instructors
Kinected instructors are hand-selected for their excellence in teaching and intensive study in anatomy, biomechanics, and injuries.

Michael Ballentine
Michael Ballentine has a special interest in the therapeutic value of movement-based exercise systems that emphasize connection. Trained in Pilates by the Kane School, he is also a student of Yang Tai Chi Master C.K. Chu and a doctoral candidate in Physical Therapy at Hunter College. At Kinected, Michael will continue to explore and share the potential for healing and reorganization through movement.

Kuan Hui Chew
Kuan Hui Chew was born and raised in Singapore. She received her teaching diploma from the Beijing Dance Academy in 1995. In 1998, she graduated from the University of Iowa with a BFA in Dance. She is currently a company member of ZviDance and ALLNATIONS Dance Company. Since 1994, Ms. Chew has been frequently invited to teach body conditioning, modern dance technique and Chinese folk dance in institutions throughout Singapore, China and the United States. In addition to performing and teaching, Ms. Chew is an active choreographer, and she was a recipient for the Singapore National Art Council Art Bursary (overseas).

Marimba Gold-Watts
Marimba Gold-Watts is a professional dancer who first began studying Pilates in 1999 to rehabilitate after a number of dance injures. She was encouraged to pursue dance rehabilitation while studying with Shaw Bronner PT (Director of Analysis of Dance and Movement at LIU, physical therapy program for The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater). She then went on to complete her certification at the Kane School, where she also studied anatomy and osteoporosis. Marimba is a graduate of Barnard College of Columbia University with a degree in Art History. She has taught Horton technique in the Professional Division at the Ailey School and at university dance programs throughout the country, as well as Pilates at David Barton Gym, Peridance, and Ballet Academy East. Her goal is to help her clients rehabilitate their injuries and achieve fluid, strong, and articulate bodies.

Violet Eagan
Violet has been teaching dance, figure skating, and fitness for over 30 years. She is a Master Figure skating instructor and gold medalist, as well as a century cyclist, former modern and classical dancer, tennis player and skier. Her dance teachers included Andre Eglevsky, Paul Taylor and Twila Tharp, and she has skated with Olympic Coach Gustave Lussi. She is a graduate of the Kane School and has completed her Level One GYROTONIC training with Master Trainer Tim McMinn. She currently teaches Pilates and GYROTONIC at Kinected and figure skating at Chelsea Piers, Bryant Park and Wollman Rink in Brooklyn, where she is Executive Director of Brooklyn Ice, a free after school skating program for Brooklyn Children. Violet also holds a BA in history from Syracuse University.

Kim Goss
Kimberly Goss, a modern dancer, is originally from Salem, Oregon, where she began dancing at the age of four. Her interests in movement, body awareness, and biomechanics grew when she was introduced to Pilates in 1995 as a supplement to her dance training. She went on to graduate Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance from Arizona State University, where she also gained extensive knowledge of anatomy and dance kinesiology. Kim moved to New York after graduating in 2003, where she now dances professionally. She received her Pilates certification from the Kane School and has taught there since. Kim has also studied pre-natal Pilates. She enjoys the challenge of teaching not only the fitness-minded, but also helping clients recover from injury and guiding them to work towards their full physical capability.

Yuki Hasegawa
Yuki Hasegawa is a native of Japan and a graduate of the Kane School. As a dancer and actress, she performed in musicals such as Oliver, Golden Boy, SANADA, and Little House on the Prairie, as well as in Japanese TV dramas and commercial films in Tokyo. After she moved to New York in 1998, she obtained her MA in Dance and Dance Education at New York University. While at NYU, she enrolled in courses such as Dance Alignment I & II (Pilates,) Anatomy and Kinesiology, Dance Movement Therapy, Laban Movement Analysis, and Teaching Creative Movement for Children. She has taught Pilates at the Kane School, Peridance Center, and Arts Cure Program in NYC, and has worked with many dancers and musicians to maintain body alignment, improve core strength, and prevent injuries. She has also taught creative dance for children at the United Nations after-school recreation and study program from 2002 to 2004. Additionally, since 2004, she has been an artistic director and choreographer of Azul Dance Theatre in the NYC. She recently studied traditional Thai Massage at Healing Space Ashiya (Japan) with Yoshimi Konishi and Junko Hanada, and she has been certified in traditional Thai Massage from Shivaka Komarpaj Old Medicine Hospital (Thailand.) Yuki is available to teach Pilates in both English and Japanese.

Annette Herwander
Annette Herwander, a native of Seattle Washington, received her BFA in dance from Cornish College of the Arts, with training in Kinesiology. After moving to NYC in 2007, she acquired her Pilates training from the Kane School. As a dancer and independent choreographer, the revelation of anatomy through movement has helped her come back from ailing injuries and create continuous strength. She is excited to work at Kinected and is invested in guiding clients through physical change in a challenging and supportive environment.

