Instructors
Introducing our wonderful instructors. Each one brings something unique to their class. Read below to find out where they were trained and what special skills they have learned along their Pilates journey...
Christie Freeman (Pilates Equipment, Mat, Pre/Postnatal, Group Classes)
Christie Freeman, owner and director of HHF/PP, first discovered Pilates in college where she received a BFA in dance from California State University, Long Beach. After taking a course in Pilates while in college, Christie worked part-time in the dance department’s physical therapy room which was equipped with a cadillac, wunda chair, and reformers. This is where she realized the true benefits of a daily Pilates practice and how much Pilates can help the body. Christie suffered from chronic back, shoulder, and neck pain due to a car accident; during her time in this therapy room she was able to focus her attention on herself and see the amazing results that can be achieved with a little dedication and the Pilates practice.
Christie received her Pilates mat and equipment certification from The Kane School of Core Integration in New York. Christie has attended additional workshops to continue her Pilates training; Pilates through Pregnancy with Debbi Goodman, MSPT, Pre and Post Natal Specialist Pilates Certification with Carolyne Anthony, Kinesthetic Anatomy and Biomechanics of Motion: Spine/Trunk with Irene Dowd, Relax your Neck – Liberate your Shoulders with Eric Franklin, Hip and Knee injuries with Mark Klion/MD and the participated in FAMI (twice) - a four day anatomy intensive taught at Mount Sinai with some of best and most engaging doctors at the hospital and in their field.
Christie hopes that all will love the way they feel as much as she does after an invigorating pilates session whether it is for fitness, injury prevention, daily movement, or recovery - Pilates works!
Hanh Tran (Equipment, Mat, Pre/Postnatal, Group Classes, One-on-One Instruction)
Thuc-Hanh Tran (Hanh) received her Pilates Comprehensive Mat and Equipment certification from the Kane School of Core Integration, her certifications in Prenatal and Postnatal Pilates, Momilates®, and Stroller Moves® from Bella Bellies®; and is a licensed instructor of Pilates for Buff Bones®, a bone-strengthening program for those with osteoporosis or those seeking to prevent it. Hanh continually seeks to deepen her understanding of different topics, attending classes, workshops and seminars on bone health, diastasis recti, working with seniors, sacro-illiac joint dysfunction, shoulders, knees, neck, back… with prominent teachers like Kelly Kane, Matt McCullough, Debbi Goodman, MPT, Lolita San Miguel, Julie Tupler, RN, Rebekah Rotstein, Balanced Body Pilates on Tour among others. Her best learning, however, has come from experiences with clients vastly different from one another in body and mind who she’s been blessed to work with over the years.
Hanh also has been a professional dancer (The King and I on Broadway, the Martha Graham Dance Company..), actor, choreographer, dance teacher (most extensively at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts), refugee camp worker, health education assistant, and is mother to two amazing kids.
“I look forward to working with you towards fuller movement possibilities, optimum health, and greater enjoyment and appreciation of your body.”
Shauna Jenkisson (Pilates Equipment, Mat, Pre/Postnatal, Group Classes, One-on-One Instruction)
Shauna started learning Pilates in 1995. She discovered it helped enormously in refining her dance technique.
She received her first Pilates certification in 2001 from Physical Mind Institute where she studied with master trainers Lesley Powell, CMA, and Doris Pastpelleur-Hall.
She received an additional certification in 2006 from IM=X Pilates where, as a master trainer, she certified students in NYC and Arizona in the IM=X Pilates method.
Shauna earned her holistic health certification from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in 2001. Shauna’s lively teaching approach inspires people to achieve their fitness goals and enjoy a higher level of grace and confidence.
Christina Cervantes-Williamson (Pilates Equipment, Mat, Pre/Postnatal)
Christina Cervantes Williamson, is a Pilates and Yoga instructor. Originally from California, she moved out here to continue her career in Film and Television as a Director of Photography. On a hiatus she pursued a Yoga Certification through Atmananda Yoga in NYC and has her 500 hour Yoga Alliance certification. After incurring an injury from camera operating she started a taking Pilates classes to help rehabilitate and strengthen her spine. Finding a love for Pilates and seeing great benefits in the practice, she went for her certification. Christina has a certification in mat and equipment based Pilates through Erika Bloom Pilates in NYC. She continues her eduction through workshops including, Oov with Kathy Comperature, Somatic Cueing with Michelle Cohen, Touch Techniques with Rolfer Paul Wirth, and Scoliosis with Kuan Hui Chew. Christina focuses on breath, proper alignment, and listening to your body
Dorela Cheban (Pilates Equipment, Mat, Pre/Postnatal, Group Classes, One-on-One Instruction)
Dorela was born and raised in the USSR, but in her late teens relocated to the US in order to pursue her dreams. She has always strived to live an active and healthy lifestyle through different types of fitness training programs including spinning and boxing; but it was after deciding to try Pilates that Dorela really found her niche. Now having practiced for over ten years, Pilates has given her killer core strength, a strong sense of body awareness, and the flexibility she has always desired. Pilates also remains a positive outlet from her stressful and sometimes demanding career in the finance industry.
Dorela received her Pilates Mat and full Apparatus certification from the prestigious Kane School of Core Integration, training under founder Kelly Kane. She is excited to share her love of Pilates and is dedicated to helping her clients move their bodies in an optimal way for maximum results. Dorela’s knowledge and passion shows in her class repertoire. She uses different props to challenge and keep her clients interested but also makes sure to personalize and guide students through workouts that meet their specific needs. She teaches that body awareness, breath, discipline and control are all key cornerstones to having successful and enjoyable sessions. At the end of the day, her goal is to educate people on how to improve their lives through Pilates, while helping to inspire students of all levels reach their true potential.
Shira Tavor (Pilates Equipment, Mat, Pre-Natal)
Shira moved to NYC from Isreal in 1998 to further her education in theater and body movement. Over the last 15 years, she became certified in different body consciousness techniques, such as yoga, meditation and Pilates. These methods helped her to focus her teaching practice by introducing a balanced approach to helping her students, many of which had chronic conditions that interfered with wellness and healthy living.
The Kane School at Kinected in NYC, it offered Shira the education she was seeking to help integrate, define, and apply her previous experience, by introducing a more clinical approach to her talent. She is personally grateful for the results she has achieved, through the disappearance of her own chronic ailments, experienced through her discomfort through scoliosis and childbirth.
Shira is motivated to nurture her students to well being through a forward thinking approach.
