Continuing Education Weekend
November 11-12, 2023
Absolute Pilates is excited to host Sonjé Mayo, Victoria Torrie-Capan, Amy Berger and Regina Arras in Nashville, TN for a weekend of classes dedicated to moving your personal practice forward.
Nashville Pilates Events curates continuing education events for busy studio owners and teachers, our goal is to help fill your cup. We will give you a weekend to nourish your body with movement, replenish your passion for teaching, meet and connect with other like-minded teachers and business owners.
The weekend will include 10 hours of educational workshops geared toward leveling up your teaching skills. Workshops will be led by industry educators Sonje Mayo and Victoria Torrie-Capan, addressing subjects which are relevant to the success of your clients individual practices. Daily workout classes will keep your body motivated too.
By the end of the weekend your muscles will be sore, your body will feel vibrant and your mind restored. You will experience new exercises, unique variations on exercises you are already familiar with, and be surrounded by people passionate about Pilates. Moving with a group can be an intoxicating experience, the energy of the group will push you to a place that can sometimes be hard to reach working out on your own.
The weekend includes a professional networking breakfast so you can connect with other studio owners and teachers. Community makes us stronger together and we want you to be a part of our Nashville Pilates community.
Join us November 11 and 12 in Nashville TN at Absolute Pilates Nashville.
Questions? Please email us a nashvillepilatesevents@gmail.com and we would love to help you.
Weekend Workshops
Transitions on the Reformer with Sonje Mayo
Often neglected or overlooked, but a determining factor in the level of skill in your client’s workout are the transitions. Sonje will share the classical transitions between exercises as well as ones she learned from Joe. Learn when it is appropriate to teach certain transitions and why this is a key factor to the skills of an advanced practitioner.
Reformer on the Cadillac/Tower with Sonje Mayo
If you want to challenge your intermediate to advanced clients, this workshop will inspire you. Transposing the Reformer exercises to the Cadillac/Tower will bring a new perspective to the sometimes elusive goals of the reformer exercises. Sonje will share her own unique variations of the reformer exercises on the Cadillac as well as some more well known variations.
Shut the Box: Relationship of the Lower Limbs to to Powerhouse with Victoria Torrie-Capan
This workshop will explore the relationship of the lower limbs to the powerhouse to better understand how the position of the pelvis, muscles of the hips and pelvic floor relate to feet and knees. Often, teachers ask clients to move their legs “from their powerhouse” without a good comprehension of what the mechanics of this statement truly mean. In her true style, Victoria will break down the choreography of the Pilates exercises into segmental movement skills to build a more comprehensive understanding of how to teach your client better movement patterns. Learn how to use segmental strengthening and global exercises to train your client with less words and more movement.
Bridging the Gap: Transitioning Clients Through the Levels of the Classical Pilates System with Victoria Torrie-Capan
In traditional Classical Pilates training programs, students are taught 3 levels of repertoire: Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced. These levels were created by modern training programs in an effort to organize the vast choreography of exercises created and developed by Joseph Pilates and First generation teachers who trained under him. This workshop is designed to help students better understand the organization of the classical Pilates repertoire, when and how to change the order of exercises to progress or challenge their clients.
Pilates Equipment Safety and Maintenance Fundamentals with Regina Arras
Regina will walk you through everything you need to know about your Pilates equipment, the tools you should have in your studio to maintain your equipment and understand how often it should be serviced and what needs to be maintained. Preventative care of your equipment will keep it moving smoothly and safely for your clients.
Reformer and Wunda Chair Workouts with Amy Berger
Amy brings over 20 years of Pilates training to her classes. In recent years, Amy has gained an appreciation and passion for teaching teachers. Amy helps her students achieve their goals by thinking outside the box with cues and progressions, while still respecting and maintaining the Classical Pilates principles. Amy encourages her students in a challenging yet fun way, so that everyone who works with her can understand the essence of each exercise and gets the benefits of doing pilates safely and correctly. Amy will lead small equipment classes.
Pilates Business Networking Event
Pilates instructors spend a lot of time on their training but learning to share your vision, expertise, and passion in a succinct manner is how to attract new clients and business relationships. We will provide an outline to help you craft a pitch which you can practice sharing with other Pilates pros. Develop new relationships in a relaxed friendly atmosphere.
