Karen Alexandria Kain is a Canadian former ballet dancer, and has been the artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada since 2021.
Pilates is a type of mind-body exercise developed in the early 20th century by German physical trainer Joseph Pilates, after whom it was named. Pilates called his method "Contrology". It is practiced worldwide, especially in countries such as Australia, Canada, South Korea, the United States and the United Kingdom. As of 2005, approximately 11 million people were practicing the discipline regularly, and there were 14,000 instructors in the US.
A ballet dancer is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet. They rely on years of extensive training and proper technique to become a part of a professional ballet company. Ballet dancers are at a high risk of injury due to the demanding technique of ballet.
Joseph Hubertus Pilates was a German-born physical trainer, credited with inventing and promoting the Pilates method of physical fitness.
Contemporary ballet is a genre of dance that incorporates elements of classical ballet and modern dance. It employs classical ballet technique and in many cases classical pointe technique as well, but allows a greater range of movement of the upper body and is not constrained to the rigorously defined body lines and forms found in traditional, classical ballet. Many of its attributes come from the ideas and innovations of 20th-century modern dance, including floor work and turn-in of the legs. The style also contains many movements emphasizing the body's flexibility.
A barre is a stationary handrail that provides support for people during various types of exercise. Barres are used extensively in ballet training and warm up exercises, where such exercises are commonly referred to as barre work. In a ballet class, barre may also refer to the part of the class that involves barre work. Barres are also used for warm up exercises in other types of dance, as well as in general fitness programs.
The Mitzvah Technique is focused on dealing with body mechanics in a state of motion. It is a development of the Alexander Technique, the Feldenkrais Method, and health-oriented work on musculoskeletal problems and stress diseases. Each of these techniques is based on correcting common postural faults by addressing the neuromuscular system through postural re-education. The Mitzvah Technique includes a philosophy in addition to its set of procedures. This includes the discipline, exercises, and work that Mitzvah Technique practitioners do with their hands.
Romana Kryzanowska was an American Pilates instructor who started as a student of Joseph Pilates and his wife Clara at their studio on Eighth Avenue in New York. After the death of Joseph Pilates in 1967, Clara Pilates continued the studio for a few more years, and in 1970 Romana Kryzanowska became the director of what was by that time called "The Pilates Studio."
In kinesiology, core stability refers to a person's ability to stabilize their core. Stability, in this context, should be considered as an ability to control the position and movement of the core. Thus, if a person has greater core stability, they have a greater level of control over the position and movement of this area of their body. The body's core is frequently involved in aiding other movements of the body, such as running; thus it is known that improving core stability also improves a person's ability to perform these other movements.
Margaret Morris was a British dancer, choreographer, artist and teacher. She founded the Margaret Morris Movement, Celtic Ballet, and two Scottish National Ballets in Glasgow (1947) and in Pitlochry (1960). Morris devised a system of movement notation, which was first published in 1928.
Karen Voight is an American fitness expert. She has produced approximately 30 exercise videos, a book, Voight: Precision Training for Body and Mind, and a health column in the Los Angeles Times.
Eve Gentry was a modern dancer, and later a Pilates master instructor. She was an original disciple of Joseph Pilates, and a master teacher of his technique to generations of instructors. She helped found the Dance Notation Bureau in New York City and later in 1991 she co-founded the Institute for the Pilates Method in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Eric N. Franklin is a Swiss dancer, movement educator, university lecturer, writer and founder of the Franklin Method, a method that combines creative visualization, embodied anatomy, physical and mental exercises and educational skills. He lives in Wetzikon, Switzerland.
Floor-barre is a technique in ballet training that "takes the basic ballet barre training from the standing position to the floor, "taking the effort of standing out of the equation."
Miranda Esmonde-White is a Canadian fitness trainer, former ballerina with the National Ballet of Canada, and The New York Times bestselling author of books on aging, health and fitness. She created the dynamic stretching and strengthening workout, Essentrics, and the long-running PBS fitness TV show, Classical Stretch, based on Essentrics.
Graham technique is a modern dance movement style and pedagogy created by American dancer and choreographer Martha Graham (1894–1991). Graham technique has been called the "cornerstone" of American modern dance, and has been taught worldwide. It is widely regarded as the first codified modern dance technique, and strongly influenced the later techniques of Merce Cunningham, Lester Horton, and Paul Taylor.
Dian Nissen is a multiple world-title trampoline athlete and competitor, multiple U.S. Women’s Trampoline champion, AAU All-American, health and fitness expert, and entrepreneur. She is the daughter of George Nissen, the inventor of the modern-day trampoline.
Namrata Purohit is an Indian Pilates instructor, who co-founded The Pilates Studio with her father Samir Purohit. At 16, she became the youngest trained Stott Pilates instructor in the world, and by 19 she had completed all the courses on Stott Pilates. Her clients include Bollywood celebrities, athletes and other public figures. She also authored a book, The Lazy Girl’s Guide to Being Fit.
The Gokhale Method or Primal Posture method is a postural awareness technique developed by acupuncturist and yoga instructor Esther Gokhale. The method proposes that certain patterns exist in the way people in pre-modern and less industrialized societies move and adopt posture. Gokhale claims that these patterns, which she calls primal posture, can be learned through practice. The method became popular in the beginning of the 2010s among professionals in the Silicon Valley, where Gokhale is located.
Barre is a form of physical exercise, usually conducted in group classes in gyms or specialty studios. It is distinguished from other group fitness activities by its use of the ballet barre and its incorporation of movements derived from ballet. These classical dance movements and positions are combined with those drawn from yoga and pilates, and other equipment is sometimes used in addition to the barre, such as resistance bands, yoga straps, exercise balls and hand weights. Barre classes typically focus on small, pulsing movements with emphasis on form, alignment and core engagement. Participants hold their bodies still while contracting specific, targeted sets of muscles in isometric exercises. Repetitions tend to be high, range-of-motion small, and weights, when used, light. Barre classes focus on the lower body and core, developing strength and flexibility from the ankles up though the calves, knees, thighs, glutes and abdominals. Holding muscles in contraction for extended periods frequently leads to them shaking as they fatigue. This is particularly true of thighs, as the quadriceps tire.
