The founder of the Pilates
Joseph Hubertus Pilates was born in Germany in 1883. He left home at 16 and worked as a brewer. He emigrated to the UK in 1914, where he worked various jobs until the start of World War I. When the war broke out Joseph Pilates was confined to Internment Camps for German citizens where he remained during the war. During this time, he trained other inmates in fitness and exercise and the beginnings of his exercise method began to take shape.
After the war, Joseph Pilates returned to Germany and lived in Gelsenkirchen from 1919-1926, where he opened a boxing school. In 1926, he moved to Hamburg where he registered his first two patents, the Foot Corrector and the Universal Reformer. in 1926, Joseph Pilates went to America and on his way he met Clara, who became his wife. Together they founded a studio in New York City where they taught Contrology. Pilates and his method established a following in the dance and performing arts community and among well-known dancers, such as George Balanchine, Ruth St. Denis, and Ted Shawn. They became devotees and sent their students to Joseph Pilates for training and rehabilitation and prevention of injuries.
Joseph Pilates died in 1967, at the age of 85, but his legacy and the genius of his worked have lived on. Joseph Pilates wanted his method to be studied worldwide by people of all ages and abilities. It is documented that his wish was for Clara and Romana to continue his legacy.
The Roman's Pilates International Instructor Training follows this lineage and his vision for Contrology to be studied worldwide.
