Why we love getting out into the community to help different movers.
Later this month we’ll be heading to a different type of studio. To teach a different type of mover. The Bombshell Burlesque Academy have invited us to run a workshop for their students, affectionately termed ‘Pilates for Peelers’. As any performer will know, the demands of regular training and rehearsal schedules, often while juggling other work or life tasks, can leave little time for personal maintenance. And yet those who use their bodies for recreation or work are the most in need of some pilates love!
There are a lot of occupations that require a physically active and strong body, often with a unique and challenging skill set too. Firefighters are required to maintain a lifting strength of around 100kgs, dance teachers need to be able to demonstrate steps throughout their day, often without the benefit of a full warm up. Nurses need to be able to lift and mobilise patients on and off beds without transferring unnecessary strain to their bodies. And one of our clients, a Vet, requires exceptional bicep strength and girth to be able to work, um, ‘deep inside cows’ as a reproduction specialist. Everyone’s goals are unique! And we love working towards specific requests in our studios.
However, not everyone can get into the studio. And a regular fitness or sports regime that involves other styles of movement might just about cover all bases for them. But adding a bit of pilates training, either in the studio on an occasional basis or by incorporating mat work into their regular routine, can help them coordinate and control their muscle patterns better, build better efficiency of movement, improve the way they breathe and increase their overall mobility, all of which can help take them to the next level in their chosen skill.
Last month, we had the pleasure of working with the Motorcycling Queensland’s young elites at their Talented Rider Identification Program (TRIP) Camp based at UQ. These teenagers are used to training hard (we saw their schedule for the week!) but moving in a mindful and purposeful way was something quite new to them. Learning about anatomy and posture for riding, and identifying ways they could incorporate stretch and strengthening into their training for long term health, was so rewarding for us and hugely helpful for them. We look forward to keeping in touch with them over the year!
In our Pilates for Peelers workshop, we’ll be using the specific movements and philosophies of pilates to help burlesque dancers strengthen their posture, understand balance and control better, improve calf, ankle and leg strength for working in heels, and improve shoulder posture and strength for reducing the risk of injury when working with props. It may not seem like it (they make it look so effortless) but those cabaret fans are HEAVY!! A 3 min routine of working with two giant feather fans overhead would challenge the shoulders of all but the best of us! Lila Luxx, owner and director of The Bombshell Burlesque Academy has been undertaking regular studio pilates for years. She says “Pilates has taught me to work smarter, rather than harder, when performing, engaging the correct muscles to work and abandoning bad habits, which tended to fatigue my body more rapidly. Now I feel like I have years ahead of me with a strong foundation, increased flexibility and much better stability in heels than ever before.”
The professional dancers of Queensland Ballet also use Pilates to support their training. Our Senior Instructor and Co-Director, Catherine, works on-site with the company on a weekly basis, fitting in consultations and classes around their busy rehearsal schedule. And when time allows, especially during times of rehab or holidays, we’ve had many of them visit our studios to focus more intensely on their pilates conditioning and helping them be at their best for when they return to dance.
Catherine working with a company dancer at Queensland Ballet’s on-site studio in West End. 
Queensland Ballet Principal Artist Lucy Green working on her extension in our Paddington Studio. 
Queensland Ballet dancers use Pilates for daily conditioning as well as to aid injury recovery .
We’ve worked with many different sportspeople over the years, some as individuals, some in groups, from rowers to swimmers, triathletes to ballroom dancers, footballers and cyclists and ultra marathon runners. Each has their own unique requirements surrounding movement patterning and injury prevention and we love working with them to come up with the best outcomes. Advanced movement training for advanced movers!
Last year we ran a monthly workshop for Young Dancers on Saturday afternoons, which came about from a few parents who knew the benefits of pilates but also knew a busy dance schedule didn’t allow for anything extra on a weekly basis. These teenagers had a great time! Working (playing??) on the equipment gave them a new point of focus and a way to connect with their body, and they were sent home with homework to integrate into their warm ups for the month.
If you have a sports or special interest group that you think might benefit from a one-off or a short series of classes, either in or out of our studio, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Although it can be hard to build a pilates routine into an already-busy weekly training schedule, even a few months of dedicated pilates practice can change your body and your sports performance dramatically and we’ll always work with each group or individual to come up with something that works.
If you’d like to know more about our services and our studios, please visit our website or contact us by email info@movementprinciple.com.au to discuss any workshop or off-site ideas you have.
If you’d like to know more about Bombshell Burlesque Academy, click here to visit their website, and head to their workshops page to read more about Pilates for Peelers.
If you’d like to know more about Motorcycling Queensland’s TRIP program, visit their website here.
And to learn more about Queensland Ballet and how dancers maintain their health, visit their YouTube channel here.
