Ida Keshishyan - Ida founded Be Pilates in May of 2018. Opening the studio has allowed her to combine her passion and purpose in one place.
Ida felt a natural pull toward dance and movement from a young age. She began training in dance at the age of 7 with Armenian folk dance and moved on to jazz, contemporary, Dunham technique and tango. In 2006 she received a BA in Dance with a focus on Cultural Studies from San Francisco State University. She also discovered Pilates at SFSU and after returning to LA, received a comprehensive certification through the Pilates Technique training program (www.josephpilates.com) under Jill Cassady by the end of 2006. In 2013 Ida received an MA in Dance Anthropology from the University of Roehampton in London. Through her studies she found what interested her most were the cultural and emotional implications of movement as expressions of the body. After returning to Los Angeles again, Ida decided she wanted to explore movement therapy. This led her to workshops based in gestalt psychology at Tamalpa Institute, Esalen Institute and Gestalt Associates Training Los Angeles, exploring how the body, movement, and emotions are connected. Finally in 2018, Ida founded Be Pilates, offering group reformer classes. Providing a space for breath, movement, and the opportunity for students to find a mind-body connection has been an absolute joy. Ida continues to teach and intends to keep the studio thriving for years to come.
Jackie Nii - Jackie first experienced Pilates in the dance program from University of Hawai'i. Right away she noticed the improved body connections she felt when she applied them to her dancing and after that, she was hooked. Over time, the increased strength, flexibility and awareness allowed her to move more efficiently in all aspects of her life. Pilates also gave her the knowledge towards injury prevention and rehabilitation. She received her certification through Long Beach Dance Conditioning. She is also certified in GYROKINESIS ® under Alicia Head and Scolio-Pilates under Karena Thek. In her free time, she enjoys dancing and performing modern/contemporary dance, traveling to interesting places, eating delicious food and hanging out with her two cats Ellie and Foofy.
Cristina Luna - Cristina has been teaching Pilates since 1999. As a former gymnast, she was immediately drawn to Pilates after reading an article about it and immediately enrolled in a 6 month certification course. She holds two certifications, one rooted in traditional East Coast style, and one in a contemporary approach through Stott Pilates.
She also has a BA in Architecture. This unique combination gives her an understanding of what it’s like to sit at a computer for hours, what it does to your body, and how to reverse it. Her teaching style is fun focused on form, alignment and quality over quantity.
Annie Ishimoto - Annie grew up in Orange County where she began dancing at the age of 7. Having running into some complicated health issues at a very young age, she was placed in dance classes to improve her health and mobility. She immediately fell in love with the artistry, movement, and expression of the body while dancing. Annie went on to perform competitive dancing for 10 years with the same studio. During her college years, she taught dance while working towards earning her degree in Communications. In 2018, she graduated from college and started taking pilates classes for fun with her close friend. She found a parallel from dance in pilates and loved the similar flow of movements. Pilates has brought immense joy to her life. When she is not at the studio, she is probably watching baby animal videos (mainly cats) or drinking wine and eating pasta or sushi with her best friends.
Danny Valle - Danny found pilates several years ago after experiencing severe back pain. He found it so effective that he was inspired to earn his certification to help others. He is an enthusiastic pilates instructor with a passion for motivating students from all walks of life. He loves challenging students to do their best and believes in teaching a well-rounded class that touches on the nine principles of pilates. Along with pilates, Danny's main interest these days is adult gymnastics. Although he still finds it terrifying, he loves that it challenges him to face his fears head on. He is working on doing a round off double back for 2022 and trying to tame a beefsteak tomato plant that mysteriously grew in his garden and is
now taller than him.
Torrie Bogda - Originally from Chicago, Torrie took her first Pilates class at the age of twelve as a way to supplement her rigorous classical ballet training schedule. A professional dancer by the age of eighteen, cross-training became essential while performing up to 19 shows a week as a Radio City Rockette in New York City. In between performance contracts with the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Central City Opera Company, Torrie traveled to India to study yoga and philosophy, beginning her journey teaching movement. After a painful chronic shoulder injury sidelined her dance career, Torrie turned to Pilates to rehab, inspiring her to become certified herself. Now she pays it forward by helping others recover from or prevent injury through Pilates-based movement. When Torrie isn’t teaching, she’s enjoying a codependent relationship with her dogs, Betty and Arthur.
