The matwork is such a powerful Pilates program precisely because it requires nothing more than a mat and offers a full-body workout. The matwork is how most people are introduced to the Pilates Method. When teachers and students come to Bridge Pilates, they can clearly see Blossom’s love for props. She enjoys using simple tools, such as a towel, a tennis ball, a water bottle and a block, that can enhance a movement or offer a step on the way to a bigger movement expression, a more complex skill. In this workshop, we will explore the matwork repertoire with the help of props that you can find in your home. We will examine the essence and purpose of the exercises and find accessible movements within them. You will delve into Blossom’s creative approach with the simplest tools that can effectively transform the body’s movement experience. The workshop will breathe new life into your teaching as well as reinvigorate your own movement practice.
In the event of you needing to cancel a session you have registered to or in the event of you not being able to attend the webinar live, you will be able to review the missed sessions. After cancelling the event, you will receive a login to our site to access Blossom’s Webinar for 30 days. Contact our host Iva for informations at iva@pilates-alliance.ch
Blossom Leilani Crawford is the owner and director of Bridge Pilates in Brooklyn, New York. She is known for her playful and powerful teaching methods, which she developed during the 17 years she worked with Pilates Elder Kathleen Stanford Grant. Since then, Blossom has made it her mission to expose each one of her students to the joy and satisfaction that comes from intelligent exercise.
Blossom had the good fortune of being introduced to Pilates by Kathy Grant in 1993 during her first year as a dance student at New York University’s (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. A venerated teacher, Kathy was one of only two people to personally receive her Pilates teaching certification from Joseph Pilates himself. Blossom was impressed by the effect that Kathy’s exacting and intuitive approach to Pilates had on maintaining and healing her body, and continued to study with her throughout her rigorous dance program.
After three years of working with Kathy, Blossom became her Teaching Assistant at NYU, an honored position that she held from 1996 to 2007. With Kathy’s encouragement, Blossom went on to pursue private study with Pilates Elder Romana Kryzanoyska. She received her Pilates teaching certification in 1999 after 600 hours of practice and observation.
Blossom’s current work is a blend of her own considerable experience, Romana’s more traditional set of training methods, and Kathy’s flexible and demanding style. She is known for her ability to seamlessly integrate Pilates lineages as the situation demands, and for her insight into Kathy’s work. The diverse stylistic approaches Blossom can access on the spot has made her a sought after Pilates instructor at conferences throughout the United States and abroad.
In January 2006, Blossom opened Bridge Pilates to ensure a space where all styles of Pilates are present and honored, as Kathy always taught her. In addition to teaching private sessions, workshops and conferences, Blossom is a faculty member at the Mark Morris Dance Center in downtown Brooklyn, where her vigorous group mat classes are open to the community. Most important, Blossom is a fiercely proud mother of two children — which means balancing the career she loves with her desire to get dinner on the time in time!.