness and honor toward others; and underscoring, every day, that love of family is paramount.

In San Diego, Julian leveraged the entrepreneurial skills and spirit he had learned from his father and opened one  of the first Pilates studios in the area. He was a pioneer in evolving Pilates from a body conditioning method available to only an elite few to a pathway to better health and fitness accessible to everyone. His JL Body Conditioning Pilates studio quickly became a cornerstone of San Diego’s health and fitness community. As a Master Teacher, Julian was a sought-after guest instructor at top health and fitness resorts, retreats and centers around the world. He passed along his keen understanding of Pilates and body conditioning as a teacher to a new generation of Pilates instructors.

In typical Julian style, he defied the odds and surpassed doctors’ expectations by not just surviving, but truly living – remarkably well — for more than two years after he was diagnosed with new cancer in 2011. Despite grueling treatments, Julian continued to work, teach, and be a steadfast partner to his wife and father to his children. He never complained. He loved life.

Julian was featured in “Who’s Who in America” and also performed with Martha Clarke’s “Garden of Earthly Delights”, Toronto Dance Theater in Canada. Julian originally studied the Pilates method in England with Alan Herdman. He was one of Mr. Herdman’s original teachers in his London studio during the late 1970′s. In New York, he worked for and trained with Deborah Lessen at Greene Street Studio and  also studied with Robert Fitzgerald and Carola Trier.

In 2010 Julian was chosen among a very select few of the top Pilates teachers in the world, first generation Pilates Elders and top Pilates Masters, as a mentor in the new Passing the Torch Mentor Program by Balanced Body University (BBU).

He was a founding member of the Physical Mind Institute in New York City and gold certified through the Pilates Method Alliance. He directed the Pilates training at Pilates de Mexico, in Mexico City and was the Director of Pilates for the San Diego Padres baseball team. He was the athletic trainer for Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion touring show in Southern California. Throughout his career, he continued to present and guest teach around the world. He was a regular presenter for Balanced Body University’s Pilates on Tour, Pilates Method Alliance, Pilates Style Magazine, Pilates Anytime and Dance Teacher conferences.