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Joseph Pilates Joseph Pilates was born in Dusseldorf in the late 1800s. As a child he suffered from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever. He was determined to combat his ill health by experimenting with various forms of exercise. Within Pilates you see these influences: yoga, gymnastics, skiing, self-defence, dance, circus training and weight training. Joseph Pilates created the Pilates method by taking, what he believed to be the most effective features from each of the above methods and combining them to form his own system that reflected a perfect balance of strength and flexibility. |
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Having benefitted himself from his new form of exercise he started teaching
these techniques to others. During the outbreak of the First World War Pilates was interred as a German national in England. By attaching springs to the inernees' beds whilst in
confinement, Pilates devised exercises whereby the prisoners could maintain their health and fitness levels. After the war he returned to Germany where he met Rudolf Von Laban,
a dancer, choreographer and theoretician of dance. Pilates impressed Laban with his new form of body training. Later Pilates moved to America where he set up his first studio in New York.
This became the home of the New York City Ballet alongside other prestigious dance companies. It was not long before the dance profession caught onto Pilates' method of training, followed by
top actors, actresses, gymnasts and athletes all excited to learn from Pilates.