The Pilates community lost a very important and influential member recently — Kathy Grant. She was student and protégé of Joseph Pilates. She is one of only two individuals actually certified by Mr. Pilates in a program sponsored by the University of the State of New York, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.
Kevin Bowen, director of education at Peak Pilates sent out a newsletter commemorating her life, here are some excerpts that discuss this amazing woman’s life.
“Kathy became a Pilates teacher in 1957 and worked for Carola Trier in her studio on 56thStreet in New York City. Later, at the request of Mr. Pilates, she took over the Pilates Studio at Henri Bendel’s Department Store in New York City, where she taught for many years.
In 1988, Kathy moved to her current studio at New York University, Tisch School of the Arts. Despite many health problems in her later life, she always bounced back and continued to work, taking the train from Brooklyn to Manhattan to work at Tisch and do what she did best—teach.
Kathy shared her wealth of knowledge with a fresh new recruit of Tisch students every year by teaching a year-long Pilates course in the dance department. She was known as a tough teacher and perfectionist for the nuances of movement, especially as they related to the Pilates method and what she had learned from Mr. Pilates.”
