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 one 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 and the Core Barre System of Smart Movement® and Ortho-Bionomy® for bodywork.
Our attention is to private, semi private and small group Pilates equipment sessions.
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 & structured syllabus that is relevant to all disciplines of good movement.
Her teaching style is both encouraging and motivating with an emphasis on precision, control and biomechanics.
Monica Hoekstra is a Certifed Romana's Pilates® Instructor under the direction of Sari Mejia Santo. She is also certified by the New York Pilates Studio® Certification Program, under the direction of Sean Gallagher. Ms. Hoekstra also holds a full comprehensive certification by Balanced Body®, and formerly Stott Pilates® for which she was an Instructor Trainer 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
Diana has spent her career in the health services industry with a focus on serving her clients. Several years ago, Diana was reintroduced to Pilates; specifically the classical method. She noticed the profound changes in her own body with her practice and that of her clients that she decided to enhance her training and education in the classical method. In a short time, Pilates has become a lifestyle for Diana and a rewarding alternative to her corporate career.
She loves helping her clients meet their wellness goals through Pilates with care and determination. She knows how Pilates can improve your mind, body and spirit and looks forward to continuing to share this with her clients.
Diana is a Level 5 Romana’s Pilates instructor who has trained with some of the most accomplished teachers in the world.
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.
Certified Pilates Instructor
.Beth started practicing Pilates in 2005 while working as a Manager of Sales Training at a Pharmaceutical company in NYC. She was hooked on Pilates after her very first session.
After 15 in the corporate world, and a few years into starting her family, she decided to leave her career to spend more time with her son and pursue a comprehensive certification with Power Pilates.
She has never looked back!
Beth appreciates how powerful Pilates has been for her own health and loves sharing her passion with her clients. She finds it very rewarding to see people get stronger, happier and healthier in their bodies and in their minds when they commit to a consistent Pilates practice. She herself maintains a weekly lesson with owner, Monica Hoekstra as well as with Romana's Level 2 Master Trainer, Janice Dulak. She truly believes that in order to know the work, you must do the work.
Beth feels fortunate to be able to practice and teach something she truly loves!
Certified Pilates Instructor
Leta discovered Pilates in 2005 in Atlanta, GA at a Romana's Pilates training center.
She has been hooked ever since!
While living in Belgium she continued to train In Pilates as well as acting as an assistant boot camp coach for a respected fitness trainer.
Upon moving to Charlotte Leta continued her training at ABsolute Pilates, where she was inspired to dive even deeper into her Pilates practice.
Leta became a Comprehensive Certified Pilates Teacher through Power Pilates in order to serve others by sharing her passion for the Pilates methodology and the wonderful physical and mental health benefits it delivers.
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 Instructor
Julia is a Romana Certified, Level 4 Pilates Instructor of twenty years. She was trained under Joseph Pilates' protege, Romana Kryzanowska, and also her daughter, Sari Mejia Santo.
Julia was a teacher at Romana's certifying studio in NYC for six years, where she became a Level 4 Instructor (a "teacher of teachers"). This title entails the responsibility of not only helping to certify apprentices, but also, it is the recognition of dedication to upholding the method and values that Joseph Pilates created and intended in this practice.
Julia is also a certified ReUnion Process Kinesiologist of eight years. This process is a deep form of meditation that enables one to clear oneself of mental, emotional and spiritual baggage. Julia is a Young Living distributor of six years and avid user of essential oils.
Certified Pilates Instructor
Dru was introduced to Pilates in 2005 and became a Certified Core Barre 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 Romana's Pilates in 2017 and became certified in 2019.
She is very excited to share her passion for Pilates and all of the many benefits that the classical Pilates method has to offer.