OFFERING BOTH IN-PERSON and VIRTUAL PRIVATES and CLASSES
MEET OUR INSTRUCTORS
Laura Pennock - PMA®-CPT, Balanced Body Master Instructor & Studio Owner
"Make your body a place you want to live” has been Laura’ s motto since starting to study Pilates in 1983 after recovering from injuries sustained as a professional dancer. Her ability to combine Joseph Pilates’ wisdom and modern research helps her teach clients to safely mobilize and stabilize their bodies, often reaching and surpassing their own fitness goals. Laura is acutely aware of the physical and non-physical toll injury and illness takes on the body and is determined to help her clients achieve their movement potential.
A graduate of California Institute of The Arts, Laura has been fully certified in Pilates by the Physical Mind Institute in New York City since 2001. She is a Pilates Method Alliance (PMA) Certified Pilates Teacher (CPT) and her mentors have included Deborah Lessen, Madeline Black, Doris Pasteleur Hall and Irene Dowd.
Robyn DeFonce, PMA®-CPT
Robyn believes that practicing Pilates gives the body the perfect foundation for all daily activities and athletic pursuits. An instructor since 2011, she combines her interest in wellness with an affinity for guiding others to make connections within their own bodies.
Robyn is a PMA Certified Pilates Teacher, and has completed over 600 hours of comprehensive training on all of the Pilates equipment through Balanced Body and the Kane School. A certified TRX and AFAA Fitness Instructor, she continues her education through workshops including anatomy, back care, pre/post natal, active aging and cancer recovery.
Tricia Warner, PMA®-CPT
Tricia is a PMA Certified Pilates teacher and Polestar Rehabilitation Practitioner. She received her Bachelors of Science and Masters of Education at Springfield College, MA. Tricia is also an Occupational Therapist with 19 years of experience specializing in physical rehabilitation, as well as a LANA certified lymphedema therapist specializing in cancer rehabilitation.
Tricia has practiced Pilates for many years and believes that healing is facilitated through movement. She can work with clients to rehabilitate after an injury or illness, modify therapeutic exercise for people who have limitations, or take an athlete to the next level. With her husband and two boys, she enjoys outdoor recreation and music.
Annick Moreau, CPT
Annick Moreau was born and raised in France. A dancer and ballet teacher, her career took her to Las Vegas, NV, where she worked with Cirque du Soleil for 7 years. After suffering a back injury, she discovered Pilates and realized how much it helped her to strengthen. She decided to become an instructor and did her certification with DK Body Balancing Method, UNLV.
In 2005 she moved to the East Coast and has enjoyed teaching Pilates in NYC and Fairfield, as well as ballet at the Connecticut Dance School, helping clients to feel strong, physically and mentally. She recently moved back to Las Vegas and is continuing to teach virtual classes and virtual private sessions for Black Rock Pilates.
Jayne Gerwien, CPT
Jayne’s interest in Pilates began at a young age. She loved how quickly she had become strong, flexible, and energetic and wanted to share this incredible experience with others. To turn her hobby into a profession she enrolled with Balanced Body in 2014 and soon after, began teaching at Black Rock Pilates.
Throughout her journey Jayne has learned how to make Pilates the perfect foundation for all life's movements, and has gained a reputation as an energetic and sought-after instructor. She is also a certified TRX Trainer (2018). certified ACE Personal Trainer (2021), and a Balanced Body Integrated Movement Specialist (2021). She continues to explore her love for Pilates, anatomy, and movement, and hopes to help people find confidence and joy in their lives through fitness.
Catherine Collins, CPT
Catherine completed her comprehensive teacher training with The PhysicalMind Institute in 2004 under the leadership of Doris Pasteleur-Hall and Lesley Powell, and owned her own Pilates studio in New Orleans before moving back to Fairfield County in 2018. Grounded in anatomy and biomechanics, she brings both traditional and non-traditional Pilates based movement to her teaching.
