Amy Taylor Alpers is teaching in Poland June 16 & 17
Don’t Make a Rule About it!
Saturday June 16, 2018 11:15 am-1:15 pm
2 PMA CEC hours
Pilates teachers are sometimes at their wits ends trying to figure out what’s a rule and what isn’t. Whom to believe. Whose rules to follow? As a rule follower myself I totally understand. For nearly 25 years now I’ve been touting the benefits of classical Pilates – it works, don’t change it, just follow the rules and you’ll see the results. I still wholeheartedly believe this. Classical Pilates is a complete, integrated, organic form. Don’t mess with it.
However, many of the rules that have been attributed to the form are not true. And although the old adage, rules are meant to be broken, also applies here sometimes, knowing when and why to use it is of utmost importance.
In this workshop will help all Pilates teachers, new and old, learn how to trust their own judgment to determine what rules to follow and which to be more flexible about. And most importantly, which ones are real and which ones have become ‘real’ over the years. The only true fundamental rule is “uniform development to you can breathe and circulate.” Every other rule must bow to this one in the end.
The Universal Reformer: Then and Now
Saturday June 16, 2018 2:00 pm- 5:00 pm
3 PMA CEC hours
In this workshop we will explore the differences between the current versions of the classical Pilates Reformer repertoire and the versions as shown in archival film footage and photography of Joseph Pilates teaching in the early 1940s. The subtle alterations and variations in form and choreography provide valuable “new” insights into the purpose and goals of the exercises. From Footwork to Russian Squats, slight tweaks to the designs of many of the extant exercises powerfully reveal and clarify his intention, and thereby, help the practitioner better focus on the intended objective. Rhythm and dynamic emphasis are accentuated, and consequently, muscle power is heightened. In addition to the variations on exercises with which we are already familiar, several entirely “new” archival exercises – ones many have never seen or tried before – will be learned. Don’t miss this great opportunity to expand your knowledge and understand your history.
Pilates: One Size Does Not Fit All or How to teach Pilates effectively to different body
types
Sunday June 17, 2018 10:00 am- 1:00 pm
3 PMA CEC hours
Body types are often referred to in fruit metaphors – apple, banana, or pear shaped. Or geometric forms such as rectangles, triangles, and circles. Or odd scientific terms such as mesomorph, ectomorph, and endomorph. However, the variations in the human body’s design are much more diverse and complicated than that. In Pilates our mission is to help ‘uniformly develop’ the body – to bring it into ideal balance and alignment so it can move with ultimate efficiency and effectiveness, enabling detoxificaton and reoxygenation through unhindered circulation.
Regardless of both genetic programming and lifestyle issues, it is possible to enable any body to be more uniformly developed through Pilates. However, this doesn’t happen automatically simply by teaching them to do the exercises. It requires that the teacher truly acknowledge all the essential facts about the body in front of her/him, and realize that the Pilates exercises will need to be adapted in such a way that they will very purposefully accomodate all physical inconsistencies. Proportions of weight, height and length, as well as relative tightness and flexibility, as well as male/female differences in distribution of mass will all need to be taken into consideration. It’s basically a physics problem. How do we make the Pilates exercises fit each person’s unique design to help achieve our ultimate goal – uniform development?
Instructor Bio
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.
For more information please contact
Ilona Wlodarczyk
studio@diamondpilates.pl
0048509936743
