Dance

How To Make Your Movement Look Good And Feel Good With Dynamic Alignment.

Say the goal as a dancer is to look good in the mirror. What if it also feels good and is also efficient?  Learning how to create that would be the goal.  I’ve had conversations with people saying “Ballet wrecks your body”, but I disagree. Ballet can be a great exercise but you have to work on achieving those forms with good function and in dialogue with whoever is trying to achieve them. Read More

The Best Tool To Support Dancers: Pilates

Supplementary cross-training, alongside technical dance training, is essential to develop a dancer’s learning and longevity. The Pilates environment provides an opportunity to support optimal performance while reducing the risk of injury. Read More

Polestar Pilates Highlight : Ana Bolt Turrall

What I love about teaching Pilates is that I get to share how amazing it feels and is for the body. I have the opportunity to share the importance of movement longevity and encourage people of all backgrounds to enjoy this treasure. Read More

Educator Highlight: Heather Brummett

From my first class, I knew I wanted to do something with Pilates. While dancing I suffered a significant ankle injury and had to see a PT. This, coupled with anatomy and physiology classes at a community college in LA, sparked my interest in PT. Just after graduating from PT school in 2001, I took a course from Brent Anderson, teaching Pilates in rehabilitation. I then signed up for the Polestar Pilates Comprehensive Course and continued to take more and more courses from the awesome teachers in the Polestar family.Read More

How do we Know we’re Teaching a Great Class?

A great class starts with identifying goals.  What message do we wish to convey to a group or an individual that will be under our guidance for at least an hour at a time?  As movement instructors, whether we are teaching yoga, Pilates, dance, GYROTONIC®, etc. a critical part of delivering a memorable experience is identifying the needs and wants of our students.  So the question becomes: How do we identify goals for an individual or a group class that are both aligned with our experience as professionals and the students’ desires?Read More