Melissa Wirsig opened About Movement Pilates Studio in 1997. She has been certified to teach Pilates by Body Awareness Studio in Atlanta and Polestar Education and has also studied Pilates with Core Dynamics and Stott Pilates.
Melissa graduated from the Delman-Questel Professional Feldenkrais® Training Program in 2001 and became a certified Yamuna Body Rolling® Instructor in 2004. She was certified to teach the Gyrotonic Expansion System® in July of 2009. Melissa loves working with people who are new to exercise. She is especially good at teaching body awareness; working with posture and balance; and helping those who have been released by their doctors to exercise following injury.
Angela has been a student of Pilates and Yoga for 10 years and has been teaching for six. With a BS in biochemistry and molecular biology from UGA, Angela decided not to work for a pharmaceutical company and instead went to work at a health food store. While trying to figure out what to do with her life, she started taking yoga classes and was offered a yoga apprenticeship. Seeing how beneficial intentional movement could be, she went for it and in that same year she started learning Pilates.
Within about a year she got her first Pilates and Yoga certifications. Angela’s intention as a teacher is to help her clients have more body awareness. In helping them to observe what parts of their body need more strength and what parts needs more flexibility, a balance of mobility and stability is achieved. Joseph Pilates called his system Contrology and designed it for precision in movement; Angela recognizes this and seeks to instill this same attention to action in movement with her clients.
In 2000, Regina became a certified instructor in the Pilates Method of Body Conditioning. Her certification training and teaching of the Pilates Method of Body Conditioning began in 1998 and was overseen by a devoted student of Joe and Clara Pilates, Master Teacher Romana Kryzanowska. Regina also received instruction from the gifted and knowledgeable Teacher Trainers Sari Pace and Juanita Lopez; both wonderful, insightful senior instructors of the Pilates Method. Regina has been dedicated to this philosophy of body conditioning and continues her learning processes in Pilates by taking continuing education courses to better her commitment towards her clients and to help them empower themselves.
Regina received her BFA in Dance from Adelphi University. She has performed with various dance companies in New York, Boston, and Atlanta and has taught all levels of dance from pre-school to college.
From 1985-1990, Regina was Assistant Director of the Cle Douglas Backyard Dance Theatre in Boston. She has taught and choreographed with Spelman’s Dance Extension Program and with other dance programs in Georgia, various church organizations and day care providers. She is also a proud parent of an intelligent, beautiful, and creative daughter who keeps her mom on the move.
Isabelle has lived in Atlanta since 1986 and is currently a resident of Decatur. She became a student of Pilates in 2002 in a successful effort to alleviate debilitating joint pain and muscle weakness due to Crohn's disease. She remained a loyal Pilates practitioner for five years while working as a teacher of small children and later as a manager in the health and fitness industry. As a result of her Pilates workouts and extensive research into dietary and nutritional therapy for Chrohn's disease, she recovered her strength and vitality and now considers herself healthy.
Isabelle received her 600 hour Pilates certification in 2008 from Penelope Wyer-Barrow. She has trained clients with injuries and chronic pain, including neck, back, shoulder, hip and knee problems. She trains post-partem clients, body builders, athletes, those with chronic illnesses, clients who want to lose weight and clients who want to add variety and balance to their workout regimen--she even trains her 92-year-old grandmother! Her clients have seen many benefits from their Pilates sessions, including increased strength and flexibility, pain reduction and alleviation and improved posture and weight loss.
Isabelle graduated magna cum laude from Georgia State University with a degree in English and creative writing in 2001. She spends her free time with her friends and family, especially her 12-year-old sister. She also is a committed audience member, volunteer, and nonsemble performer at Dad's Garage Theatre. She has the sweetest dog and the two most irritating cats in the world.
Michelle grew up playing sports and now enjoys running races and training for triathlons. She began practicing Pilates in 2001 and fell in love with its mind-body connection as well as the ways that it aided her in other athletic endeavors. Michelle began teaching after receiving her first Pilates matwork certification from the PhysicalMind Institute in November 2004. Michelle became certified by Stott Pilates in Mat and Reformer at John Garey Pilates in Long Beach, CA in March 2007. She also completed her Stott Pilates coursework for the Cadillac, Chair, and Barrels at John Garey Pilates.
