About Carol
Carol LeMaitre has been teaching Pilates since you were in
3rd grade. She trained at Ellie Herman Studios, and has a strong background in the Janda Method of Neuromuscular Reprogramming. Naturally, she has studied with some of the
greatest trainers in the business, including Jennifer Stacy,
Kathy Grant, Cara Reeser, Eric Franklin and Michelle Larson.
Scratch
a Pilates trainer and you'll find a dancer with a back injury.
Carol is no exception. The method was so successful at healing
her body, she was inspired to become a teacher. Carol also
used Pilates to prepare for and recover from the birth of her
two sons.
Her third baby, Sanchez Street Studios, is now in
its eighth year. Personable, incisive and challenging both
as a teacher and one-on-one trainer, Carol is proud that her
offspring continues to expand its class offerings and attract
so many talented and dedicated trainers.
She is also delighted to add
to the Pilates population explosion by offering an exceptional
teachers training program for anyone
who wishes to become a certified Pilates instructor.
Alisa Michelle
Originally from Toronto, Canada, Alisa Michelle began her Pilates
training in the professional program at The School of Toronto
Dance Theater. While still in Canada, she had the pleasure
of studying with Sagrario Castilla, Rucsandra Mitrea, Diane
Miller and Irene Dowd. After moving to the Bay Area in 2001,
she studied with Ellie Herman and later completed her certification
program.
Alisa is pleased to have been teaching at Sanchez Street Studios
since 2002. She continues to love the studio and the community
it inspires. Alisa is also the director and active company
member of Company
Mecanique Dance Theater.
 Amber Alberty
Amber first encountered Pilates in 1997 while rehabilitating
from a dance injury. Her combined experience in dance, teaching
and performance motivated her to pursue further study. She's
been teaching since 2004 and continues regular workshop study,
most recently having completed the intensive Pilates Rehabilitation
Training with Lizz Roman.
Charismatic, energetic and thorough, Amber draws from her eclectic
and international background in dance, yoga and Pilates to
create a challenging, exacting and full-body workout. Her classes
focus on taking students to new strength levels while paying
particular attention to proper alignment and body mechanics.
Experienced with clients of all levels and abilities, she focuses
on moving students through the dynamic Pilates repertoire as
they master each exercise and gain understanding of the movements.
In rehab, her approach takes patients with chronic pain to
a mobile and strong body while working within the parameters
of their injuries.
Evangeline Kochanek
Evangeline started Pilates at 16. A dancer suffering from back
pain, she was sent by her chiropractor to "Your Own Gym" in
Northampton, MA., owned by Mary Bowen, one of Joseph Pilates'
original students. She worked the desk in exchange for lessons.
Feeling strong for the first time through that experience,
she feels Pilates changed both her dancing and her life.
A
Mount Holyoke graduate, Evangeline's approach to Pilates is
influenced by her background in modern dance and yoga, as well
as by study of contact improvisation and human anatomy at the
university level. Certified for Pilates instruction with Ellie
Herman in 2004, she completed the Janda Method of Neuromuscular
Reprogramming with Lizz Roman.
Patient and dedicated, Evangeline works closely with you to
identify weaknesses. She focuses on those areas, building them
up slowly and
carefully with the ultimate goal of empowering
you to achieve control of those areas in day-to-day life.
 Sharon Gallagher
Sharon is the co-creator and co-teacher of the Sanchez
Street Studios' Teacher Training Program, developed in 2005. Sharon was
first introduced to the Pilates Method in 1996, while undergoing
physical therapy for a knee injury. After recovering, teaching dance,
and dancing for a few years, she suffered an ankle and foot injury
which prevented her from dancing again. Pilates seemed like a natural
path to recovery and inspired her to teach others the valuable
information she was learning. She became certified with Ellie Herman
while concurrently studying the neuro muscular re-education work of
Vladimir's Janda with Jayne Edwards and Lizz Roman.
To further her understanding of the method, Sharon attended a teaching
intensive at the Pilates Center of Boulder in 2000 and also studied
with Cara Reeser. There she experienced her first glimpse into the
art and subtlety of cueing movement and also the deeper essence of the
Pilates Method. Sharon continued her inspiration for this style of
teaching by studying with Jennifer Stacey at Peak Performance where
she worked until 2005.
Sharon has been the Head Trainer in charge of Teacher Certification at
Ellie Herman Studios, and is now the Head of Continuing Education for
certified teachers. She is respected within the Pilates community as
a teacher's teacher and has trained many instructors. Sharon is very
excited to have developed the Sanchez Street Studios' Educational
Program with Carol which blends their working knowledge of the "classic" Pilates exercises informed by their focus on the art of
cueing. Sharon is also currently a professionally dancer and has been
performing with Printz Dance Project since 2001.
 Bonnie Machuca
As a dance minor at SFSU, Bonnie first used
Pilates to help rehabilitate her knee and condition her body for performing. Shortly after, she became pregnant and
reinjured the knee during her fifth month. After her third
major surgery to correct the problem and two months after
giving birth, she restarted Pilates training. The combination
of Pilates and physical therapy helped her regain strength,
both in her core and in the weakened knee. One year later,
she was back dancing and never felt stronger.
Because of the freedom of movement she was able to regain,
Bonnie chose to dedicate herself to teaching Pilates. She
is a proud graduate of the Mat Certification course
taught by her mentors, Carol LeMaitre and Sharon Gallagher,
here at Sanchez Street Studios. She is currently pursuing
the Pilates Equipment Certification course at the studio.
Combining knowledge of dance, yoga, physical therapy, pre-
and post-natal exercise, and Pilates, Bonnie's approach focuses
on total body strengthening and alignment. Her teaching style
combines classical Pilates repertoire with modern approaches
to the Pilates method.
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