Full Name:
Sarah Ann Schlinder. Sarah Elliott is a stage name, my late grandfather’s middle name. And I’ll be Sarah Ruback by next fall 2010.
Certifications:
CPNYC Mat & Comprehensive 2004
Degrees:
MFA Acting, Yale School of Drama. BFA Music Theatre w/ Arts Management Minor, Illinois Wesleyan University
Years Teaching Pilates:
6
Hometown:
St. Charles, IL
Top 3 Hobbies and Activities:
Baseball (NY Yankees), Football (Chicago Bears & NY Giants), Running
Other Things Going:
I’m teaching a class at Primary Stages Theatre in NYC: Pilates for Actors, Spring 2010. My Pilates focus and dream in addition to being the Director of Teacher Training at Core Pilates NYC is training athletes and elite performers in Pilates. Check out my fiancé, the mascot of the New York Giants, License Plate Guy. He travels with the team and I go too. Find him on Twitter.
What’s your favorite exercise to teach and do you have a special spin to it?
I love to teach Boomerang and often include it in my Tower classes as a challenging variation coming out of Teaser with the Push Through Bar. And of course, push ups, serratus push ups, any kind of push ups!
What kind of bagel do you like and how do you prefer to “dress” it?
Flagel with veggie tofu
If Joseph Pilates were alive today, what would you ask him?
Were you really black and white about the Method as it seems to be pitched by die hard classicists today?
Top 3 places you’ve traveled?
Belize, Hong Kong, Ireland
Top 3 things on your “To Do Before You Die” list?
I don’t keep lists like that. It pulls me out of the present and puts too much pressure on the future for me. I feel very fortunate to say that everything I want to do in life I’m doing right now.
What’s the farthest point from the Core studio (or NYC) that you’ve done Pilates?
Hong Kong
What’s your Pilates “a-ha” moment?
Instructor Willow Blish teaching me the Elephant as an apprentice…. So THAT’S how you move from your lower abs…
Two words that describe your teaching style?
Da Vinci meets Jeter
Favorite type of sessions or classes to teach and why?
This question is like Sofie’s Choice. I can’t answer it. If I say I love teaching Tower then I think about the subtle but amazing break throughs that happen in privates. And if I say Basics Mat then I think of all the awesome Express classes that we’ve busted out in 45 minutes. In short I love teaching every hour and every class for both the people and perimeters.
Care to share any teaching blunders?
I often forget the reverse on one leg of Single Leg Circles… and have no idea why really. I think it stems back from being nervous back in the Mat Course when I had to get up and teach this exercise for the first time in front of the class.
Where can we find you on any given Friday eve?
On a train up the Hudson River on my way to Joe’s hockey game.
Pilates Class Gone “Mad”
The first time I taught a group Pilates mat class, I felt like I was going to (expletive verb) scream!. I asked the (adj) cute class, if anybody was new to Pilates and they had all been taking class for (number) 12 minutes. After I found out how long the (adj) athletic class had done (adj) intelligent Pilates, I had to throw my plan out the (adj) Core Pilates NYC door! Their Hundred looked like (noun) chimneys gone wild, and their Teaser was (adj ending in ing) harrowing.
(exclamation!) Wow! Someone (verb) ran which made the class go wild. (body part plural) Hands were (verb ending in ing) prowling like (animal) cats7(number) everywhere. And I only had (number) 7 seconds to get the class to Seal. You could see the sweat through my (article of clothing) leg warmers. In the end, my (adj) beautiful class left feeling (adj ending in er) longer, and I feel (positive emotion) satisfaction to be a Pilates instructor. Sign up now for my (exclamation!) Yes! class.
