Adrianne Yurgosky

Adrianne was a college athlete who was a member of her school’s field hockey and swim teams. She first turned to Pilates in an effort to manage a painful case of sciatica. Later she also discovered that she torn a disc, bulged a disc, and has scoliosis in her lumbar spine. Because of her personal experience with Pilates as a method of pain management for these injuries, Adrianne is able to bring exceptional insight into her work with individuals with lower back pain and those with both specific and general areas of tightness.  It is also her insight of being an athlete that allows her to work well with both male clients and very advanced and active clients.

Adrianne Yurgosky worked for a leading hotel group, Accor hotels until she left her office job to fulfill her passion for teaching.  She received her Pilates certifications through Power Pilates and the Pilates Studio in NYC.  In addition to her Pilates instruction, Adrianne is also a holistic health counselor, certified through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition as well as the American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP). Adrianne graduated from Fordham University with a bachelor’s degree in international political science and French literature.

Alexis Reid

Alexis was introduced to Pilates when she was sixteen years old. She quickly realized her love for the method and moved to NYC to continue training under master teachers Romana Kryzanowska and Sari-Mejia Snato. After completing the Independent Program with Authentic Pilates NY in 2002, Alexis continued on to teach in New York City, Sag Harbor, NY, Washington DC, and Nashville TN.

She was then accepted into the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where she received her BFA in Theater. With a focus on Theatrical Performance, she gravitated toward physical based theater studies. In addition to Pilates, Alexis enjoys rock climbing, bouldering, snowboarding, running, and yoga. Now she is excited to be back in NYC and looks forward to sharing her love of movement at Uptown Pilates!

Anna Sideri

Anna Sideri graduated in 2003 from the Niki Kontaxaki Dance School in Athens, major in classical and contemporary dance, her teacher diploma being sanctioned through a competitive examination held by the Greek Ministry of Culture. Feeling compelled to enrich her cultural background, Anna moved to Beijing, where she deepened her knowledge on the principles of human movement. She taught classical dance and participated in various dance performances, and in parallel, she was a creative movement teacher in an Ivy League school.

Back in Europe, and while pursuing her passion for dance with workshops conducted by Wim Vandekeybus and Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, she fell in love with Pilates and she obtained her certification in 2007. Since then, she worked as a Pilates instructor in Brussels and in Athens, helping her clientele to discover the well being that Pilates can bring in their lives. Having recently settled to New York, she hopes that she can share the experience she acquired with passionate people.

Bob DeNatale

Bob DeNatale has been teaching Pilates for over 10 years. He was certified through the PhysicalMind Institute and has done continuing education with many great instructors. He has a wide knowledge of different styles of Pilates and also has extensive experience with pre-natal clients and clients of all fitness levels and ages.

In his Pilates sessions, Bob focuses on activating and strengthening the core, toning and strengthening the entire body, improving alignment and functionality, and addressing the imbalances in the body that can cause pain.

Before teaching Pilates, Bob spent many years as a Butoh dancer and brings that experinece to his Pilates work. In addition to teaching Pilates, Bob is also an independent filmmaker.

Bonnie Carter

Bonnie Carter first started doing Pilates in 2001 on the floor of her apartment as a distraction from her stressful work as a stage manager in professional theatre. She loved that Pilates offered a mind-body connection while helping to improve her flexibility and core strength at the same time. Once she started working with a professional instructor, she discovered that Pilates could actually rebalance her body by improving her scoliosis and strengthening weaknesses in her feet, ankles, and knees that had bothered her since childhood. Wanting to share this knowledge with others, Bonnie joined the rigorous and competitive teacher training program at True Pilates New York, originally led by Joseph Pilates’s protege, Romana Kryzanowska and her daughter, Sari Mejia Santo. Today she remains a lifelong student of the method and is happy to help her clients improve their bodies and minds with these brilliant exercises.

Bridget Casey

Bridget started dancing at the age of five years old. She grew up in New York, and studied ballet at Ballet Academy East and Broadway Dance Center. Bridget started doing Pilates when she attended college at New School University as a Dance major. Bridget was certified for Beginner and Intermediate Mat through Power Pilates in New York City, then obtained a full certification through Power Pilates under Shari Berkowitz after moving to Los Angeles. She enjoys giving her clients new and different exercises to reconnect with their bodies in ways they have never done previously. Her goal is to keep her clients moving in a creative way, while adhering to classical Pilates teaching methods.

Brooke Chaffee

Brooke began practicing pilates 5 years ago while attending the University of the Arts for dance. She fell in love with the discipline immediately, and always strives to deepen her own knowledge and ability with every fluid movement. She carries this aesthetic to her own teaching into the bodies and minds of all of her clients. She received her certification through the well respected Romana’s Pilates program, under the tutelage of master instructors that have trained directly from Joseph Pilates himself. Brooke Chaffee is very excited to share her knowledge with the entire Uptown Pilates on Madison community.

Dianne Gard

Dianne Gard brings her nine years of experience in the classical Pilates system from Cincinnati, Ohio and Chicago, Illinois, where she worked in fully equipped Pilates studios and health clubs with clients up to 90 years young!   Dianne became a follower of Pilates when introduced to the system through a free session offered after a dance class over twelve years ago.  She is Pilates Method Alliance certified, Power Pilates mat certified, and comprehensively trained on all equipment utilizing the integrative and systematic classical system.   Dianne is a devoted student of the method and finds Pilates a perfect blend with her dance background which includes performing and competing in vintage ballroom and Irish dance.  She is always thrilled to see the positive effects that Pilates has on her clientele, and is grateful to Joseph Pilates for his genius in creating an intelligent mind/body program which promotes  individuals in achieving a more healthy and fulfilled life.  Dianne graduated from Lake Forest College with a BA in Psychology.   She is excited to make her new home in New York City and become part of the Uptown Pilates family!