Catherine has successfully coached clients from various backgrounds, with her main focus being on rehabilitation and special populations. Her clients have ranged in age from their teens into their eighties, from novice movers to professional athletes. She believes that the body, when given the chance, has the ability to heal itself, and sees movement as a way to facilitate this healing processes. She believes the form of the body determines the functional outcome; when there is proper form, natural function and integrity are established. Above all, Catherine hopes to empower individuals to lead a happier and healthier lifestyle.
Sara Sessions, PMA®-CPT
Sara is a movement educator and PMA Certified Pilates Teacher. While working as a professional dancer in San Francisco, she was introduced to the Pilates Method at the St. Francis Memorial Hospital's Sports Medicine Division for Injury Prevention Exercise. Certified by exercise physiologist Jennifer Stacey at Peak Performance and Madeline Black for PhysicalMind, Sara oversaw the Pilates studio for the San Francisco Ballet. While a senior instructor at Reebok Sports Club/ NY, she served as adjunct faculty for Marymount Manhattan College’s Fitness Professional Certification program and was featured in Pilates Style magazine.
Teaching since 1999, Sara works with dancers, athletes, and populations ranging in age from 10 to 87. Her ongoing study of the body and movement has led her to trainings in Gyrotonic, Tom Myer’s Anatomy Trains, and the F.A.M.I. workshop in anatomy and dissection. Sara is a licensed teacher of Buff Bones® research-supported bone health education and exercise. Sara lives in Weston with her husband and 2 dogs.
Jean Kaul, CPT
Jean found Pilates as a distance runner, when she discovered its transformative power to balance, strengthen and mobilize the body. As her interest in the practice grew, she found it to be not only a natural complement to athletics, but also a basis for the movements of daily life. The joy she finds in Pilates inspired her to become a certified instructor, and she is currently pursuing Comprehensive Instructor Training through Balanced Body.
As the Education Manager for a local non-profit organization, Jean combines extensive teaching experience with a love of Pilates to create a safe and joyful experience for people of all ages and abilities. She hopes to help people find mindful movement that both builds strength and leads them to feel at home in their bodies.
Layla Pellegrino, CPT
“Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress. Working hard for something we love is called passion.” - Anonymous
Layla has always had a passion for body movement and wellness. She discovered Pilates years ago, and what she loves most is how it strengthens our bodies from the inside out. She strongly believes in the importance of keeping our bodies moving, and if you can move, you can practice Pilates. Layla has been practicing Pilates herself for many years, but it wasn’t until her daughter was 11 years old that she decided it was time to turn her passion into a career. In addition to Pilates and TRX certification, Layla is certified by the Pink Ribbon Program as a Post-Rehab Breast Cancer Exercise Specialist. As she continues this journey, she is very excited to share her passion and knowledge of Pilates with others.
Alice Sekhar, Apprentice Instructor
Alice fell in love with movement as a young girl studying ballet. She discovered Pilates and instantly felt a connection, loving how it kept her strong and fit through her many years of dancing. In college she switched her focus and after completing her MS in Clinical Nutrition, worked as a Registered Dietitian while continuing to explore numerous other types of movement - running, cycling, swimming, group exercise (of all kinds!), kickboxing, and TRX. She became a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and AFAA Group Exercise Instructor.
But Pilates kept drawing her back as a way to heal from injury and regain connection to her body after having had three boys. After practicing for over 25 years, she’s now in the process of completing her Comprehensive Instructor Training through Balanced Body. Alice truly loves helping people gain confidence and find joy in their movement through the practice of Pilates.
Catie Falcone, Apprentice Instructor
Catie first discovered Pilates while living in Los Angeles, where she looked forward to her classes every week. Pilates provided not only a consistent workout but a respite from her hectic schedule. Upon moving to Black Rock in the fall of 2020, she was excited to continue her passion for movement at a studio within her own community.
After the birth of her daughter, Catie leaned on the gentle and mindful approach of Pilates to regain her center and heal. As a former kindergarten teacher looking to balance her personal life and career, she found exciting potential in the possibility of becoming a Pilates instructor. In the fall of 2021, Catie began her journey to become a certified instructor. Joining her love of teaching with a practice that has infinitely helped her, Catie hopes to share that joy with others. She looks forward to continuing to learn and grow with you!