November Newsletter

Dear Community,

I am writing to you from a friend’s dining table facing the New York City skyline. It is magnificent, isn’t it? It’s a view I’ve never tired of since I first glimpsed it as a 17-year-old aspiring dancer hoping to get a college scholarship so I could live here. I still remember the day I was walking through downtown Manhattan following an audition at NYU when a woman stopped me on the corner of 2nd avenue and asked for directions. And somehow, I knew enough to steer her in the right direction. Before I even lived here it felt like I belonged here. 

Just a few days ago I was walking through the streets of Malaga, Spain. It’s a vibrant city and it was a gorgeous, sunny day (there are many of these) when an older gentleman stopped to ask me for the time. Although my spanish is limited and I wasn’t expecting a question, I was able to help this man. And in that moment, I felt a similar sense of connection. It’s not much, and it’s fleeting, but moments like this in Spain give me a nudge towards that feeling of belonging.

When people ask me what it’s like to live in Spain I feel ill-prepared for the enormity of the question. I tend to blurt out something about the weather or how challenging it’s been for me to learn the language. But the deeper response that I’m living is that it’s a slippery, stifling, sometimes sweaty, and staggeringly unique experience. It’s unsettlingly beautiful and hauntingly quiet at times. There have been moments when I have calibrated to that stillness and felt a sense of peace-relief deep in my heart. Watching the moon rise over the mountains offers me a different sense of belonging. Have you ever witnessed a rainbow within a sunset? 

And it’s evolving into something more every day, poco a poco. 

The sun is now rising here over the city and the clouds are a soft shade of peachy pink, small containers bursting with morning light, ever-shifting boundaries for the grey blue autumn skies. I am grateful to be here to witness this soft energy of a waking city, to continue to feel its giant arms flung open, embracing me, and you, welcoming all of us. What a feeling. 

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I have been reflecting on the colossal year that 2025 has been for our studio. In January we made a somewhat miraculous, essentially overnight transition into our new home at 121 Kent Ave, having bid a bittersweet farewell to our former studio. While celebrating a monumental 14 years on Wythe Ave, we welcomed in a new, fresh energy with a stunning and bold (and rapid!) renovation project. We expanded our amazing team of expert practitioners— Savannah, Olivia, Emily, and Lucia—while being deeply supported by our veteran team—Cristina, Charlie, Mariela, Mikayla, and again Savannah, who doubles as the studio’s badass assistant. Thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart for trusting in me and supporting this new chapter. 

And deep, open-hearted gratitude for every person who has stepped into our studio seeking something genuine and authentic to support your well-being and your life, I am honored to have played a part in your movement education, your embodiment, your somatic health, your centering practices, your fitness journey, your healing, your most celebrated moments and your most tender ones. Thank you for teaching me how to be a better listener and a more attuned practitioner. Thank you for trusting me and our incredible team. 

Now, as we move towards our 15th year, I would like to highlight two of our practitioners for their outstanding dedication, not only to the Progressive Pilates Williamsburg community, but to the Pilates industry at large. Charlie LaRose and Mariela Dorado have been devoted to the world of movement education for the greater part of their lives. I have had the honor of working alongside these two for many years and have witnessed their exquisite skills transform their clients’ bodies. What a gift it’s been to observe their development and to see their creativity, expertise, attunement, and deep care create experiences that are truly life-changing. 

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Charlie LaRose is an extraordinary, multi-faceted artist and fitness expert whose approach to the body is powerfully poetic and rooted in a deep understanding of the human form and its potential for greatness. When you receive a session from Charlie, you understand her depth as a dancer, writer, film-maker, and movement professional. She has a uniquely dynamic way of empowering you because she understands you—she has studied her own inner world, she has written complex characters, and she will use this to encourage you to be courageous and to push beyond self-imposed limitations. Charlie is a gifted practitioner who can gracefully guide an elite-athlete through a rigorous workout while offering a gentle, patient space for injury recovery. 

Merriam Webster defines magic as this: the use of means (such as charms or spells) believed to have supernatural power over natural forces. And the Oxford dictionary offers this: the power of apparently influencing the course of events by using mysterious or supernatural forces. So I do not use this word lightly when I say that Charlie LaRose is magic and a session with her is nothing short of supernatural. She possesses a charming ability to draw out your innate power influencing the course of your day and maybe even life. Embodying her own medicine, when she’s not casting spells, writing screenplays or making films, Charlie carves out time for both sweaty work-outs and full moon rituals. Thank you for sharing your magic with us since 2018 Charlie!! 

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If you’ve been fortunate enough to be in Mariela Dorado’s presence, then you know the loving force of nature that she is. Mariela lives and breathes the tenets of health and happiness. Her joie de vivre is highly contagious and exudes from her entire being. It’s this joy for healthy, healing movement that defines her teaching philosophy and guides her tailored movement sessions. Mariela gracefully weaves her artistry from decades of dance training, musical theater, and performance into fun, educational, and care-enfused sessions while honoring the traditions of Pilates. Mariela has a naturally nurturing energy and excels at accompanying prenatal and postpartum clients with expert care through their journeys of celebration and healing. 

I’ve quietly admired Mariela’s ability to lead her clients through complex movement patterns, awakening an unshakeable confidence in their own abilities. When I observe this level of expertise I see the medicinal component of movement, the transformational element of trust embodied. I see Mariela’s clients reclaiming a deep level of trust in themselves. 

Thank you Mariela for reminding me to continue to explore the pure joy of movement. 

Thank you Charlie for helping me to remember the value of pushing myself out of my comfort zone. 

Both Mariela and Charlie have been working in the Pilates industry for over ten years and training as movement professionals for nearly two decades. Because of their vast experience, in-depth knowledge, and dedication to their profession, I am thrilled to promote both Mariela and Charlie to Progressive Pilates Williamsburg Senior Practitioners. With this distinction, Mariela Dorado and Charlie LaRose will join veteran Progressive Pilates pro Cristina Rubio as Progressive Pilates Williamsburg Senior Practitioners. Our 2026 pricing will reflect this advancement, as we celebrate our team with compensation that acknowledges and honors their expert status. 

Thank you for going, growing, and glowing with us into this holiday season and into the new year!!

With joy and magic,

Brynne and the Progressive Pilates Team