Weekend Presenters
Victoria Torrie-Capan
Pilates Instructor / Owner Studio 66
Victoria Torrie-Capan is the owner of Studio 66, a boutique fitness studio in Nashville, TN. Her core values as a teacher trainer and business owner, is to elevate the education and professionalism of the Pilates teacher. Victoria is engaged with the Pilates industry traveling internationally to train teachers as well with workshops and mentorships. Victoria began studying Pilates in 2002 at Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in 2004 with extensive coursework incorporating Dance Therapy, Psychology, Anatomy and Kinesiology. Victoria completed her Pilates certification through Romana’s Pilates in 2005.
Victoria also is a certified ELDOA trainer and student of world renowned osteopath Dr Guy VOYER and has been training under him since 2016. Victoria deliveries the Pilates system through an effective combination of strong cues and client-specific adjustments, empowering each individual to achieve their unique goal.
Victoria guides her clients in building movement strategies. She systematically develops specific movement patterns educating the body through the various environments of Pilates apparatus. Victoria resides in Nashville, TN with her family. Her children Theo and Rosie inspire her continued journey as a movement educator.
Sonjé Mayo
Pilates Instructor/Owner Pilates Atelier
Sonjé Mayo was born in South Africa in 1945. After certifying as a physical therapist at the University of Cape Town, her career as a professional dancer took her to the USA in 1965 where she studied jazz dance initially with Luigi and then contemporary dance at the Martha Graham School. Ms. Graham insisted her students take class with Joseph Pilates and Sonjé followed her advice. The many Pilates sessions she had with Joseph Pilates, his wife Clara and Romana Kryzanowska proved to have a profound influence on Sonjé’s future.
During the four years she spent working as a dancer in NYC, Sonjé danced with the Alvin Ailey Company and this experience in particular inspired her to return to South Africa to pioneer modern dance in her country. On her return to South Africa in 1972, Sonjé formed the first multi-racial modern dance company in the history of South Africa, JAZZART, which is still in existence in Cape Town.
Sonje’s unique style of blending contemporary dance with African dynamics, became her trademark and led to worldwide acclaim for JAZZART. During the 70’s and 80’s Sonjé’s protest choreography brought the plight of Apartheid to audiences in and out of South Africa.
Sonjé returned to the USA in 1995 and settled in Nashville where her husband was offered a post at Vanderbilt University. In 2003 she retired from dance and returned to Pilates on a full time basis. Sonjé runs her own studio, The Pilates Atelier, in Nashville, where she has been teaching for 10 years.
Amy Berger
Amy Berger is the owner of Star Pilates, a fully Gratz equipped, boutique Classical Pilates studio in Philadelphia, PA. Amy was introduced to Pilates while obtaining her BA in Dance at Goucher College in Baltimore, MD. In 2003, she was awarded a Pilates Certification scholarship from Goucher to enroll in the Romana’s Pilates Certification program, located at Drago’s Gym in New York City. She immersed herself in the program and was fortunate enough to study regularly with Romana herself.
Amy gained experience as an instructor at seven studios in four different states before opening Star Pilates in 2008 in Philadelphia, PA. In addition to teaching at and managing Star Pilates, Amy continuously looks to get feedback and improve by taking bi-weekly lessons with Master Teacher Anthony Rabara as well as other master instructors. Amy is honored to be an instructor on the renowned Pilates video platform, Pilatesology since 2021.
In recent years Amy has gained an appreciation and passion for teaching teachers. Amy helps her students achieve their goals by thinking outside the box with cues and progressions, while still respecting and maintaining the Classical Pilates principles. Amy encourages her students in a challenging yet fun way, so that everyone who works with her can understand the essence of each exercise and gets the benefits of doing pilates safely and correctly.
Regina Arras
Meet Regina Arras - Aerospace Engineer and Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher (NCPT), Regina, has a unique take on body mechanics and a very real passion for the “nuts and bolts” of Pilates. She approaches Pilates from an engineer’s perspective, dissecting the mechanics of each exercise, and from the artistic perspective of a dancer, always pursuing and appreciating the beauty and elegance of each movement. Over a decade ago, Regina’s distinctive approach gave rise to an entirely new business model that tackled the service and maintenance side of the industry by redefining what studio upkeep really meant.
Today, in addition to maintaining her NCPT certification, Regina is also a clinical EFT (tapping) and Energy Psychology practitioner, Advanced Crystal Master, Usui Reiki Master, and Sound Healer. In 2023, she created Vector Wellness, returning to her passion for supporting those on their journey towards health and vitality with magnitude and direction.
Regina currently lives with Amelia, her dog and business partner (in crime), in Middle Tennessee on a regenerative farm in her RV full time.
Learn more about Regina, EFT and Vector Wellness at energyworkheals.com.
