As many of you know, I have been serving the Charlotte community since the inception of ABsolute Pilates, now 14+ years ago. It has been quite the journey and many of you have asked the question as to what inspired the many changes in the studio you have been witnessing as of late.
To answer that question, I need to take you back to my beginnings as a classically trained dancer. Since the age of 8 my parents encouraged me to take ballet; the highlight of all this time spent perfecting this fine art was to become a full time teacher, trainer, and student of Pilates and movement.
Fast forward to Charlotte, NC fourteen years ago. My husband and I arrived with two small children. By grace I was presented with the opportunity to be a founder of what we now know and love as ABsolute Pilates. In due time we became a training center for STOTT Pilates, which is headquartered in Toronto (the city I was born and raised).
My co-founder Catherine Tait, for whom I am eternally grateful, moved on to Michigan, which presented the opportunity to eventually become the sole owner of our studio. Always seeking to strive for the best, I developed CORE BARRE, which unfortunately was perceived as a competitive offering by STOTT; consequently we parted ways in early 2012.
Ever since then I started searching for what the proper affiliation and orientation for the studio might be. Three years ago I stumbled upon the authentic classical teachings of Joseph Pilates -by contrast STOTT represents the contemporary (i.e. modified) Pilates method. In my heart I knew that I had found what I had been looking for, but in honesty it took me over a year to build the courage to follow through on what I knew to be true.
What you see now (a classical studio with new Gratz equipment and a team of dedicated movement professionals) is a result of the encouragement of my dearest friends, mentors, and family. I am humbled to present the authentic traditional teachings of Joseph Pilates to you my clients, students, and fellow teachers.
I look forward to serve you and the community of Charlotte for many years to come.
-monica hoekstra