Michelle has a B.A. in Spanish from Davidson College and an M.A. in Hispanic Literatures from UCLA. She began a doctoral program in Spanish at Emory last fall, where her studies focus on contemporary Spanish and Latin American literature and film. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to fill her days studying, reading, and writing; and she also loves teaching Pilates to clients in her spare hours. Michelle loves watching her clients become stronger, more aware of their bodies, and is excited about the numerous benefits Pilates offers.
Bob is a Massage Therapist, Pilates instructor, Yoga Instructor and Kung Fu/Tai Chi instructor. Bob began practicing martial arts in 1987, yoga in 1997, massage in 2001, and Pilates in 2003. Drawn to practices that require focus, spirit, and discipline, Bob found his way to the Pilates method. Initially drawn to Pilates as an aid to his martial arts and yoga practices, Bob began to appreciate it as a separate and unique art, as well as a functional and effective method for rehabilitating pain patterns in his massage clients. In addition to the technique itself, he is inspired by Joseph Pilates' passion for living and his astounding ingenuity in movement therapy. Bob trained with Penelope Wyer from 2004-2010 during which time he completed a 700 hour certification.
Bob lives in Kirkwood with his amazingly super-wonderful wife Angela Campbell, his tireless and ever-hungry dogs Charlotte, Orbit, and Darryl, and his dangerously curious cats Chowder and Dangermouse. In addition to an overwhelming project list, Bob is currently undergoing the Pre-Med rigmarole and hopes to attend medical school at some point in this lifetime.
Cynthia Marshall is a native of Rockford, IL. She is a certified Pilates Instructor, as well as a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor. She is certified and a member of several organizations including Power Pilates, Physicalmind Institute, and the Pilates Method Alliance. Her group classes focus on core stabilization and strength as well as helping the individual improve their posture, balance, and coordination. Cynthia is also qualified to instruct private pilates sessions for a more personalized workout. Cynthia's pilates training philosopy is that "No two bodies are alike. Whether you are a professional athlete or are recovering from an accident, everyone can benefit from Pilates. Everything begins and ends with a strong core. This is where I come in. I start by helping the client reconnect with their powerhouse and from there I design a workout based on the individual body to help them receive the best results."
Eve began taking Pilates in NYC in 1998. She quickly realized that this was the same conditioning exercise she had done in dance classes years before and was excited to be reacquainted with the technique. Eve went on to study Pilates and receive her certification from Body Awareness Studio here in Atlanta in 2002. She took the broad, well-rounded approach she learned at BA to Los Angeles where she honed her skills under studio owners Mari Winsor, Sue Aglietti and Carlos Requeijo before opening her own studio, Reform School Pilates in Santa Monica. Before long, Eve partnered with Physical Therapist Amy Fee and together they began a Pilates teacher training program for healthcare providers.
In addition to teaching Pilates, Eve is a professional actor and writer. She has a handsome husband named John and a cat named Grace, with whom she is mildly obsessed. Eve has recently returned to Atlanta and is delighted to be working with Melissa Wirsig and the rest of the talented instructors at About Movement Studio.
Dawn's approach to movement focuses on the joy that freedom of movement can bring to your life. Her training focuses on developing body awareness and a balance of strength, flexibility, coordination and range of motion.
Dawn draws on her experience of a lifetime with movement from dance and gymnastics to marathon running, rock climbing, horse training and her studies as a movement artist. She integrates principles and techniques she has learned in her study of a variety of modalities and disciplines, including but not limited to: Global Somatics™, Body-Mind Centering®, Reiki/Energy-work, Touch for Health,Dance,Meditation and the Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis exercise methodologies.
Dawn holds a BA in Philosophy and Religion from the College of St. Catherine and a Master of Liberal Studies from the University of Minnesota in Philosophy of Mind and Movement. She is also a teacher trainer for Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis and enjoys sharing he passion for teaching with others.
Katarina was born and raised in Slovakia. She devoted her youth to figure skating where she discovered her passion for physical activities and sports. She moved to Australia for 2 years to attend the International College of Sydney with a Major in Marketing. After returning to Slovakia she coached figure skating while finishing her studies at the University in Bratislava with a major in Sports Management. Katarina moved to the United States in 2002. She discovered Pilates and Gyrotonic about 4 years ago and after observing how Gyrotonic can positively affect one’s life she decided to become a certified Gyrotonic instructor. Now Katarina enjoys helping people to discover freedom of movement in Gyrotonic . She finds that it brings improvement of flexibility and overall physical condition. She also enjoys teaching because it brings her more energy and happiness. If not at the studio Katarina loves enjoying time with her friends and traveling.