Kate Filina

Marcos Duran

Marcos is a native of Northern California who has been exploring life as a professional dance artist since 2006; here in New York from the year of 2008. Discovering and integrating Pilates into his movement method has not only enhanced his own ability to “rebalance” the body, but has ignited a passion to teach others how to do the same. As a teacher he is sensitive and fine tuned to details while maintaining his goal of giving a challenging and well rounded session. Marcos’ certification is through Brooklyn’s THE LAB under owner Lawson Harris (trainee of Pilates Elder Carola Trier) and certifying instructor Mandi L. Neubecker.  He holds a BFA in Dance from UC Santa Barbara.

Michael Blackmon

Michael is pleased to be joining the Uptown Pilates team. As native of St. Louis, Mo , Michael was fortunate to perform in Europe, Guam, Las Vegas, and many other places. Michael moved to NY in 2002.  After a hip injury a friend reccommended to try pilates , and from the first session he was hooked.  He studied the  THE LAB under owner Lawson Harris (trainee of Pilates Elder Carola Trier) in Dumbo,Brooklyn and instructor Josie Bray.  When working with clients he is patient and detail oriented. Michael’s sessions focus on strength building, body alignment, body awareness, and control. His favorite part of teaching is seeing clients become stronger and more confident. Michael continues to study methods that can aid his clients.

Mikki Raveh

Mikki Raveh was certified in the Pilates method in 2001 through both Phyiscal Mind Institute and Power Pilates. In 2001, Mikki taught in Tel-Aviv, Israel where she worked directly under physical therapist Dror Raz. Mikki returned to New York City in 2002 and instructed private sessions at Sports Club L.A. (in Rockefeller Center) and Sal Anthony’s Movement Salon (in the East Village and Gramercy Park area). Aside from her experience in body work, Mikki holds a business degree (BS) from Boston University and has over seven years of advertising and marketing experience.

Monica Delgado

Monica stumbled upon Pilates after a back injury, and has been practicing Pilates since 2004. She fell in love with the method upon realizing the significance of its principles and benefits, and is now a comprehensively certified classical Pilates instructor through Peak Pilates. Coming from a physical background of competitive gymnastics and cheerleading, movement has always fascinated her, and the Pilates method seemed familiar and natural. Monica has been teaching Pilates since 2007 and furthers her training by continually working with numerous master trainers in the classical method. Her passion for the method is infectious, and her positive energy and attention to detail has helped a multitude of clients in various levels of fitness.  She strives to make each session challenging and fun, and encourages clients to apply the Pilates principles to their everyday actions and movements outside of the studio.

Aside from sharing her passion for Pilates with others, she currently is a practicing visual artist, and graduated cum laude from the University of the Philippines with a Fine Arts Bachelor’s degree in Painting.  Other activities she enjoys are surfing, biking, running, reading, Muay Thai (Thai kickboxing), and she practices yoga frequently.

Tessa Stephens

Tessa fell in love with Pilates in 2006 while working in a personal training studio in Salt Lake City, Utah—she couldn’t get rid of her “Buddha belly” through traditional exercises, so she signed up for a Pilates mat class and was hooked. Not only was the tummy gone, she relished the hour of complete focus and lack of day-to-day concerns. She realized she wanted to share this refreshing feeling with others in the fitness world and beyond.

Tessa has worked with a wide variety of clients, ranging from professional athletes to those just beginning an exercise routine. She takes great pleasure in assisting clients to find joy and freedom in movement, particularly functional movements that are useful beyond the studio experience.

Kevyn Zeller

Kevyn began practicing, and fell in love with Pilates 14 years ago and has been teaching for 10. She began Pilates at age 17 after experiencing a knee injury as a long distance runner in Mexico, where she grew up. The practice not only healed her knee injury but having begun her practice at such a young age, Pilates truly became a part of her and has profoundly influenced the way in which she approaches life. In a way it is like breathing for her, essential.
She received her Pilates Certification and Master’s Certification at The Pilates Center in Boulder, Colorado. While studying at The Pilates Center, she obtained her degree in Kinesiology at The University of Colorado at Boulder. Her degree in Kinesiology allows her to back the artistry of her teaching scientifically. Her teaching truly represents both a knowledge of, and fascination for all types of human movement and physiology. She believes that the key to physical strength and healing exists in One’s ability to connect with his or her deepest, truest strength. In order to access this strength, becoming aware of unhealthy movement patterns or habits is of the utmost importance. Once aware of these patterns or habits One has the opportunity to change them and rediscover his or her body in its most healthy and bio mechanically efficient state. This is where our deepest physical strength lies. Joseph Pilates termed it “uniform development,” perfect balance.
Her approach is subtle in that she prefers to allow the student to realize what they already know. She feels thankful and extremely honored to be a part of their journey towards optimal health.
She has worked with clients of all shapes, sizes and levels of fitness. And teaches fluently in French and Spanish.

Her enthusiasm for sharing Pilates with others is genuine…and contagious.