Emily Devine - As a Long Beach native, Emily began dancing while in middle school and fell in love with the art of movement. She went on to get her degree in Dance Science from California State University, Long Beach. It was during her time in the Dance Department at CSULB that she was introduced to Pilates as a way to stay strong and balanced. Under the instruction of Karen Clippinger, Emily developed her love and appreciation for Pilates and all that it has to offer. Along side her dance and Pilates training Emily studied Anatomy, Exercise Physiology, and Biomechanics of Human Movement. It was this coursework that inspired her to share her knowledge and help others through movement. The summer following her college graduation she completed her Pilates certification through Body Arts and Sciences International (BASI). Emily’s goal as a Pilates instructor is to allow her clients to move freely and efficiently while challenging them past what they thought they could do! When Emily is not in the Pilates studio she loves to shoot film photography and go hiking.
Teresa Spizzirri - Teresa Spizzirri has been teaching Pilates for over 15 years. She has taught in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Chicago and here in LA for 7 years. Pilates has been her sanctuary. As a mostly outdoor mover; trail running, hiking big mountains, long distance biking, and blading at the beach, Pilates was a way to go deeper into the mind body connection and the gateway to understanding the necessity of a functional well maintained system. As she did multiple teacher training and continuing education classes she has become an anatomy and bio-mechanics nerd and loves to study movement and how to train for the best most sustainable well moving bodies!
Dina Freberg - Dina grew up in the Arizona suburbs, before moving to Los Angeles at the age of 19. Soon after, she fell in love with Pilates… so much so that she completed two teachers trainings! Dina’s classes focus on creative flows to improve balance, posture, and core strength. In her free time, she loves finding ways to utilize the Pilates reformer to create challenging and fun sequences that feel new each time. When she’s not at the studio, you can find Dina cuddling with her cat, JiJi, and watching Great British Bake Ofd.
Kristen Giordani - After more than a decade of being a Pilates devotee, Kristen took her enthusiasm for the practice to the next level by becoming a certified Pilates instructor through Pilates Sports Center’s internationally recognized (and PMA accredited) teacher training program. She's been teaching Pilates since 2016. Her passion for fitness and movement began long ago though, first as a dancer and then as a magazine beauty and fitness editor (at Seventeen and CosmoGIRL!). Kristen firmly believes that exercise is the secret weapon in the fight against stress, and Pilates is something you can do (very often!) for life. Kristen received her B.A. in Journalism & Communications from the University of Oregon (Go Ducks!) and lives in Sierra Madre with her husband, son and feisty dachshund.
Austin Tyson - Originally from Portland, OR, Austin was first introduced to Pilates as a student at NYU studying with the legendary Kathy Grant. Throughout his professional dance career, Pilates has been the best practice for him to maintain the health and connection of both mind and body. Certified in all Pilates apparatuses under the tutelage of Darlene Castro-Easterling, Austin loves to welcome folks from all backgrounds and movement experiences into the wonderful world of Pilates.
Katy Weprin -
My name is Katy Jean Weprin and I’m a Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher trained through Balanced Body. I’ve been teaching Pilates over 5 years and am currently on an educational path to get my Doctorate in Physical Therapy. I work with people who have a wide range of fitness and health goals, however, I’m most specialized in working with people living with physical pain and limited range of motion. On my off time I read, cuddle with my cat Athena, and trail run!
Cordelia Dewdney - Cordelia began her fitness career teaching Barre and Yoga while studying Theatre at Northwestern University. What began as a part time job soon developed into a full time passion as she continued her fitness education, receiving her Aerial Yoga and Fitness certification and teaching across the city while performing onstage at night. Cordelia began her pilates training in 2020 through The Lab training program in Chicago, immersing herself in the world of pilates. To her, pilates is the perfect way to harness strength and protect the body, meaningfully bridging the gaps between mind and body.
Colleen McCabe - Colleen found pilates six years ago while modeling in NY. Starting as a means to stay in shape, she quickly fell in love with the mindfulness & intentionality of the movements. She loves moving with precision to the rhythm of the breath, creating a flow that is challenging yet restorative. Colleen completed her comprehensive study through The Lab here in Los Angeles.