Bodies in Balance Team
Deborah Bayardino
PMA® Certified Pilates Instructor
Deborah started as a Pilates instructor in 2003 at Espaco Pilates in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and, by then, she had already completed two years of Physical Therapy studies at IBMR, RJ. She holds a B.A. in Communication Studies from CEUB and a technical degree in Contemporary Dance at the Angel Vianna School of Movement and Arts in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
She has over 10 years of experience as a Body Awareness and Organization teacher. Deborah is currently enrolled at OCAT (The Oregon Center for the Alexander Technique) for her 3 year teacher-training course.
The Pilates Method work-out, with body awareness, prevents injuries, improves strength, balance and promotes gracious movement. The body which practices Pilates is the same one used for all other daily activities (working on the computer, driving a car or having lunch). By understanding this concept, you become more autonomous and awaken yourself to your own potential.
The Body is moving and communicating. The Body is YourSelf.
Learn about the connections between Pilates and the Alexander Technique.
DeeAnn Nelson
Certified Pilates Instructor, NASM Certified Personal Trainer
DeeAnn is a constant observer of the human form whether it be within herself or her clients. For that reason clients have the opportunity to change and grow during their lessons. DeeAnn has spent many years teaching people how to use their mind, breath, muscles, and skeleton to help function at a higher level. Whether their goal is weight loss, coordination, balance, or personal growth she has been able to help them achieve their goals.
DeeAnn has extensive experience in Pilates instruction. Her education includes a BA from University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and an MFA from New York University, Tisch School of the Arts. She received her Pilates certification with Dolly Kelepez in Las Vegas in 2001.
She spent many years in New York City performing in an incredibly athletic dance company. Pilates helped her maintain her body throughout the years of performance. It also piqued her interest in activities such as running, cycling, and swimming and she completed her first half marathon in San Francisco in 2006 and her first sprint triathalon in upstate New York in 2008. However it was not until after a tragic fall left her with a broken back that she really appreciated the true necessity for a mind body approach. Her Web site is www.deeannnelson.com
Shelly Stephenson
Training Director
Shelly began her study of Pilates in 1989 with Marie José Blom-Lawrence while completing her BFA in dance at California Institute of the Arts. She became a Certified Pilates Instructor through the PhysicalMind Institute in 1997, and is the Senior Pilates Instructor at Bodies in Balance.
Before opening Bodies in Balance in 1998, Shelly spent two years teaching Pilates-based rehabilitative exercises to patients at a physical therapy clinic. Her experience includes athletic conditioning and rehabilitation with post-operative and fibromyalgia patients, people with obesity, and osteo and rheumatoid arthritis. She has also worked with ballet and modern dancers, and was the Pilates teacher for the artists of Cirque du Soleil's Corteo in Portland.
In 2001 Shelly became Certified Teacher Trainer through the PhysicalMind Institute and has since trained Pilates instructors throughout the Pacific Northwest. Shelly is certified by the Pilates Method Alliance and now offers Pilates teacher certification, continuing education, and Anatomy in Clay as a faculty member of Balanced Body University.
Shelly is a lifelong student and teacher, fascinated by the body's intelligent structure and natural resilience. After much inquiry and research into a modality that would best complement her Pilates work, in 2006 Shelly began her training in Anatomy Trains and KMI with Thomas Myers and KMI faculty. Offering this transformative form of bodywork along with her Pilates practice provides an effective blend of structural and kinesthetic support to her clients. Shelly's ongoing dedication is to helping her clients restore alignment and range of motion, increase the body's adaptability and joint function, and to assisting other movement educators in their ongoing discovery of the human body's form and function.
Tracy Broyles
Certified Pilates Instructor
Tracy is creating her own approach to movement technique. Her major training and influences are post-modern dance, somatic therapies, Alexander Technique, yoga and Pilates; in which she became a certified instructor through Shelly Stephenson at Bodies in Balance in 2001. She has been teaching movement for over a decade to adults, teens and kids.
Tracy is passionate about the body and the innate wisdom held within it.
Elizabeth Russell
Studio Director
Elizabeth’s background is in community organizing, project management, and artistic direction. She holds degrees in Public Administration from the University of Nebraska and in Theater/Movement Studies from Naropa University in Boulder. She has received extensive training in a range of performance tools, movement forms, and mindfulness practices – including Mudra Space Awareness, Authentic Movement, Body-Mind Centering, and Contemplative Dance Practice. She has performed and directed countless works over the years, both site-specific and for the stage.
Elizabeth was the founding program director of the Mid-Missouri Center for Sustainable Living, an educational project of Mid-Missouri Peaceworks in Columbia, MO. In Missouri she co-founded and lived in intentional community, creating skills & processes for a more sustainable, holistic, and compassionate lifestyle. She is a founding board member for VoiceCatcher, an annual anthology of Portland-area women writers.
Elizabeth’s current works focus on the role of embodied consciousness in the development of loving kindness toward our bodies, the Earth, and each other. Learn about the Open Floor at http://openfloor-portal.blogspot.com/