I am a dancer, choreographer, videographer and producer…and now Pilates instructor! After earning my MFA in Performance and Choreography at the University of Colorado Boulder, I moved to Missoula, MT and in 2011 founded Bare Bait Dance, a professional contemporary dance company.
During this time, I stumbled into Pilates as a way to cross-train and learn more about both daily functional use of the body and more supported range in dance. I studied with Kirsten and Kelly at Main St. Pilates Studio for years before diving into my first Peak Certified Training program in the fall of 2018 and completed my full Level III comprehensive certification in June of 2021.
Through my educational training with with Peak, I’ve discovered beautiful crossover potential between dance education and pilates training. But even more than that, I continue to love sharing my body knowledge within this new modality for all movers and shakers, not just dancers! I know for myself, the more consistent I am with training, the more injury-free, energized, and confident I feel in my body. My hope is to share that with MSPS clients!
I grew up here in Missoula and graduated from the University of MT with a BFA in Dance with a teaching emphasis and choreography/performance emphasis. Upon graduating I moved to Chicago to explore the professional dance world. Suffering a knee injury and surgery led me to Pilates for strengthening and rehab. I fell in love with Pilates movement system and completed my first certification in Chicago in 2002 through the Physicalmind Institute.
In 2004 Breanne Ender and I opened Main Street Pilates studio and in 2007 I completed my second Pilates Certification through Peak Pilates. I love that Pilates can be taught anyone at any age and any ability. Through teaching and practicing Pilates I have experienced the power that it can have on a persons overall well being both physically and mentally. That is what motivates me to teach this method of movement. Pilates also aids me in my daily life as a Mom of an active twelve year old .
My newest certification, favorite work out and addition to my teaching repertoire is Tracey Mallette’s Booty Barre Method. In January 2017 I taught Pilates abroad for the first time in Los Cabos, Mexico. In 2017 I completed a year study with 2nd generation Pilates instructor Chris Robinson who has studied directly under Romana and Jay Grimes. For me Pilates has inspired my life in so many ways as a lover of movement I have so enjoyed practicing and sharing this work with my clients and my instructors who all started out as students of mine! It has een amazing to witness the growth and change Pilates can make with each body that I have gotten to teach.
As a fitness enthusiast, I have always been attracted to ways to make my body stronger. I discovered Pilates when I was training for my first marathon and immediately recognized the benefits of the classical work inspired by Joseph Pilates. My love for the work and my new found strength inspired me to become a Pilates instructor through Peak Pilates in 2006.
I am fully certified in matwork, reformer, cadillac, chair and barrels. I am inspired by the life changing habits I see from my Pilates clients. In my spare time, I enjoy running, skiing, paddleboarding and chasing my two amazing little boys. I have been teaching Booty Barre since completing certification in the Fall of 2012 and have recently incorporated Booty Barre Sculpt repertoire in to my classes after attending a workshop with Tracey Mallett this past Fall. In 2017 I completed year teacher intensive with Chris Robinson of S6 Fitness in San Diego in an in depth study of the classical Pilates work.
I was born and raised in Missoula, and had the opportunity to live in both Seattle and Boise for over ten years. As we often hear from those who have moved away and then made our way back, “my heart was always in Montana.” My husband and I have two wonderful boys and when it was time for them to begin school we decided to make Missoula our home. We are so lucky to be able to; water ski, snow ski, hike, bike and run in MT’s great outdoors. After many years of running as my favorite exercise, and experiencing it’s associated injuries, I discovered Pilates. I have been actively practicing and seeing it’s positive results for over 8 years.
I am active in the community selling real estate, and participating in many types of fund raising projects. My boys have finished high college and moved onto their careers. So when the opportunity was presented to me to become a certified Pilates instructor, I jumped at the chance. Knowing what it has helped me achieve, and helping others do the same is a wonderful challenge. The opportunity to help others become stronger both physically and mentally was exactly what I was looking for! I have been teaching since 2012 and love every minute of it. In the spring of 2013 I became a certified Booty Barre instructor.