PRACTITIONERS
Brynne Billingsley
Owner | Pilates | Yoga | Somatic and Well-Being Coach
Brynne Billingsley founded Progressive Pilates Williamsburg in 2011 with the intention of sharing her life-long passion for movement and healing with the community. Her approach to Pilates is holistic, scientific, artistic and grounded in the belief that we should all feel exceptional in our own bodies. Through corrective movement and bodywork with an emphasis on alignment and conscious breath, Brynne guides her clients towards awakening their inherent inner-strength revealing their most centered selves. As an artist, she creates dance works that acknowledge the breadth of human experience and consciousness. Brynne continues to explore ways of communicating that which feels most important in life, recognizing the interconnectedness of body-mind-heart-spirit and the infinite possibilities of connection to others and to the greater world.
Brynne took advantage of Mr. Pilates' lasting legacy in the NYC dance community and received her training from Pilates masters Kelly Kane at the Kane School for Core Integration and a 600-hour Pilates Apparatus Certification from Lawson Harris (Pilates Elder Carola Trier) at Half Moon Pilates (PMA). She has completed numerous trainings in neuro-somatic therapy and myofascial techniques. Additionally, she has extensive training and leads workshops for the prenatal and postpartum client. Brynne is a Certified Ayurvedic Health and Meditation Teacher through the Chopra Center (Deepak Chopra) and a Somatic and Well-Being Coach, Mastery Method Certified (Alyssa Nobriga, Deepak Chopra.) In 2023 Brynne received her 200-hour yoga teacher training from House of Om (Bali, Indonesia.)
Brynne received her Master’s Degree from Hollins University in Dance in 2019 and integrates various movement techniques to inform her teaching and healing methods. Brynne also practices the deeply rejuvenating massage form, Thai Yoga Bodywork, and incorporates this therapeutic knowledge into her sessions. She has been featured on national tv programming and taught master classes at universities.
Brynne would like to thank her amazing teachers and mentors Deepak Chopra, Alyssa Nobriga, Erika Bloom, Kuan Hui Chew, Christine Wright, Summer Deaver, and Jonas Westring for sharing their wisdom and passion for teaching with her. To find out more about Brynne's dance projects, please visit www.brynnebillingsley.com
Cristina Rubio
Pilates | Prenatal | Postpartum | Reflexology | Reiki
Senior team-member Cristina Rubio celebrated 10 years with Progressive Pilates Williamsburg in 2022. Born and raised in Colombia, she began her movement training as a professional belly dancer and toured for years throughout the US with Bellyqueen Dance Company. She came to practice Pilates as a complementary workout and for core integration. Cristina acquired her Pilates certification from renowned Pilates master teacher, Erika Bloom. She is also a certified reflexologist by the ARCB and a Reiki practitioner. Cristina has trained in The Functional Anatomy for Movement and Injuries (FAMI) at Kinected and has studied with Lesley Powell, Kuan Hui Chew, Erika Bloom, and of course with Brynne Billingsley, her first Pilates teacher who inspired her to follow this path. She is fascinated with various somatic modalities and continues to be inspired by the various ways she can share this knowledge of the human body with others. She creates a long lasting relationship with her clients, enabling a better understanding of their bodies and dedication to their progress. She holds a special place for pre- and post-natal clients, helping women and supporting them during this special and sometimes challenging moment in their lives.
Lucy Kerr
Pilates | Prenatal | Postpartum
Lucy Kerr has been teaching Pilates, somatics, performance, and embodiment since 2016. She grew up training as a ballet dancer and later transitioned into contemporary performance and choreography. Pilates helped Lucy recover from hip and shoulder injuries following many years of intensive ballet training, and she continues to use Pilates as a way to foster resilience and manage pain. Lucy received her Pilates mat and apparatus certification from Gramercy Pilates NYC, where she also focussed on Prenatal and Postnatal Pilates, injury prevention and rehabilitation, and working with special populations. She enjoys crafting flowing sequences while cultivating stability and alignment and tailoring each session to the unique situation of the client. Lucy also enjoys incorporating somatics and image-based prompts and cues from her embodiment practice and training in Noguchi Taiso. Lucy received a BA in Dance and Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin and she holds an MFA in Film/Video and Art from California Institute of the Arts. As a filmmaker and artist, Lucy continues to make movement, the body, and choreography an integral part of her practice.
