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Our Teachers - Our Commitment to You
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Photo by Susan Biddle
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Our principal goal is to empower all participants in the Pilates Method of Body Conditioning to be in control of their own health and well-being, and to provide a supportive atmosphere in which clients may grow, learn, and be guided toward a fitter lifestyle. Our teachers are highly trained, enthusiastic people dedicated to health and wellness. We are strongly committed to the power and depth of the original Pilates Method.
Certification. The physical conditioning system developed by Joseph H. Pilates is a highly evolved and in depth program that should be taught by individuals who have studied the system intensely and seriously.
Our fully certified teachers have fulfilled a minimum of 700 hours of active training in all apparatus and mat work, seminars, and apprentice teaching. We strive to share/inform consumers of the power of the original Pilates Method by offering apparatus and mat sessions with experienced professional teachers in a safe environment.
Kerry DeVivo, owner of Pilates of Annapolis at Excel is a second generation* Pilates teacher. She is a certified teacher of The Pilates Method of Body Conditioning by The Pilates Center in Boulder, CO (1995) and by Romana Kryzanowska at The Pilates Studio in New York, NY (1996). She has a MFA degree in Dance and a BS degree in Arts Management.
Kerry began studying Pilates in 1986 with Steve Giordano at SUNY Purchase. In 1998, after completing her Pilates certifications, she co-founded Excel Movement Studios, a 5,000 square foot Pilates studio, with Lesa McLaughlin in Washington, DC. In 2002, she co-founded Pilates of Annapolis at Excel. The DC and Annapolis, MD studios now operate as "sister studios."
Kerry is co-director of Excel's Pilates Teacher Training Program established in 2001. The Pilates Teacher Training Program at Excel is dedicated to providing high quality training in the original work of Joseph H. Pilates. It is a comprehensive and in-depth one year training program requiring a minimum of 700 hours of hands-on training in all levels of the Pilates mat and apparatus work. Kerry works directly with apprentices to help them reach their goals of teaching Pilates. In 2009, Kerry helped develop Excel's Pilates Teacher Mentor Program designed to offer high level continuing education to area Pilates teachers.
In 2009, Pilates of Annapolis at Excel became an official studio of The Pilates Center's Masters Program. Kerry is an approved presenter for continuing education workshops for The Pilates Center's Masters Program.
Kerry has taught the Pilates Method to clients who range in age from 14-80, applying Pilates in its original form for performance improvement, injury prevention, rehabilitation and fitness. Her clients have ranged from professional athletes including runners, dancers, gymnasts, football players, cyclists and rowers, to individuals with specific health issues, to those simply looking for an alternative fitness program. Kerry has worked with clients in pre and post-surgery situations.
Kerry has presented workshops on Pilates at Physical Therapy clinics and at the University of Colorado/Boulder, the University of Maryland/College Park, the University of Florida/Gainesville, and Shenandoah University. She was a Panelist on the Careers in Dance Board, representing Pilates, for the 8th Annual Dance Medicine Symposium at Goucher College in March 1998. Kerry was co-author of the research study, The Benefits of The Pilates Method for Shoulder Stabilization in Dancers, which was presented at the Annual Symposium on Medical Problems of Musicians and Dancers in Aspen, CO.
In addition to Pilates, Kerry had a professional career in dance. She served on the dance faculty at George Washington University and the University of Maryland at College Park. She performed with Deborah Riley Dance Projects for three years as a principal company member and has performed with Liz Lerman, Adrienne Clancey and Mim Rosen. Her choreography and performances have been viewed in Colorado, New York, Maryland, Washington D.C, the U.K. and Australia.
Kerry's teaching is inspired by the life's work of Joseph Pilates as well as her clients. "It is a gift to work with a client for years and assist them in their journey to meet their health goals. Pilates is a sound method of body conditioning that is rich with detail and powerful with results. It is a method that is applicable to all bodies."
Kerry is dedicated to the original Pilates method and to offering clients an empowering fitness experience. She only employs teachers who share the same commitment.
Alix Buss has been studying the Pilates Method of Body Conditioning since 1999, and received her teacher certification from Excel Movement Studios (2004). She is a graduate of The Pilates Center's Masters Program (2008). Alix was certified by the Pilates Method Alliance (2006). Alix holds a BA in dance performance and choreography from Goucher College. She is currently an instructor for Excel's teacher training program.
Alix's teaching is motivated by the confidence and empowerment that practicing Pilates gives to clients. She enjoys helping clients achieve their movement potential and watching them do exercises they did not think they could do! Alix challenges her students in a compassionate way. She is inspired by passing on the integrity and spirit of the original Pilates Method of Body Conditioning and continues to learn and study as a teacher. Alix finds inspiration working with clients who are dedicated to their health, fitness, and well-being.
In addition to teaching Pilates, she had performed with professional dance companies throughout the Maryland, Virginia, and DC areas.
Jennifer Politte has been studying the Pilates Method of body conditioning since 2002 and received her teacher certification from Excel Movement Studios in 2005. Jennifer holds a B.F.A. in dance from Towson State University and has taught dance and performed throughout Maryland and DC. Jennifer is also an avid runner and has a strong interest in anatomy, physiology, exercise and wellness. It is her belief that everyone should understand their body so that one may take care of their body and have the best quality of life possible.
Through teaching Pilates, Jennifer hopes to empower those that she teaches, to know and understand their bodies. "When you are in touch with your body and how it works, you are invested in your own well being. Pilates, because of its combination of physical and mental exercise, is the ideal vehicle in achieving these goals."
Amanda Smith Breon has been studying Pilates since 2002 and received her teacher certification from Excel Movement Studios in 2004. Following graduation, Amanda was part of the teaching staff at Excel Movement studios in Washington, DC before moving to Emmitsburg, MD in 2005. Amanda has been teaching Pilates in Leesburg, VA, Frederick, MD, and Thurmont, MD until recently relocating to Annapolis to join the staff at Pilates of Annapolis at Excel - her "Pilates home." Amanda also holds a B.A. in dance from Mercyhurst College and has taught dance in various dance studios and programs since 1997. Amanda recently completed the Power Pilates Bridge Certification program in 2010 to further her Pilates education.
Amanda fell in love with Pilates when she came to explore the method to further her dance training. She not only continues to learn all the things she could ever want to know in order to better organize her body, but has also found a lifelong practice of the body, mind and spirit. "I have had such a profound experience with Pilates, the kindness and expertise of wonderful teachers, self discovery, and the feeling of success over and over again through this method. I can only hope to share some of that with others whatever their goals may be. For me, practicing Pilates grounds me and elevates my spirit while building my body one work out at a time."
All members of the teaching staff at Pilates of Annapolis at Excel meet their annual requirements in continuing education.
"It is always amazing to me to see the difference between doing the exercise and doing it right. It fascinates me when I get that little tidbit that gives me the insight to do something differently to make the exercise work. After years of Pilates, I still learn, learn, learn. I love the studio and the teachers. I am so pleased to be a part of this wonderful journey."
-Karen Clarke, realtor, age 65, Pilates client since 2004
* After the passing of Joseph Pilates, his studio was managed by his wife Clara. Later Romana Kryzanowska, protege of Joseph Pilates, maintained his studio. Teachers who completed their teacher training through Romana Kryzanowska are categorized as second generation teachers.
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