Biography

Karena Kelly: Certified Pilates Instructor

Trained as a classical ballet dancer at North Carolina School of the Arts, Ballet West Conservatory and the University of Utah, I began my own practice of Pilates in 1994 to support my dance. In 2001, after leaving the world of dance five years prior, I turned to Pilates once again to help me understand and rehabilitate physical issues acquired from dance and life. In 2003, I received my certification from The Pilates Center in Boulder, Colorado, and have mentored under some of the finest movement educators in the country.  The Pilates Center is exclusively recognized for generating teachers uniquely skilled and strong in the understanding of the anatomy of movement.  Students are taught, with over 800 hours in one year of teaching, observation, lecture, symposia and personal exploration of the work, to apply this knowledge through classical Pilates. Since 2003 I have taught all over the United States and have served as a teacher of teachers in Paris, France. 

I actively study Argentine tango and participate in the Portland tango community. I have also been very involved in many outdoor sports activities much of my adult life such as snowboarding, technical mountain and sport climbing, backpacking, and paddling. I am therefore able to convey, experientially, the applications of Pilates as a therapeutic tool for clients' endeavors, both artistic and athletic.

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