Joseph Pilates, the founder of the Pilates method, not only developed the technique but also taught it to numerous students, many of whom went on to become Pilates instructors themselves. This resulted in the widespread popularity and dissemination of the Pilates method. Here is a collection of articles and advertisements that highlight some of these Pilates instructors who helped to spread Joseph Pilates’ work.
Lawrence Hayward
Lawrence Hayward worked as an assistant to Joe and Clara at the original pilates studio in 1957 until sometime in 1958. When he moved back to Canada, he continued to teach there. Images first shared on 2/18/24).
Unknown
This interesting ad was taken out in the 1970s, advertising Contrology classes at the Calvert-Brodie School of Dance in Columbia, South Carolina.
Image first shared 11/25/23
“Pilate your body” at Ilona’s School of Dance Arts in the early 1980’s in Arizona. Most interesting is the use of imagery from the cover of Joe’s book, Your Health Through Contrology.
Image first shared 11/25/23
Rosendahl’s and Dorothy Alexander
A Pilates History Research Archive® First Find!
The oldest known gymnasium that incorporated the Pilates’ system and apparatus, other than Joe Pilates’ Studio: Rosendahl’s
I’m so excited to share my latest research that may change the collective understanding of the history of Pilates Studios that were opened during Joe’s lifetime.
This original 1939 letter from Joseph Pilates (shown in part here) refers to a recent trip he took to Atlanta, Georgia and he mentions his system was introduced.
Previous research elsewhere has suggested that he was visiting Dorothy Alexander (of the Atlanta Ballet) in Atlanta and that it was with her that his system was being introduced.
However, my research shows that Ms. Alexander did not actually start the Atlanta Ballet until 1941- a full three years after Joe wrote this letter.
As we can see here in this article:
Image first shared 11/20/23.
Also stated in the above article, Atlanta dancers visited Jacob’s Pillow in the summer of 1941- and likely experienced Joe Pilates and Contrology there since that’s when Joe was getting his start in that location.
Therefore, if the Atlanta Ballet did not yet exist then, where was Joe going in Atlanta to introduce his system in 1939?
Through my research, I was able to uncover this lost article that was published just a few weeks before Joe’s dated letter, describing an Atlanta Gym called Rosendahl’s which featured the Pilates System.
Image first shared 11/20/23.
The article states:
Therefore, it appears that so far, the oldest outside of NY outside of Joe’s studio was Rosendahl’s in Atlanta as early as 1939, and not the Atlanta Ballet.
the oldest outside of NY outside of Joe’s studio
Images first shared 11/20/23.
This 1941 advertisement mentions a pilates studio in Atlanta in 1941- which was most likely Rosendahl’s, although it could also have been Dorothy Alexander at this point since it was the same year she likely met Joe in Massachusetts. Image first shared 11/20/23.
Here are a few more advertisements for Rosendahl’s, all very close to the 1939 year that Joe wrote his letter and that the article was published.
Dorothy Alexander
After Dorothy Alexander started the Atlanta Ballet in 1941, she began teaching Contrology there sometime after.
Images first shared 11/20/23
In the previous article about the start of the Atlanta Ballet, a student named Rossie Gilmore is mentioned. In this early 1950’s early, she is reported to be a pilates teacher herself. Image first shared 11/20/23.
Virginia Butterfield
At this point I do not know much about Virginia Butterfield other than what this article states, but stay tuned for more information as its uncovered. What is obvious is that she learned Contrology either as a student or was trained to be a teacher. Image first shared February 18, 2021.
John Winters
John Winters was a Pilates Elder who taught at Joe and Clara’s original 939 Studio in NYC as well as with Clara and Romana after Joe died. Image shared on 6/1/21.
Famous fashion photographer, Francis Scavullo, photographed Ron Fletcher and his student and was also a student himself at Joe’s original NYC studio. In this 1970s article snippet, Scavullo mentions that John Winters was his teacher. Although he suggests that he put John Winters into his book, he did not.
Also interestingly, the article pictures Scavullo uses a rowing machine in his house. Too bad its not a reformer!
Images first shared 11/25/23.
Robert Fitzgerald
Robert Fitzgerald was a student of both Carola Trier and Joseph Pilates. He also had his own studio in New York City. Image first shared on 2/18/23.
Jerome Andrews
Jerome Andrews was a student of Joseph Pilates and brought the pilates method to Paris. Image first shared on 2/18/23.
Bertha Fried
Bertha Fried was an early assistant to Joe Pilates and continued to teach Contrology for a period of time. Images first shared on 2/18/23.
Halina Lutomski
Through the research of Cathy Strack, we have learned a bit more about lost Contrology teacher, Halina Lutomski. In fact, Cathy even spoke with her son about her. According to him, his mother met Joe Pilates in the early 1950s in NYC. His parents also went to Jacob’s Pillow. They were friends with Joe for many years and Joe trained her and gave her permission to teach his method. She closed her studio in 1995 and they sold some of the equipment and got rid of the rest. Images first shared February 18, 2023.
Image first shared February 18, 2023.
Image first shared February 18, 2021.
Anita Hayes Kelley
Anita Hayes Kelley was a teacher of Contrology in the early 1940’s. Not much is currently known about her, other than that she taught health lectures around the country on diet and exercise, which included “The art and science of Contrology (balance of body and mind)”. As more research uncovers details, I’ll continue posting. Notably, she is the first black woman in history to have taught Contrology that I’m aware of. Image first shared March 4, 2021.
There is evidence that she travelled to New York City from California, which shows that it’s possible that she also took lessons from Joe and/or Clara on her visits. Image first shared March 4, 2021.
Merrilee Smith
Merrilee Smith was a teacher at the Atlanta Ballet and is shown in this article as “supervising” someone on the reformer. Image first shared March 4, 2021.
Unknown Instructors
Sometimes ads don’t mention who the teacher is, just that Contrology was taught there. These ads are from the 1980’s. Image first shared March 4, 2021.
