Today we’d like to introduce you to Elle Erdman.
Hi Elle, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
My earliest memories are of dancing and being obsessed with movement. I went to a pre-professional performing arts school in Connecticut where the faculty was made up of former NYC Ballet dancers. It promoted a lot of interesting modern dance workshops too like Momix and Twyla Tharp, so I had been influenced early on by the power of dance. From there, I went to Purchase College (NY), where I focused most of my attention on improvisation, post-modern and experimental dance. After nearly two decades of performing and choreographing and being totally informed by the New York dance scene, I moved to Berlin, Germany to study somatic movement. I fell in love with Body-Mind Centering, which then led me to Pilates because it summed it all up: Functional movement, anatomy, and biomechanics which is where I am at now. I’ve learned Pilates is the most transformative and rehabilitative method for conditioning the body, and I truly believe a strong and supple body is the healthiest body. And a healthy body makes for a healthy mind!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I would say the biggest struggle was putting myself through training while juggling multiple serving jobs to pay for the program. I’d cocktail waitress late, sleep a few hours then be up for the next day of training, then repeat all over again. It was a pretty intense cycle bouncing back and forth from nightlife to holistic/mind-body training, but I kept at it and paid for the entire program without any assistance or loans. I was determined to get myself out of waitressing and knew there was a better way to make money while helping others feel good and aligning my ultimate passion of the healing arts.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I moved to La and couldn’t find a studio that aligned with my Pilates experience in New York. Nothing felt right; classes were either too fast paced and aerobic or the studio vibe was outdated. I wanted a technical class yet still fun and dynamic with interesting music to workout in so I opened a space that would provide that. l.a. Springs is a Pilates studio in Echo Park that gives you a feeling of being in a NY-style loft with its high ceilings and minimal design. It is made up of only six reformers so there is lots of individual attention. The instructors emphasize mindful movement and honor the traditional method while also evolving class in contemporary sequences. Our goal is staying true to the principles of Pilates so clients can find their highest quality of movement and walk out of class feeling deeper connected in their bodies, so they are able to function to the best of their ability !
What makes you happy?
Movement makes me happy! As a complete body nerd, I have never strayed from learning new dance techniques and modalities. I think the knowledge of biomechanics grows with new research, and so should Pilates, so I love to share the evolution of movement and getting clients to move more dimensionally. At the end of the day, we are given one body, so why not make the most of feeling dynamic and strong in ourselves? It is so clear to me when people exercise, they naturally feel more balanced and happy in themselves! Therefore, I think there is a lot of therapeutic benefits in exercise.
Pricing:
- Intro Special: 2 classes for $50
- Intro Special: 3 classes for $75
- Intro Special: 10 classes for $250
Contact Info:
- Website: laspringspilates.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laspringspilates
- Other: https://linktr.ee/lasprings
Image Credits
Whitney Browne
Laura Bartczak
Wrenne Evans
