In its natural state, the human body moves with elegant harmony through ever-changing environments. Whether it’s playing with toys on the floor with grandchildren, dashing around an opponent on the field, or enjoying the sweet ping of a confident swing off the tee, these moments of movement bring brio to everyday life.
Connecting effort with ease is the goal of Kate Jordan Augusto, Certified GYROTONIC® Trainer, and Kirsten Cherubini, Certified Pilates Instructor. This duo has combined their disciplines under one roof at Missoula’s Main Street Pilates studio. Their specialties dovetail to enhance full-body movement but differ in approach. The more familiar Pilates uses linear techniques to engage micro-muscles which support and strengthen the body. The Gyrotonic method can improve mobility and flexibility by tracing circular patterns along multiple planes of movement.
“The skills are about something more comprehensive than fitness,” explained Kate. “They connect you to your animal grace.”
As a professional dancer, Kate found that the flexible design of Gyrotonic equipment allowed her to prep for any choreography she might have to master.
“The 21st century dancer is no longer mechanical,” she explained with an unfurling of her arms and a wave of her torso. “It’s dynamic, and that’s a sign of maturity in dance. Training with this method allowed me to find my fullest maturity as a dancer.”
Kirsten, also a professional dancer, found Pilates after sustaining an injury which never quite healed. “I began to focus on my spine with Pilates, and since it informs the body in motion, everything extended out from there,” said Kirsten.
A Missoula native, Kirsten opened Main Street Pilates in 2004. In 2016, she met Kate and invited her to share the studio with Kate’s business, Kinetic Body Missoula. Their shared space includes room for both mat and apparatus work. Both Pilates and Gyrotonic exercises use equipment to customize a workout for each client’s needs. The Pilates Reformer—with a build out of springs, pulleys, and a rolling platform—allows for progressive gains by adjusting resistance as needed. The Gyrotonic Pulley Tower uses counter-weighted tethers and rotating levers, so users can reach and spiral from a solid base while decompressing the spine.
Because the training revolves around fundamentals, Kate and Kirsten can work with a wide variety of clients with a broad spectrum of goals. Dancers can strengthen their form. Elite athletes can develop more robust support for overused muscles. Many clients, however, just want to stay flexible and active. When asked for an example, Kirsten's face lit up as she recounted feedback from one client.
“She went on a hiking trip, and right when she was in the middle of bouldering, she realized that she had been doing the same moves in our Pilates sessions,” said Kirsten.
Colleen Rosbarsky, a dance teacher and Main Street Pilates regular, gushes over the workouts. She had taken Pilates for a long time when she decided to try Gyrotonic exercise with her dad. Now she combines both disciplines.
“They help you find those deep, intrinsic muscles in your core. When I leave a session, I feel centered and strong. I feel younger!” she said.
Not only dancers benefit. Anyone rehabbing from injury can improve, as well. Although neither Kate nor Kirsten are physical therapists, they often see clients who’ve graduated from P.T.
“Both of our movement practices can address misalignments or imbalances that caused the injury in the first place,” said Kirsten. Kate recognized another important factor: confidence.
“Say a client has gotten stuck to where they’ll only move in the ways that they learned in P.T.,” she described. “There’s a precipice there—one we can work through to come out stronger and more confident.”
Both Kate and Kirsten share a passion for mentoring and training new instructors. In 2019, Kirsten organized a course with guest trainer Shauna Laszlo to teach instructors who are working toward teaching certificates. She plans to host some continuing education workshops in 2020. In April, Kate will lead a six-day intensive course. She also plans to host a Foundations Training Course with Master Trainer Emily Smith.
Main Street Pilates and Kinetic Body Missoula offer classes and private/semi-private sessions. Formats include both mat and Pilates Reformer, Gyrotonic, GYROKINESIS®, and Baare (a fusion of yoga and Pilates). Embedded within every session is the philosophy of Pilates founder Joseph Pilates. “He said to ‘train the body that is in front of you,’” Kirsten emphasized. “That’s our focus with every client in every session.”