Kelly Kane
Kelly Kane is a world-renowned Pilates educator with over 15 years of experience. Seeking to incorporate an understanding of the human body into the classical Pilates genre, Kelly opened the Kane School in 1999 as a holistic body college founded on anatomical knowledge to improve strength and stability. She initially studied with Romana Kryzanowska and Hila Paldi and obtained her certification through the Pilates Institute in Santa Fe, N.M. Kelly completed two years of the BodyMind Centering teacher-training program and received her massage certification at the Florida School of Massage. Her manual therapy repertoire includes Structural Integration, CranioSacral Therapy and Visceral Manipulation, and she cultivated her exceptional manual perception skills at the New Jersey School of Medicine and Dentistry. Since 1993, Kelly has studied Iyengar yoga as well as anatomy and postural assessment with neuro-muscular movement specialist Irene Dowd, and her expertise also includes GYROTONIC® and Continuum Movement.

Lissa Michalak
Lissa Michalak started teaching athletic form at the age of 15, when she taught whitewater kayaking to fellow students. She is a National Academy of Sports Medicine certified personal trainer, and has studied Pilates with IM=X and Pilates Institute of America as well as at the Kane School. Outside of the studio, she is a professional bellydancer and bellydance teacher.

Michelle Spinner
Michelle is a GYROKINESIS® Master Trainer and is currently enrolled in the GYROTONIC® Master Trainer program. She is a certified GYROTONIC ® Levels I and II trainer, and a licensed GYROTONIC ® Pre-trainer. Michelle continues to study these modalities under the guidance of their creator, Julio Horvath. She is also a Pilates Method Alliance Gold Certified Pilates instructor, an ongoing student of “first generation” Pilates Master trainer Kathleen Stanford Grant, and a graduate of the Kane School. Michelle is certified to work with pre-natal and post-partum clients, and also certified by Betsy Steiner to teach Equilates—Pilates-based cross-training for equestrians. Michelle studied Kinesthetic Anatomy and the Biomechanics of Motion with Irene Dowd, the Alexander Technique with the late Marjorie Barstow, Tai Chi with Dee Chao, Ben Lo, and Don Ahn, and began practicing Hatha Yoga in her teens. She studies Qi Gong with Tom Bisio and regularly attends workshops and seminars including those given by Tom Myers and Eric Franklin. Michelle is a graduate of the Theatre department at the University of Delaware and the acting program at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco.

Sarah Smith
Sarah Smith was born and raised in Fort Worth, TX. She attended Texas Christian University, where she was first introduced to Pilates and quickly realized how important Pilates was to her dance training, health and well being. In 2001, she was invited to be a part of the Broadway Theatre Project in Tampa, FL, where she was able to train and work with legends such as Ben Vereen, Ann Reinking, Gregory Hines, and Julie Andrews, among others. She graduated with a B.P.A. in Dance Performance from Oklahoma City University, where her passion for tap and theatre dance blossomed. While attending OCU, she performed and toured with the American Spirit Dance Company. She moved to NYC in 2004 to pursue a career in musical theatre; she has appeared in regional productions of "Crazy For You," "42nd Street," and "Christmas Dreams." She was a tap soloist for "The Moveable Feast" and continues to study voice and musical theatre performance with Jen Waldman and Kim Stern in NYC. She received her Pilates Mat and Equipment Certification from the Kane School. Sarah believes Pilates can be used to help achieve a broad range of goals; she is excited to share her love and passion for Pilates with others.

Sherry Stregack
Sherry Stregack, a graduate of Marymount Manhattan College, has been performing in Dance and Theater for twenty-five years. Having included Pilates as an integral part of her own dance and health regimen, she received her teaching certification from The Kane School. She has completed a course of study in Anatomy with Irene Dowd and strives to guide her students toward improved functionality and positive physical change.

 

Whitney Tucker
Whitney Lynn Tucker, a southern Illinoisan, graduated from Arizona State University with a BFA in Dance Education, where she additionally studied Iyengar Yoga (Alicante, Spain), Capoeira (Grupo Axe Capoeira), and Contact Improvisation. Finally, she arrived at Pilates as a way to manage hyper-mobility and for injury prevention as a professional dancer. She currently dances with David Dorfman Dance and Tiffany Mills Company. She is currently undergoing certification for Tibetan Heart Yoga. Whitney is grateful for Pilates' ability to align and balance the internal/subtle body with external chaos. She is a graduate of the Kane School.

Olivia Webster
Olivia Webster, Doctor of Physical Therapy, is a fully certified STOTT PILATES® Instructor, Instructor Trainer, and Rehab Instructor Trainer. Olivia specializes in sports physical therapy and Pilates for rehabilitation. She brings a creative twist to the traditional Pilates repertoire to help each client achieve optimal function and performance. She uses her expertise in anatomy of movement to evaluate and treat the body as one integrated unit. She will keep you on your toes, working hard, and having fun all at the same time. Olivia loves what she does, as this is evident in her work.