Val Russell and her trapeze, as seen in commercialappeal.comOnce again, our semi-regular rundown of Pilates news from around the Web.

• Memphis Pilates instructor Val Russell has taken her practice into the air—literally—teaching aerial dance on a trapeze rig in her front yard.

• Real Pilates owner and Pilates-Pro.com contributor Alycea Ungaro shared her 9/11 story and recession-beating strategies on the Huffington Post.

• Twice laid-off in Silicon Valley, Dmitry Yudin found a new career—and his passion—teaching Pilates. Here’s his inspiring story from the San Jose Mercury News.

• Dan Walton, owner of Portland’s Studio Blue, increased his customer base by 20 percent by taking his website into his own hands and enrolling in a search engine optimization course. “It’s great to know I can do this myself,” he says. “It’s saved me a lot of money.”

• About.com Pilates Guide Marguerite Ogle explored “Reformer on the Mat.”

• If you have an iPhone, are pregnant, and love Pilates, you’re in luck: Apple has released a Pilates for Pregnancy iPhone app, organized by trimester. It’s based on Sarah Picot’s video, Prenatal Pilates, and her Pilates and Pregnancy Workbook.

• Ever wondered how to do Yogilates? Women’s Health offers three exercises from New York instructor Jonathan Urla.

By Alycea Ungaro

Yes, it’s true; the Pilates technology you’ve been waiting for is about to be released. Pilates has come to the Wii, merging fitness and fun in the newest incarnation of mass-market health and wellness. Your teacher is none other than the delightful and engaging Daisy Fuentes.

Wait, what? Daisy Fuentes? Uh, ok. Why?

I knew Daisy Fuentes did Pilates but when did she become a teacher? Common sense dictates that she must have expanded her credentials and become a trained Pilates instructor. I mean the corporate bigwigs at Sega wouldn’t have dared to allow her to instruct what will be roughly, oh, I don’t know…millions of people for fear of injury. Hmmm…maybe not.

I’m thinking Daisy did not enroll in a certification course and log in hundreds of practice hours so that she could teach you the perfect form and proper execution of the Pilates method. I’m guessing she didn’t hit the books hard to learn human anatomy or the basics of exercise physiology either. [You can see snipets from the Wii Pilates program here.]

To be clear, I’m not really picking on Daisy here. I’m sure she’ll make do just fine. Maybe as good as Jane Fonda even, or the myriad other celebrities that suddenly become fitness experts overnight. Personally, I just like to believe that my teachers are really teachers and that the experts I let into my life are really experts. So far as I can tell, Daisy’s claim to fame here is…her fame.

Think for a moment about the people you learned the most from in your life. Your first grade teacher: not famous, I’m sure. A coach or dance teacher: similarly off the radar by media standards. A professor somewhere along the way? These people were educators. Trained not only in their discipline but also in the discipline of teaching. Teaching is a craft. A skill set not easily learned and one that is very difficult to master.

Legend has it that Joe Pilates was not a very good teacher. He was a remarkable inventor, an unparalleled innovator but none to impressive with his communication skills. By contrast, his wife Clara is touted as the real teacher at the original Pilates studio. Her gentle touch and soothing voice are recalled even today by her devoted students.

I’m happy that Pilates has come this far and that people worldwide will have the benefit of Pilates in their homes. It’s thrilling to see the growth of this method still soaring after all these years. And I guess that celebrities not only endorsing but now branding Pilates as their own is a hallmark of the method’s success. So what’s next?

Will Miley Cyrus launch a Teen-ilates DVD? Let’s hope not.

Alycea Ungaro is the owner of Real Pilates in New York. This essay was originally published on Alycea’s blog.

_________________________________________________
RELATED ARTICLES
Teachers-Only Pilates Classes
Going Green in the Studio
Hosting a Successful Holiday Event