James Crane
James offers a uniquely profound perspective in Pilates, with backgrounds in both physiology and furniture design. Active in both teaching Pilates and building furniture, James finds similarities in working with human bodies and building physical structure – both require strong foundations if they’re going to function well.
James has worked with many leading Pilates instructors over the years and has accumulated a large part of what he knows from working with Jay Grimes at Vintage Pilates in Los Angeles. Jay learned directly from Joe Pilates and has been teaching Pilates for more than 50 years. He has provided a wealth of information about the complete system of Pilates as it was taught in Joe’s original studio. James completed “The Work”, a comprehensive graduate program at Vintage Pilates and was also one of 18 teachers worldwide handpicked to study with Jay in his program “Teaching the Work”. James has also learned from others who have been taught directly by Joe Pilates, such as Romana Kryzanowska and Eve Gentry.
Fumiko Luk
Fumiko Luk started taking pilates lessons in 2000 while working at a technology company in Silicon Valley. Hoping that exercise would help her recover from lower back and neck injuries, she began to feel the positive effects of Pilates on her body and the potential to help others discover its benefits. She chose to make this method her career in 2006 and completed her certification with Power Pilates NY in 2008. She is constantly building upon her knowledge of the classical method by training regularly with those who have worked closely with master teachers. Fumiko expanded her passion for beneficial body movement by becoming a certified GYROTONIC® Trainer. She incorporates her GYROTONIC® knowledge into her Pilates sessions with clients by boosting their awareness and perception of movement.
Fumiko takes great satisfaction in helping her clients improve their lives with a holistic approach to movement. Nowadays people live in a busy environment and Fumiko always reminds herself to live mindfully and fully. This is made easier with the help of GYROTONIC® and Pilates exercise.
Originally from Japan, Fumiko has lived and worked in Tokyo, Hong Kong, and now resides in the San Francisco Bay Area where she has lived with her family for the past 28 years.
GYROTONIC® is a registered trademark of Gyrotonic Sales Corp and is used with their permission.
Annie Paz
Annie discovered the benefits of Pilates over 15 years ago, back in Israel. She was fascinated by the way Pilates transformed her body and mindset. Her passion led her to complete her first certificate program in Tel-Aviv, 2006. Annie attended dozens of workshops by world-renowned teachers before getting accepted to the most selective program for exceptional teachers from all over the world, -named "The Work". The program was directed by grand-master teacher Jay Grimes who was trained by Josef Pilates himself. "The Work" enabled Annie to distill and refine the true essence of the Pilates method the way Joseph Pilates originally conceived it. "Change happens through movement, and movement heals" (Joseph Pilates).
Annie will help you build a strong and flexible body, improve your posture, and develop your body awareness. You will feel how the functional aspects of the method significantly improve your movement efficiency, symmetry, and balance. Annie has extensive experience in tailoring highly specialized Pilates classes to support a broad spectrum of clients and needs: professional athletes, pre and postnatal women, kids, executives, musicians, dancers, university professors, etc. Annie aims to make her clients happier, more focused, more powerful, and even taller by the end of each class. Annie is also a member of the Israeli Bar Association, holds an L.L.B and a B.A. in East Asia studies. She is also a pre and postnatal certified trainer. When she is not teaching, she enjoys time with her husband and two boys, training, cooking, photography, and playing Japanese Taiko drums.