ABOUT
The Studio
We have been honored to serve the community of Charlotte, NC with our home in the beautiful South Park area for over twenty four years.
Our mission is to provide excellent service in all our offerings and business practices and to provide a safe environment that affirms self worth, general wellness, and health and fitness.
We focus on promoting functional movement and a whole-body training system through the Authentic Classical Pilates Method of Contrology, GYROKINESIS®, the Core Barre System of Smart Movement® and Ortho-Bionomy® for bodywork.
Our attention is to private, semi private and small group Pilates mat & equipment sessions and GYROKINESIS® mat based group classes. In addition we offer mentorship and teacher training in Dark Horse Pilates and the Core Barre System of Smart Movement.
We are proud to offer Pilates Instruction on traditional Gratz apparatus.
Gratz Pilates apparatus is used in studios all over the world and teachers and students know the Gratz difference and consider the apparatus an indispensable part of their practice.
Come visit our boutique-style studio and experience a friendly, safe and caring environment with exceptional instruction and customer service.
Please feel free to reach out to Allison, our office administrator, who will be happy to take you on a studio tour, answer any questions you may have about our facility, and schedule your first session.
Contact us for a studio tour anytime between the hours of 10am and 3pm or by appointment @704-442-8600 or email:
info@absolute-pilates.com.
Our Team
Instructors
Studio Owner, Pilates &
GYROTONIC® Certified
Monica Hoekstra is the owner of ABsolute Pilates in Charlotte, NC, founded in 2001, and the creator and founder of Core Barre.
Monica is passionate about teaching and enjoys coaching clients and students to achieve their optimal fitness goals. She credits much of her teaching style to her early classical ballet training, where she was taught the importance of a solid foundation and a structured syllabus that is relevant to all disciplines of good training.
​
Her teaching style is both encouraging and motivating with an emphasis on precision, control and biomechanics.
Monica Hoekstra is a Dark Horse Pilates Teacher and Mentor under the direction of Master Teacher Trainer, Janice Dulak. ABsolute Pilates is proud to be an affiliate studio for Dark Horse Pilates mentorship and teacher training.
Monica is certified Romana's Pilates® and is also certified by the New York Pilates Studio® Certification Program. In addition she holds a full comprehensive certification by Balanced Body®, and formerly Stott Pilates® for which she was an Instructor Trainer and licensed training center for ten years.
​
Monica is also fully trained by Aaron Mattes in advanced level AIS: Active Isolated Stretching and Strengthening, and is proud to offer the methodology within the Core Barre Systems of Smart Movement®.
In addition, Ms. Hoekstra is a Certified and licensed GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® Instructor. She credits this methodology for inspiring her movement knowledge and adding diversity to her teaching. Lastly she is also certified by the NCPT® (National Certified PilatesTeacher) and ACE® (American Council on Exercise).
​
​
Certified Pilates Instructor
Kim Vasquez holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the New World School of the Arts in Miami, with a primary focus on dance.
​
Following her graduation she enrolled in the Core Dynamics Pilates Teacher Training Program in 2014, under the direction of Anna Alvarez and Kevin Bowen.
After her mentorship, she joined The Equinox team in 2018 where she served as a senior Pilates instructor to a wide array of clients of all ages and training experiences including pre and post natal clients, athletes, injuries and special populations and all those in between.
​
Her instructional approach is deeply rooted in the Pilates tradition and is deeply passionate about supporting clients' long term health and movement goals through accountability and compassion.
Certified Pilates Teacher
Rachel's first exposure to Pilates was in 2005 after a car accident. The works' combination of strength, control and flexibility restored her range of motion as well as confidence in her body. She was hooked and continued her Pilates practice alongside her other physical activities.
​
Wanting a deeper knowledge of the discipline, Rachel began a Comprehensive Certification with Peak Pilates that included over 500 hours of practice, education and apprentice teaching. Rachel successfully completed her teacher training and became a Comprehensive Classical Certified Peak Pilates Teacher in 2021.
​
Rachel continues her education and love of Pilates with her personal practice and regularly attends workshops and seminars for continuing education and development.
​
Rachel loves sharing Pilates with others and truly believes it is for every body.
Certified Pilates Instructor
Cat is a retired military having served in the air force. She started her career in fitness as a part-time job and afterwards continued fitness as a full time career and has never looked back.
​
With 28 years experience in the fitness industry, Cat has trained all levels of fitness regardless or injury of limitations.
​
Cat is Certified by Romanas Pilates and is also a NASM (National Association of Sports Medicine) Certified Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor. In additional she is a Yamuna Body Rolling Practitioner.
​
Cat is passionate about fitness and loves meeting and training people to achieve their fitness goals. Above all she likes to have fun 'as life is too short for anything else'.
Certified Pilates Teacher
Dru was introduced to Pilates in 2005 and became a Certified Core Barre-Smart Movement® Instructor with studio owner and creator, Monica Hoekstra.
​
Through her own practice she discovered the brilliance and depth of Joseph Pilates and his system of "contrology."
Wanting to stay true to the Pilates method, she began studying with Romana's Pilates in 2017 and became certified in 2019. Dru is now a Dark Horse Pilates Teacher and mentor.
She is very excited to share her passion for Pilates and all of the many benefits that the Classical Pilates method has to offer.
​
​
Ortho-Bionomy®
Patty Thomas is a licensed Massage and bodywork therapist who specializes in Ortho-Bionomy® and Sensus therapeutic techniques.
​
Ortho-Bionomy® is a gentle non-invasive form of bodywork that was developed by an osteopathic MD. It helps to re-educate the body by facilitating its self corrective reflexes to find balance and ease. The practitioner uses a range of soft tissue and energetic techniques which encourage the body's inherent self regulating mechanisms.