Mikayla Gill
Pilates | Prenatal | Postpartum
Originally from Key West, FL Mikayla Gill trained extensively in the Vaganova school of Classical Ballet. An unfortunate hip injury led Mikayla to rehabilitate with Pilates where her passion for the practice expanded exponentially. During her recovery, Pilates was the only functional movement her body responded to and significantly increased her quality of life. Mikayla is now certified through the Kane School of Core Integration in NYC with master teachers Kelly Kane and Matt McCulloch.
Mikayla believes that Pilates plays a vital role in producing and maintaining a stable environment for our bodies as we age, resulting in enhanced wellness and greater joy. Whether you’re wanting to sit at your desk without lower back pain or you’re an athlete looking to enhance your game, Mikayla focuses on corrective exercises, coordinating breath with movement, while encouraging you to feel and be the best version of yourself.
Taylor Schmuelgen | She/Her
Pilates | Prenatal | Postpartum
Taylor Schmuelgen is a dancer, arts administrator, and pilates practitioner based in New York City. She was introduced to Pilates through her dance training and developed a regular Pilates practice in college. As an instructor, she likes to play with the classical system, weaving in contemporary exercises and methods, catering to each client’s individual needs and goals. She is certified through Power Pilates (NYC), and also holds a BFA in Dance as well as a BS in Exercise Science from the University of Texas at Austin.
Taylor is passionate about creating accessible spaces where movement is for everyone, and wants people to leave their session feeling strong and empowered as they move through the rest of their day. Outside of the studio, she enjoys experiencing performance of all kinds, taking really long walks with friends, and drinking really good coffee.
Mariela Dorado | She/Her
Pilates | Prenatal | Postpartum
Mariela Dorado (She/Her) is a Pilates Instructor, Teaching Artist, and Musical Theater Performer based in Brooklyn, NY. Originally from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, she first acquired a love of movement through salsa dances at her neighborhood's garage parties. She trained in various styles throughout her life and eventually attended Rutgers University where she earned a BFA in Dance Performance and spent one year abroad studying Laban Movement Analysis at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, UK. In 2016 Mariela completed her Pilates certification specializing in post-rehabilitation through Polestar Pilates and the Pilates Method Alliance, which culminated with a teaching internship in Madrid, Spain. Additionally, she has completed courses in Pre-Post Natal Instruction, Pilates for Neurological Conditions, and Pilates for Bone and Joint Health.
Alongside a Musical Theater career, Mariela has been teaching Pilates and Dance for the past 5 years through a diverse range of settings including physical therapy clinics, hospitals, non-profit organizations, boutique fitness studios, and world renown institutions such as Steps On Broadway and Broadway Dance Center. Her knowledge of the human body combined with her enthusiasm for movement as it relates to physical and mental well being, allows her classes to remain equal parts fun, challenging, restorative, and educational.
Charlie LaRose
Pilates | Prenatal | Postpartum
Charlie is a multifaceted professional with a diverse background in classical and contemporary ballet, tango, martial arts, and stunt acting. While dancing in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Charlie discovered Pilates and pursued her first Pilates certification for dancers through Domus Danza. Upon moving to New York, she completed Pilates mat and equipment certifications through Gramercy Pilates and specialized in prenatal and postnatal Pilates through East River Pilates. Additionally, Charlie apprenticed with physical therapists at La Palestra's Center for Preventative Medicine while treating clients. Charlie is a versatile Pilates instructor who always prioritizes mindfulness and safety. She combines all dimensions of her movement training and conditioning for a rigorous and athletic approach to teaching. With hand on adjustments and a sharpened eye for skeletal misalignments, she guides bodies into a healthier, and more empowered state of being. Charlie is also an independent filmmaker and actress. To learn more, please visit www.CharlieLaRose.com .
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