teaching philosophy
Marianne Ferrari
Certified Pilates Instructor
“The union of core strength, flexibility, alignment, breath and openness of heart.”
The best way I can express my teaching philosophy is to share my experience with you. I am the sum of my parts! I have been a professional actor and singer for 28 years in New York and Los Angeles respectively. In my early years as a performing artist, I was drawn to bodywork as a form of physical conditioning and maintenance of my instrument. Early on, a voice teacher discovered I had severe tension in my jaw and solar plexus and my voice was blocked. I would especially tighten up during performance. My nervous system would go haywire. I was never able to perform to my full potential. I would “choke.” She suggested I go to an Alexander coach. My Alexander coach, Karen Coe, discovered there were many points of tension in my body. I cut off the flow of air. I was not breathing! I understood later in life why I was so guarded. My work with Karen freed me.
Though I do not consider myself a dancer, my body has a hunger to move. More specifically it wants to flow. I see Pilates as a movement meditation. I have noticed that every form of bodywork I have studied informed me as an artist. The marriage of music and movement is a magical, spiritual experience. I started studying Pilates 20 years ago. I had my first “Ah Ha” moment when I started training to be an instructor 10 years ago. Pilates changed me as an artist. The “Ah Ha” was the core connection. I finally got it through self-integration! The local musculature that is focused on in Pilates supports the entire vocal system. It is all about the breath…more specially, the postural breath and alignment. My voice opened beyond my wildest dreams. My auditions and performances were consistent and I was singing to my potential. My vocal coaches and acting teachers were amazed. For the first time in my career I could actually feel my feet on stage. I was connected to the earth. My entire being was open and present to my audience. I felt a groundedness, a power, I had never felt before. I felt like an open vessel. This "state of readiness" is what I translate as those magical moments on stage when you, as an audience member, are transported to places you never dreamed you could go. I am thrilled that I can share my gifts in this way. All this said, I want to share this knowledge with you – to help you move and feel the earth under you…to earn the right to your height! To help you be in that magnificent state of readiness. I help each individual client strengthen their core and identify their tension points. I help them open themselves to themselves. My work is a union of everything I have been taught through all the magnificent techniques and master teachers I have worked with from: Marie Jose’ Lawrence-Blum, the Simonson Technique, Larry Moss, Patsy Rodenburg, Michael Howard, Karen Coe, Bruce Eckstut, Jean Louis Rodrigue, Guru Singh. I carry their gifts within me and I pass them on to you. We are all connected. Movement is our salvation. I believe in the gentle power deep within us all.
Marianne Ferrari
Certified Pilates Instructor
“The union of core strength, flexibility, alignment, breath and openness of heart.”
The best way I can express my teaching philosophy is to share my experience with you. I am the sum of my parts! I have been a professional actor and singer for 28 years in New York and Los Angeles respectively. In my early years as a performing artist, I was drawn to bodywork as a form of physical conditioning and maintenance of my instrument. Early on, a voice teacher discovered I had severe tension in my jaw and solar plexus and my voice was blocked. I would especially tighten up during performance. My nervous system would go haywire. I was never able to perform to my full potential. I would “choke.” She suggested I go to an Alexander coach. My Alexander coach, Karen Coe, discovered there were many points of tension in my body. I cut off the flow of air. I was not breathing! I understood later in life why I was so guarded. My work with Karen freed me.
Though I do not consider myself a dancer, my body has a hunger to move. More specifically it wants to flow. I see Pilates as a movement meditation. I have noticed that every form of bodywork I have studied informed me as an artist. The marriage of music and movement is a magical, spiritual experience. I started studying Pilates 20 years ago. I had my first “Ah Ha” moment when I started training to be an instructor 10 years ago. Pilates changed me as an artist. The “Ah Ha” was the core connection. I finally got it through self-integration! The local musculature that is focused on in Pilates supports the entire vocal system. It is all about the breath…more specially, the postural breath and alignment. My voice opened beyond my wildest dreams. My auditions and performances were consistent and I was singing to my potential. My vocal coaches and acting teachers were amazed. For the first time in my career I could actually feel my feet on stage. I was connected to the earth. My entire being was open and present to my audience. I felt a groundedness, a power, I had never felt before. I felt like an open vessel. This "state of readiness" is what I translate as those magical moments on stage when you, as an audience member, are transported to places you never dreamed you could go. I am thrilled that I can share my gifts in this way. All this said, I want to share this knowledge with you – to help you move and feel the earth under you…to earn the right to your height! To help you be in that magnificent state of readiness. I help each individual client strengthen their core and identify their tension points. I help them open themselves to themselves. My work is a union of everything I have been taught through all the magnificent techniques and master teachers I have worked with from: Marie Jose’ Lawrence-Blum, the Simonson Technique, Larry Moss, Patsy Rodenburg, Michael Howard, Karen Coe, Bruce Eckstut, Jean Louis Rodrigue, Guru Singh. I carry their gifts within me and I pass them on to you. We are all connected. Movement is our salvation. I believe in the gentle power deep within us all.
Marianne Ferrari