Joanne Smith – Joanne was introduced to Pilates as a client in 2000 and decided to make teaching fitness her career in 2001. She has completed the full Essential, Intermediate, and Advanced mat and apparatus curriculum through the STOTT PILATES® method at the Northeast Pilates Certification Center. She completed the Injuries and Special Populations coursework expanding her knowledge for those with special needs and physical limitations. In March of 2003, Joanne earned her full instructor certification after extensive study, fulfilling more than 500 apprentice hours, and successfully completing the written and practical exams.
In August of 2003, Joanne was invited by P.J. O’Clair to participate in the Instructor Trainer program for STOTT PILATES® at their international certification center in Toronto, Canada. As a former Instructor Trainer, she continues to enjoy helping to educate and work with other instructors in developing their pilates career path.
In 2006, Joanne furthered her pilates teaching credentials by completing the full certification in Power Pilates®. This was in a quest to learn and understand the teaching methodology of “classical” system of pilates. In 2007 she completed and passed the Comprehensive Program of Power Pilates® certification requirements in New York.
During her pilates training she learned about the GYROTONIC® method. Her instructor coursework was completed in the GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® methods with master trainers Sebastian Plettenberg and Kathy Van Patten in 2002. After completing the extensive apprenticeships, she received those certifications by Juliu Horvath, the developer and founder of these methods in 2003 and 2005 respectively. In pursuit of her love for the method and to further update her knowledge of the advanced material, Joanne completed the GYROTONIC® Level II Program 1 certification in 2013.
In 2010, she completed the training and test out guidelines to teach the Xtend Barre® workout- the premier ballet barre workout- PILATES AND DANCE AMPLIFIED®. In 2014, Joanne completed her certification in Xtend Barre® Stick program.
Throughout the years, Joanne has pursued her continuing education with a variety of workshops in specialized programming in pilates to be updated on the newest and most up-to-date information. She has also participated in workshops with Anatomy Trains® author Tom Meyers, Embodied Anatomy through Yoga Tune Up®, and many others. To further compliment her pilates background, in 2014 Joanne recently became certified in ZEN•GA™. ZEN•GA™ is a synergistic blend of mind-body modalities, supported by exercise science and the newest findings in fascial fitness.
She resides in York, Maine where she grew up during the summer months as a child. In addition to her work, she enjoys running, dancing, and spending time at the beach with family and friends and her fabulous dog, Otis.