Brett Miller, Pilates Intel Newsletter founder

Brett started his professional life in the world of ballet, working with various companies in the US.  Later on he moved to New York and branched out into modern along with the ballet. Since then, he has lived in Finland and now resides in Stockholm, Sweden.

Brett became a Pilates instructor in 2005 and has been teaching ever since.  The intelligent technique that Pilates is, and the chance to continue to be physical, attracted him to this field after being so long in the dance world.  Along with teaching Pilates, Brett also works on a consultant basis as a software developer.

 

Cast of Experts

 

 

Clare Dunphy Hemani

Clare Dunphy Hemani’s roots in human movement began at Northeastern University, earning a BS in Physical Education in 1985, and she is NPCP certified.  In 1995, Clare began her Pilates studies under Romana Kryzanowska and has since studied with several other teachers. She serves as vice president of the NPCP board of directors, continuing her mission to expand education quality and certification standards. Clare co-authored the Peak Pilates Comprehensive Education Program, developing scores of teachers and teacher trainers between 2001-2013. She continues to serve the community with live and on-demand classes at PilatesAvatar.com and conducts monthly teachers’ workshops. Her gift is a willingness to share knowledge generously and explain concepts in simple, straightforward ways.  Clare’s mission is to support all students/teachers’ potential and keep the spirit of Joe and Romana alive in her work.  Follow Clare at www.progressivebodyworksinc.com, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.   

Clare is a world-recognized Pilates teacher, educator, and mentor living in Newburyport, MA, where her studio, Progressive Bodyworks, is located. Students and teachers worldwide come to study the “art of teaching” in this unique space. Clare’s unwavering commitment to preserving the authenticity and tradition of Pilates is a testament to her dedication to the discipline. Her approach is refreshing, inclusive, and supportive.   

 

Reiner Grootenhuis

Reiner started his professional career studying psychology, all the while studying Weng Chun, the martial and healing arts of the South Shaolin Monastery, in parallel. After completing his master’ degree in psychology, he first opened a Weng Chun Kung Fu school. He soon felt he should also put his investment into his psychology degree to better use and sold his school after a year to move into a long and successful corporate career in PR, market research and marketing, earning an MBA part-time – but all the while staying connected to the world of martial arts.

Reiner married, had 2 children and his desire to get back into the world of movement grew stronger. This was when he first learned about Pilates in the early 2000s. Once inspired, Pilates never let go of him. Reiner plunged headlong into everything he could find about the method and its history and completed his training as a Pilates trainer for mat and equipment at the Pilates training institute Body Arts & Science International.

In his desire to deepen and exchange knowledge with as many devoted teachers as possible, Reiner founded the online forum pilates-contrology-forum on Facebook in 2011, involving over 12k Pilates instructors. The forum was closed in 2020, but he stills runs the large marketplace for used Pilates equipment, pilates-contrology-marketplace with over 18k members as a community service.

In 2012, Reiner took the leap and opened his studio pilates-powers in Toenisvorst, only 25km from Joseph Pilates’ birthplace Moenchengladbach in Germany. He constantly expanded his rooms, equipment and offer and has even been running his own studio Pilates training program since 2014.

Due to his strong interest in the history, development and different interpretations of each exercise, Reiner is very interested in connecting with teachers all around the Pilates world. Particularly noteworthy points in his career in this regard include 2014, where Kathy Corey appointed him to the Board of Directors of the Pilates Heritage Congress, regularly held in said Moenchengladbach. Since 2016, under her guidance, he has been studying the intricacies of the teaching methods of the various teachers directly trained by Joseph Pilates. A personal highlight to him was his appointment as a Pilates Master Teacher by Kathy Corey in July 2019. Further noteworthy to mention is November 2017 when he was given the great honor of being appointed by Brett Miller to his “Pilates Intel” team of experts. Since then, he has been writing articles for “Pilates Intel” on a regular basis. Additionally, since September 2018, Reiner has been a member of the three-member Certification Committee of the German Pilates Association and has been heading this committee since 2020. And, last but not least, he is very proud to have recently been appointed to the Board of Directors of the World Pilates Confederation in 2022.

He has published the following books and manuals, available for purchase here:

• Wunda Chair (in German)
• Arm Chair (in English & German)
• Cadillac part 1 and 2 (in English, German, Korean)
• Reformer part 1 and 2 (in English, German and soon in Korean)
• A biography about Carola Trier (in English & German)
• A Spine Corrector Manual is currently in preparation.

Amy Taylor Alpers

Amy Taylor Alpers co-founded The Pilates Center (TPC) and The Pilates Center Teacher Training Program (TPCTTP) over 20 years ago in Boulder, Colorado. When not traveling the world to teach both foundational and graduate level Pilates teacher education she remains part of the core faculty for TPCTTP, mentors advanced teachers, teaches classes and sees clients. In addition to teaching TPC sponsored workshops, Amy has presented numerous times at the Pilates Method Alliance Annual Meeting, Balanced Body’s Pilates on Tour and Passing the Torch. In 2013, Amy presented at the Shared Traditions Conference for Fletcher Pilates and will present at The Pilates Roundtable.

Amy was born in Youngstown, Ohio where she began classical ballet at age two. She attended The Juilliard School for Dance, danced with the Garden State Ballet in New Jersey, and received a B.A. in Dance and a M.A. in Dance History from New York University. In addition, Amy taught ballet at various dance schools in New York City for ten years before launching her Pilates career.
Both Amy and her sister Rachel studied Pilates under the direct tutelage of Romana Kryzanowska at the original Pilates Studio in New York City. They received their Pilates teaching certificate from there in July of 1989. In 1990, after moving to Boulder, Colorado, Amy and Rachel founded The Pilates Center. The sisters then created and established The Pilates Center Teacher Training Program in 1991. The school has since expanded to include an Intermediate Program, Advanced Program, Bridge Program, Master’s Program, and a Mentorship Program. In addition, TPC now has “Licensed” and “Host” studios established all around the world.

Amy and her sister wrote The Everything Pilates Book, published in 2002. She was a founding board member of the PMA and sat on the board that created the PMA Certification Exam. Recently she has also had the honor of filming classes and workshops for online organizations such as Pilates Anytime and Pilates On Demand.

In 2011, Amy, her sister Rachel, and Ken Endelman of Balanced Body, developed CenterLine – a line of equipment designed for classical Pilates and based upon the specifications pioneered by Joseph Pilates.

 

Christina Maria Gadar

Trained and certified by Joseph Pilates’ protégé, Romana Kryzanowska, Christina Maria Gadar has been teaching Pilates in her Sarasota, Florida studio since 2000. She is the author of Pilates: An Interactive Workbook, Discovering Joe Pilates, Pilates for Children, Pilates: An Interactive Workbook, Wunda Chair Edition and Pre-Pilates and Beyond: The Lesser-Known Exercises of the Pilates Method (all available at Amazon). In addition to teaching and writing about Pilates, Christina is an international presenter.